The Core cuts to the heart of the Apple news that matters to you every week. iMore's News Editor Stephen Warwick breaks down all the top stories, along with a helping of deals, tips, insight, and humor.
With its May 7 event now over, Apple has released two of the four new iPads it reportedly has slated for release in 2024. In contrast to 2023, which saw no new iPad hardware unveiled, this year Apple is expected to reboot its entire iPad lineup. We now have a stunning new M4 iPad Pro and a new M2 iPad Air, complemented by the wonderful Apple Pencil Pro.
However, if you’ve been waiting for a new iPad mini or a new base model iPad, fret not. Both of these devices are still expected later this year. Here’s what Apple still has in store for the tablet faithful in 2024.
The Core - Apple's remaining 2024 iPads
Apple’s popular tiny tablet is tipped to get an update later this year. Sadly, it reportedly won’t include much more than a processor upgrade. Currently sporting the A15 Bionic chip, it’s possible that we get the A16 or A17, or perhaps Apple will give us the M1 iPad mini, bringing all of its iPads into line with a serving of Apple silicon.
The iPad mini 6 was a fairly dramatic overhaul with a new design and features, so don’t expect big changes to the iPad’s design language, which seems fairly fixed across the range. The biggest challenge Apple faces is overcoming the jelly-scrolling phenomenon that plagues the current model.
Budget iPad lovers got a massive gift when Apple reduced the price of its base model iPad 10 to just $349, a move that signaled the death of the iPad 9 and its aging design. Just like the iPad mini 7, the iPad 11 is expected to be a fairly muted affair with a new processor and no big design changes. That means we can likely expect some colors, and a small spec bump. As with the iPad mini 7, the M1 chip seems the likely processor candidate if Apple wants to align all of its iPads around the M-series chips.
If Apple’s previous lineup is anything to go by, we’d expect Apple to keep the iPad 10 in the lineup at a cheaper price, with an iPad 11 sat between it and the iPad Air.
Boot up
iPad Pro (2024, M4) review: A dramatic OLED display and more power than iPadOS knows what to do with
With its incredible OLED display and the tremendous M4 chip, the iPad Pro is an all-encompassing powerhouse, but it’s not perfect, read our verdict here.
Launchpad
iPad Air (2024, M2) review: A big screen makeover for the iPad most people should buy
It doesn’t have the power or the display of the iPad Pro, but it’s still fantastic. With a new larger size and M2 chip, does the iPad Air still have a place in the lineup? Read our hands-on review!
For your reading list
Apple Pencil Pro review: A magic wand for artists and note-takers that even Steve Jobs would have loved
On the reading list is another review, this time for the fabled new Apple Pencil Pro, new for 2024. How do those new gestures and inputs feel? Get the inside scoop on Apple Pencil Pro.
Genius Bar
This one iPhone trick makes cropping your images quicker than ever — get the perfect picture in just one tap
Did you know you can quickly crop photos just by zooming in on them? I sure didn’t!
One more thing
Apple's iOS 17.5 photo resurfacing bug just got a whole lot more serious — here's why
Apple is dealing with a new bug that’s even worse than we first thought. Reports of old, deleted photos resurfacing in iOS 17.5 now extend to devices that have been wiped and sold to other users, a worrying development.
