Apple’s new iPad Pro in 2021: What to Expect

The 2020 iPad Pro arrived at the beginning of the year (and counting) pandemic, back in mid-March 2020. An update is likely soon. But what can he add to make a difference this year? Think processors and decorators, based on recent reports that the hardware might get new chip and Thunderbolt port.

That 2020 model didn’t have much of a processor nugget, and it looked almost identical to the model from 2018. It did introduce some new technology and decoration, however: This was the first Apple product that got a lidar sensor with depth sensor, and Apple introduced trackpad-capability Magic Keyboard case (that costs as much as an entry level iPad).

Apple’s Macs recently received a major performance boost from Apple’s M1 processors, which already feel like advanced versions of the chipsets already in the iPad Pro.

2021 seems like the perfect time to deliver the Pro line processor upgrade, which is exactly what recent reports have pointed out. But it’s unclear whether the iPad Pro will get the recently used M1 Macs, or a different custom processor, like the A14X. The next iPads could also improve the way accessories connect, moving from a USB-C to a similar but better-performing Thunderbolt port. Show updates also seem to be overdue. This is what we expect.

Better presentation

The iPad Pro display is great, and its 120Hz refresh rate is not yet available on any other iPhone or iPad. But switching to OLED (or in the meantime, Mini LED) feels late. Especially since the iPad Pro is aimed at graphic designers, photo editors and people looking for perfect displays.

M1 processor (or, something almost as good)

The A12Z processor on the 2020 iPad Pro is, to be clear, yet fast. But it was not much faster in terms of benchmarks than the A12X processor from 2018, which marks a late chip update. It could be an A14Z or A14X processor, which adds additional graphics cores and other enhancements over the chip on recent Apple iPhones and iPad Air. Or, perhaps, Apple will use the M1 already in the MacBook Air. The M1 seems to be the obvious choice, but it’s possible that Apple will choose to customize a more tablet-focused chip, omitting unnecessary M1 features aimed at Macs.

Either way, the results could offer additional impetus. But for what? I wish the already fast-starting iPad Pro would be capable of more advanced multitasking. Or, perhaps, real study support.

Extended Thunderbolt port

The USB-C port on the iPad Pro and iPad Air is a major improvement over electronic: It works with standard USB adapters, and can connect to multiple adapters to receive SD cards, or a monitor or add Ethernet.

But there are limits to what the iPad Pro can do compared to a Mac. Thunderbolt would allow for expanded and higher speed external storage, better inspection connection and more advanced docks.

That could suggest Apple’s new features.

Will a dock be made by Apple?

Apple’s transformative keyboard case for the iPad Pro took advantage of new support for trackpads in last year’s iPadOS update. If the new iPads get Thunderbolt, Apple may decide to make its own iPad Pro dock. I thought of a kind of turn-your-iPad-into-a-desktop-computer utility a few years ago. The Kensington StudioDock for iPad Pro and Air shows how the USB-C iPads can transform into that exact desktop device with lots of extra ports. Would Apple try to spin its own, but with Thunderbolt?

5G

The iPad doesn’t have 5G … yet. Since iPhones 2020 introduced 5G, the iPad Pro would make sense as the next thing on deck. Apple doesn’t even have LTE on any of its laptops, but iPads have had that option almost from the start. That being said, I’ve found that my local 5G is lacking, and mobile data is an add-on option I don’t tend to use.

Better pencil

Recent reports have suggested that Apple may have a newer version of Pencil style, perhaps one that is more complex or has touch-based controls (or a new tip?). The Apple Pencil ranked second back in 2018 and there is already an iPad style break, with varying levels of support in different iPads for the first- and second-gen pencils.

Could Apple shift the position of the front camera? (We hope so)

The iPad is not really good landscape-based video conferencing, since the front camera ends up sitting on one side and making conversations look like I’m watching somewhere else. It would make sense for Apple to change the location of the front-facing camera this year. We all work and are educated from home more than ever, and when we do, we usually do it with the iPad held on all sides. Even the Magic Keyboard assumes you are using the iPad that way.

Why not make iPadOS even more compact (and Mac-like)?

If Apple were to put the M1 in the iPad Pro, it also raises the question of whether Apple would release the iPad software even further. Staying with an M1 MacBook Air in conjunction with the iPad Pro pushed my memory beyond the limits of the iPad’s OS, and how a more multifunctional iPad could, with the ability to explore feel even more like a fully-fledged computer . Now that the iPad already supports trackpads, mice and plenty of peripherals, why not?

My biggest desire for the next wave of iPads is not about hardware. It’s about unlocking the software to make it as versatile as Macs already are. We may not get any closer to putting a bridge on iPad and Mac in the spring, but I would still like to see it happen.