It”s a strange rumor, but it could be feasible.
Per Mark Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter, Apple may debut its forthcoming iPad Pro, scheduled to be announced at its media event on May 7, with a next-generation M4 chip powering it.
This seems unlikely, even despite Gurman’s strong track record, and Gurman has stated that he believes Apple will market the pro tablet as “its first truly AI-powered device.”
Other potential new features for the upcoming iPad Pro include an OLED display, which could help make the device thinner than previous models. Apple is also said to be planning to reposition the FaceTime front camera and release redesigned accessories including a new Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil.
Gurman has suggested that the iPad Pro debut of the M4 chip could lead to additional M4-based Macs as well as A18-based iPhone models. If the M4 iPad Pro debut is accurate, it would be the shortest cycle of Apple Silicon updates yet, with the gap between releases being only seven months, versus about 10 from M2 to M3.
It’s been noted that an expanded Neural Engine and greater machine learning or AI capabilities in forthcoming products are expected to be a major part of this June’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC). This year’s WWDC will be held on June 10-14th, and again be mostly online with a special in-person event at Apple Park.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider and Bloomberg