The first beta release of iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 includes references to new iPad Pro models and confirms the upcoming models will include OLED displays, according to a new report from 9to5Mac.
According to the report, the beta release of iPadOS 17.5 includes new display firmware for four iPad models, including models with identifiers iPad16,3, iPad16,4, iPad16,5, and iPad16,6. The report says the code found in the beta “suggests that these iPads will be equipped with OLED displays and also corroborates that there will be different suppliers for the 11-inch and 12.9-inch versions.”
The upcoming refreshed iPad Pro models are expected to be significant, sporting new OLED display technology and a redesign. The new iPads have been in the rumor mill for months, with initial reports suggesting a launch in early March, then late March, then early April, and now next month.
The new iPads are expected to come with considerably thinner bezels and a landscape TrueDepth camera system, like the entry-level 10th-generation iPad. Alongside the new iPads, Apple is also preparing a new third-generation Apple Pencil that may feature a new “squeeze” gesture and an all-new Magic Keyboard that could be made of all aluminum.
The release of the new iPad Pro and an expected minor refresh of the iPad Air next month follows an unprecedented full year last year of no new iPad hardware. During Apple’s FY Q1 2024 conference call in February, covering the fourth quarter of 2023, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that iPad revenue was $7 billion, a 25% decrease year-over-year. Cook said the iPad “continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible on a tablet.”
