Apple will overhaul its iPad family next year to make it less confusing for customers and to recharge slumping sales, according to Bloomberg. New versions of the iPad Pro and iPad Air are reportedly coming as soon as March.
Apple didn’t release new iPads in 2023, and sales fell 3% from fiscal 2022 to fiscal 2023, after declining 8% the year before. IPad revenue in the company’s fiscal fourth quarter fell 10% year over year after Apple warned of double-digit declines in its iPad and Mac segments.
Apple reportedly wants to make it easier to differentiate between the iPad models and also plans big upgrades. Apple currently sells two sizes of the iPad Pro, the iPad Air, the 10th generation iPad, the ninth generation iPad and the iPad mini. Accessories, such as keyboards and Apple Pencils, as well as chargers, vary depending on which model you’re buying. It makes choosing an iPad more confusing than with any of Apple’s other products.
The plan is to make the iPad Pro the clear top-line model, with the Air as a middle tier and the 11th generation iPad at the bottom, according to the report. The upcoming changes to the iPad Pro reportedly include a better screen, the M3 chip, a new design and a new Magic Keyboard attachment that only works with iPad Pros.
The new iPad Air will have two screen sizes and an M2 chip, according to the report.
Apple will reportedly release an updated iPad mini and the 11th generation iPad, the latter of which will allow the company to phase out the ninth generation version that still has a home button. The report did not specify the timetable on those releases.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.