Late last year, Apple revamped the iPad Pro design and packed insanely powerful hardware inside its professional tablets. The company is rumored to refresh its regular, non-Pro iPad soon. Leaks and rumors about the 7th-generation iPad haven’t been as plentiful as other popular Apple products. But thanks to some reliable tipsters and supply chain leaks, we know a little about the iPad 7. Based on recent leaks and rumors, here we take a look at the iPad 7 release date, design, features, and other details.
iPad 7 to retain the design of its predecessor
Last year’s 9.7-inch iPad was a budget-friendly model, and so will be the upcoming one. Don’t expect the iPhone 7 to mimic the design of the latest iPad Pros. Citing supply chain sources, Japanese blog Mac Otakara reports that the 2019 iPad would look similar to its predecessor. Apple has no plans to revamp the design of its tablet aimed at the education market. The 9.7-inch iPad was praised for its affordability, performance, battery life, and Apple Pencil support.
Mac Otakara added that the iPad 7 would keep the Touch ID fingerprint sensor and the 3.5mm headphone jack, both of which were removed from the iPad Pros. Apple might be retaining the Touch ID to keep its production costs down because the Face ID sensors are relatively more expensive. Fans of the headphone jack are also going to love the iPad 7 because it will keep the audio jack that Apple has removed from the iPhones and iPad Pros.
It will also help Apple differentiate between the regular iPad line and the more expensive iPad Pro devices. Mac Otakara didn’t mention which port the upcoming iPad would use for data transfer and charging. According to the rumor mill, it would stick to the Lightning port.
What about the display?
The 2018 iPad had a 9.7-inch Retina display with thick bezels all around. TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that the iPad 7 could feature a 10.2-inch display. One of the Apple suppliers has also indicated that the tech giant would reduce bezels on the upcoming iPad to increase the display to 10 inches.
There are also reports that it would retain the 9.7-inch screen of its predecessor. It’s unclear whether it would get the ProMotion technology that the iPad Pro users love so much.
Internal specs
The 2018 iPad was powered by Apple’s older A10 Fusion chip. The processor was powerful enough to handle most tasks, but it’s now started showing its age. According to the rumor mill, the 7th-gen iPad would get a faster A11 Bionic processor along with support for the newer Apple Pencil. It is also expected to support Bluetooth keyboards. The standard iPad isn’t compatible with Apple’s Smart Keyboard or Smart Keyboard Folio.
iPad 7 release date and price
In recent years, Apple has been increasing the prices of almost all its products. The price hikes have been so steep that many customers are turning away from the latest iPhones, iPad Pros, and MacBook Air. Will Apple increase the prices of the 2019 iPad as well? Only time will tell. But considering the device is aimed at the education market, we expect it to be priced in the same range as its predecessor, which starts at $329 for the base model.
Apple had launched the 9.7-inch iPad on March 24, 2017, and refreshed it a year later on March 27, 2018. The iPad 7 release date is just around the corner. According to BuzzFeed, Apple will host an event on March 25 at the Steve Jobs Theater to launch its streaming TV service and the subscription news service. The company could also unveil hardware products at the same event.
It’s also possible for Apple to hold a separate hardware-focused event towards the end of March to launch the iPad 7, iPad mini 5, the AirPower wireless charging mat, and other products. It makes sense to hold an independent event for hardware products rather than announcing them at the services-focused event. In any case, the iPad 7 release date is only a few weeks away.
