Apple refreshed the iPad Air and iPad Mini earlier this year. The tech giant still has a few iPad updates in store for the second half of the year. As many as five new iPad models have just appeared in the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) database. Apple submitted its filings with the intergovernmental agency on July 2. The filings became publicly available on July 10, and were first spotted by MySmartPrice.
All the five new iPad models registered with the Eurasian Economic Commission are running iPadOS 13, confirming that they are iPads rather than iPhones. For some reason, Apple registered them in two separate filings instead of bundling them into one. One of the filings includes three models: A2068, A2198, and A2230. The other filing covers A2228 and A2197.
It indicates that Apple could update two different lines of iPads, such as the iPad Pro and the regular iPad. The filings don’t reveal much about the upcoming models. They would run iPadOS 13, which was unveiled at WWDC event in June and is currently in beta testing. It is expected to become available to the public this fall.
These five new iPad models won’t launch until iPadOS 13 exits beta. They are expected to go on sale in September or October. The iPadOS brings a bunch of multitasking capabilities, a revamped Files app, a redesigned home screen with pinned widgets, new text editing features, a new Markup interface, and more.
Technology companies are legally required to register their encrypted devices with the EEC before they could sell them in Russia and a few neighboring countries like Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
In the last few years, the EEC filings have foreshadowed the launch of numerous Apple devices including iPhones, Macs, AirPods, iPad Pros, and Apple Watch models. The 2019 iPad Air and iPad Mini appeared in the EEC database in January before being officially unveiled in March.
So, which iPad models will get an update this fall? Apple has already refreshed the iPad Mini and iPad Air. The company is rumored to replace the 9.7-inch iPad with a new 10.2-inch seventh-generation iPad with thinner bezels. According to a recent report coming out of China, the 10.2-inch iPad would enter mass production this month, which means it could hit the store shelves 2-3 months later.
TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts the iPad Pro models will receive a spec bump this year. Kuo’s predictions about the iPad Mini and iPad Air have already turned out to be accurate.
In July 2018, Apple had registered five new iPad models with the EEC. They later turned out to be the 11-inch iPad Pro, 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and the cellular variant of these two models. The fifth model was the Chinese variant of the tablet. It’s possible that the new filings are updates to last year’s iPad Pros. Apple is rumored to launch 5G capable iPads in 2020.
Separately, Apple refreshed the MacBook Air and the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro earlier this week. The MacBook Air now features True Tone display technology for better color reproduction. All other specifications remain the same. The tech giant has dropped the MacBook Air’s price from $1,199 to $1,099 for the base model. Students can get a $100 extra discount, which brings down the effective price to $999 for them.
The entry-level MacBook Pro has received a significant upgrade. It now runs the 8th-generation quad-core Intel processors. It also features the Touch Bar, Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and True Tone Retina display. It also gets the T2 security chip, wider stereo speakers, and “Hey Siri” support without having to click the menu.
The new MacBook Pro has been priced at $1,299 for the 128GB storage model and $1,499 for the 256GB variant. Students enjoy $100 discount on them. The Cupertino company said in a statement that all the MacBooks will now feature a third-gen Butterfly keyboard with some tweaks to eliminate problems that users have experienced with previous MacBooks.
Also, the iPhone maker has officially discontinued the 12-inch MacBook, which was introduced in 2015. For some reason, it was more expensive than the MacBook Air despite having a smaller display, a slower processor, and fewer features. Its sales were disappointing.
