With rumors circulating about an iPad Pro update, which may be announced as part of an alleged Apple event on Tuesday, March 23, it appears that at least one accessory manufacturer has started to prepare.
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A photo shared on Reddit today shows what appears to be a Speck folio listed as compatible with an unannounced 2021 model of the 11-inch iPad Pro, in addition to older models of the 11-inch iPad Pro and the 10.9 iPad Air inches. The user who sent the photo said he found the folio on the Target shelf, but when he tried to buy it, the checkout system reported that the item cannot be sold until April 6.
Although the packaging does not explicitly mention that the new 11-inch iPad is a Pro model, this is almost certainly the device to which this refers, as no other iPad to come will have an 11-inch screen. Rumor has it that the ninth-generation iPad, for example, features a 10.5-inch screen like the third-generation iPad Air.
While it is difficult to draw firm conclusions from photos like these, it is possible that Speck has learned that the next 11-inch iPad Pro will have dimensions very similar to those of the current model. This would not be very surprising, as there were no rumors of a major redesign for the next iPad Pro, with important new features that should include a Mini-LED screen, faster A14X chip and 5G support in cell models.
We also wouldn’t have read much about Target’s alleged April 6 sale date for the Speck folio, but it’s at least within the approximate deadline from late March to early April for the next iPad Pro update reported by DigiTimes earlier today.
Interestingly, most rumors mentioned only a new 12.9-inch iPad Pro and not an 11-inch model, but the devices are usually updated simultaneously. March is a common month for Apple to announce new or updated products, with other product rumors, including long-awaited AirTags, a new Apple TV, new AirPods and more Apple silicon Macs.
Apple last updated its iPad Pro line in March 2020 with a slightly improved A12Z chip, an Ultra Wide camera, a LiDAR scanner and better-sounding microphones.
(Thanks, Greg!)