Predictions of an October 2024 launch for the latest low-cost iPad may be overly optimistic: display shipments for the new model haven't started yet and early 2025 now seems more likely.
We've had multiple credible reports that Apple is planning an event in October 2024, and that in addition to the M4 Macs it'll also feature a new low-cost iPad. But a well-connected industry insider suggests that the iPad may take longer to arrive.
We might still see a new iPad during the event, but it's likely to be the next generation of the iPad mini.
The insider in question is Ross Young, who has eyes and ears inside the display panel business. And those eyes and ears tell him that the display panels for the new low-cost iPad won't begin until October. That's when you'd expect shipments to begin for an early 2025 launch, not an October 2024 one.
What to expect from Apple's October M4 event and beyond
If Young is correct and the low-cost iPad is taking a bit longer, we can still expect to see M4 versions of MacBook Pros, the Mac mini and maybe a new iPad mini too at the Apple event in October. After that, the M4 MacBook Air is likely to launch in the first quarter of 2025 – which would fit with display panels shipping in October – with the new iPad appearing either at the same time or slightly before it.
That fits with predictions by other Apple watchers such as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who also predicts an early 2025 MacBook Air based on October shipments.
What we don't currently know is why the iPad is slightly later. Apple normally unveils its latest iPads at one of two points in the year: early summer, which is when we saw the latest iPad Air this year, and late autumn, which is when the M4 Mac event is taking place. As yet it's unclear whether the change from the usual schedule is because of practical issues, marketing issues or something more mysterious. But for now it might be wise to hang on if you're thinking of buying Apple's entry-level iPad. The iPad Air, however, is a super-safe buy.
