Apple Inc.’s next iPad Pro is arriving in a matter of days. The company is set to announce new 11-inch and 12.9-inch versions of the device, codenamed J617 and J620, that include the same M2 processor found in the latest MacBook Air.
It’s the first update to the company’s pro tablet line in a year and a half, and the M2 chip is the biggest change. The processor will offer a nearly 20% speed boost, which isn’t as large a jump as the M1 did last year but nothing to scoff at.
The new iPads will look similar to the pro model from last year, bringing the same flat-edge design into its fourth year. In contrast, the original iPad Pro design from 2015 only lasted three years. But the current look is slicker and aligns with the design of Apple’s other iPads and the iPhone, so it makes sense to stick with it for now.
Apple is also working on a new entry-level tablet with a USB-C port and a similar design to the iPad Pro, bringing that look to yet another device. When it arrives, this new low-end iPad will be the most significant update to that line in several years and mark a bit of a strategy shift: The entry-level product typically only gets annual processor upgrades.
On the software side, Apple is planning to release iPadOS 16.1—the first iPad version of iOS 16—around the week of Oct. 24. Development is set to be finished the prior week if all goes to plan. Apple’s quarterly earnings call takes place on Oct. 27, and the company has typically launched new products in the days or weeks ahead of that report.
I’m told that the new iPad software update and the first version of macOS Ventura add support for the latest iPad Pro models and the next versions of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. The high-end laptops will get the first M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, more powerful versions of the standard M2. Changes to the laptops will be otherwise minimal.
While the new MacBook Pros are on track to launch in the near future, I wouldn’t expect them to be released alongside the iPad Pro. The company has historically launched new Macs in November, as was the case in 2019 with the initial 16-inch MacBook Pro and in 2020 with the first Apple Silicon-based MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and Mac mini.
Speaking of new products, Apple is working on an M2 version of the Mac mini, which will be the first update to the company’s smallest Mac in two years. Also in the works: an Apple TV with an A14 chip and 4 gigabytes of memory. That’s an upgrade from the A12 chip and 3 gigabytes.
Apple has traditionally ushered in its late fall iPad and Mac updates with splashy events, but this year’s rollout will be more subdued. Apple will launch the products on its website without the kind of gathering we saw in September with the iPhone 14’s debut.
My belief is that Apple has eschewed another event because of the fairly ordinary nature of the announcements. It’s a slew of updates that amount to spec bumps or seen-before designs. Another factor: Apple is probably saving its marketing energy for the Reality Pro headset debut next year.
One key part of the next iPad Pro, of course, will be Stage Manager, the company’s new and controversial multitasking interface. I still believe that software is disjointed and buggy, but I have no reason to believe Apple will pull it from iPadOS 16.1 and not include it with new models out of the box.
Apple has attempted to placate Stage Manager critics by deploying the feature to non-M1 iPads, in a reversal, and delaying the buggy external monitor integration until later in 2022. There have also been internal discussions about describing the feature as a beta test, but it’s already optional so I don’t think that would accomplish much.
Beyond this new iPad Pro, the company is looking to eventually push its tablet deeper into the home with a plan to turn the device into a smart hub and speaker. The approach would be similar to what Google is doing with its upcoming Pixel Tablet.
When Google first showcased that product in May, it appeared to be an old-school tablet with run-of-the-mill Android features. But earlier this month, the company disclosed it would also sell a new accessory that lets you dock the Pixel Tablet and use it like a smart display and home-control device.
I’m told Apple is working to bring similar functionality to the iPad as soon as 2023. I reported last year that Apple is exploring a stand-alone device that combines an iPad with a speaker hub. The idea is to offer something that users can place on a kitchen counter, in the living room or on their nightstand. But Apple also has worked on an iPad docking accessory that it could sell separately and would accomplish much of the same thing.
Regardless of its ultimate approach, the move would mark one of Apple’s most significant pushes into smart-home devices, expanding on its still small foothold in set-top boxes and speakers. It already offers the Apple TV and HomePod, but nothing that rivals the Echo Show from Amazon.com Inc. or Google’s latest efforts.
Apple also continues to work on an updated version of the HomePod that would be larger than the product’s mini version and a combined Apple TV and smart-speaker device with a camera for FaceTime and other functions. Until those are ready, though, the 12-year-old iPad could be the company’s best bet in making some noise in the smart-home space.
The new products will put a bow on a fairly significant year for Apple, which released the Apple Watch Ultra, iPhone 14 Pro, Mac Studio and new iPhone SE in 2022. But I think next year will even bigger, with the mixed-reality headset, larger MacBook Air, iPhone changes and more home devices all on the way.
Apple rolls out new benefits, but only for nonunion staff. That doesn’t stop an Oklahoma City store from unionizing. As it typically does this time of year, Apple internally announced new benefits and perks for both its corporate and retail employees in the US.
Here are the changes:
- Apple is prepaying some tuition for outside education. The company has long reimbursed employees for a portion of education costs, but the iPhone maker will now pay the amount in advance. This will start at a small number of colleges, though the list is expected to grow over time.
- It’s introducing a program with Coursera Inc. beginning on Jan. 1 that gives Apple employees a free membership. Coursera is an online-course provider that normally charges $399 per year for its premium subscription.
- In certain states, including Connecticut, New York, Georgia, Washington and New Jersey, employees will get access to a new health-care plan that waives co-pays for some Apple-approved doctors within the UnitedHealth Group Inc. network.
Now, here’s the bigger news: Apple withheld the changes from its recently unionized location in Maryland. That’s because the company believes the store needs to negotiate new benefits as part of the workers’ collective bargaining agreement. Some legal experts said the approach could be seen as a violation of labor law by the National Labor Relations Board.
The move came just days before a second Apple store—this one in Oklahoma City—voted on whether to unionize. Friday night, that location’s staff still went ahead and opted to join the Communications Workers of America—a big win for the Apple labor movement. It’s hard to say if Apple’s move with the benefits affected the outcome at all, but organizers are now talking about flipping additional stores to their side: “We’re going to be that catalyst for people.”
Apple expands further into financial services with Goldman Sachs savings accounts. In March, I wrote that Apple was gearing up for a major new push into financial services. Since then, the company has announced its long-in-the-works “buy now, pay later” service and has now—alongside Goldman Sachs Group Inc.—introduced savings accounts for Apple Card users.
The savings account will be delivered through the iPhone’s Wallet app and primarily funded by Daily Cash, the Apple Card’s cash-back system. With the new service, users will have the option for their cash back to be deposited in this account, rather than via the Apple Cash debit card. The benefit is that the new system will generate interest, meaning users can make money off of their rewards.
Apple and Goldman Sachs haven’t disclosed the interest rate for the savings account, though the financial giant’s existing Marcus account currently offers 2.35% annually. The system will also operate like a more traditional savings account, allowing users to transfer money from or to external banks.
Depending on the ultimate interest rate, the service could be a fascinating starter account for many people. For Apple, it also serves as another lock-in product. If you have money tied up with Apple, would you really want to dump your iPhone for a Galaxy Fold?
I do have some questions, though. Will consumers trust a savings account that is integrated directly into their iPhone versus a stand-alone offering? Will this savings account get the customer support and other benefits of a more traditional account or the Marcus version? Are checking accounts next on the list?
It’s hard to say yet. After all, we don’t even know for certain when the offering will launch. The company says it will debut in the “coming months,” but we heard something similar with Apple Pay Later. That product has suffered from delays and uncertainty and still isn’t available.
