Apple updated iPad mini last weekwith an A17 Pro chip and support for Apple Intelligence. However, that was the only message. There was no further update base model iPad. This had previously been expected, but it is still a little puzzling. The current one base iPad is over two years old, why is Apple leaving it obsolete?

Base iPad history

Apple introduced what we currently call an entry-level iPad in 2017. Although the current model is 10th generationthe budget nature of the product line began with the 5th generation. After it iPad Air came out in 2013, the iPad 4 was eventually phased out, creating a large gap between “iPad” updates.

With the new iPad (5th generation), Apple set out to create a product to serve the masses, especially in education. It cut away all the fluff and stuck to the essentials, skipping the latest chipset, the laminated screen and Apple Pencil support. It also had a limited amount of storage space: only 32 GB. But for $329 it was a great deal.

Apple continued to update this product annually, adding Apple Pencil support and a newer chip with the 6th generation, a larger screen with the 7th generation, a newer chip and fast charging with the 8th generation, and more storage, a faster chip, and a 9th gen Center Stage camera.

After that, another year later, we got the biggest refresh in history base model iPad with 10th generation. It inherited the modern iPad design language, got some fun colors and switched to USB-C. But it still stuck to the original formula, keeping an old control circuit, a non-laminated screen and no support for the Apple Pencil 2. It still had to use the Apple Pencil 1 via a bizarre adapter, since the Apple Pencil 1 used Lightning, while iPad 10 use USB-C.

Why skip an update?

The current base iPad is over 2 years old. It currently has an A14 chip, which was about 2 years old when it was launched. Apple usually puts a ~2 year old chipset in base iPad with each update. And I think that may be the reason for the lack of a new one iPad.

Apple probably doesn’t want to ship a new product without Apple Intelligence, since they’ve made it such a big part of all new product marketing. If history is to be followed, a current iPad 11 update would feature the A16 chip, which would not be compatible with Apple Intelligence.

Sure, they might fit an A16 chip and 8GB of RAM, but I doubt Apple wants to optimize Apple Intelligence for even lower-end hardware, especially if it’s only for one device.

With iPads current $349 price tag, it’s unlikely that Apple could even fit a newer chipset than the A16 into the device. Plus, with iPad Mini 7 with the A17 Pro instead of the A18, it seems that Apple does not want to burden the second-generation 3nm process, which is likely to have limited capacity. Putting the latest chip in your cheapest product is not profitable.

I think that all things considered, a base model iPad Updating while supporting Apple Intelligence was probably unlikely to happen this year, which is why Apple skipped updating its most popular iPad for the second year in a row.

iPad 11 release date

With all that context behind us, you might be wondering: when will they actually update base model iPad? From the beginning, we expected it in the fall, but it never happened. Display analyst Ross Young stated then that panel deliveries were underway this month, suggesting a spring release. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also confirmed the same time frame in a recent report:

During the same product release in the spring, Apple plans to launch a renewed iPhone SE, fresh iPad Air models and upgraded iPad keyboards. In the same window, Apple now aims to release 11th-generation entry-level iPads codenamed J481 and J482, the people said.

So we’re looking at a release next spring. At that point, production of the iPhone 16 would likely decrease, freeing up capacity for Apple’s most popular iPad to use the last-generation A18 chip. This would enable Apple Intelligence, although it would be a little weird too base iPad to have a better chip than iPad miniso maybe they will give it another refresh next fall as well.

iPad mini uses leftovers embedded A17 Pro chips from the production of the iPhone 15 Pro anyway, so they are in limited supply. Chances are they will update the iPad mini as soon as they need to. Considering the fact that base model iPad is significantly higher volume than iPad miniI can’t see it following the same A17 Pro strategy.

Wrap up

Overall, it seems quite likely that Apple skipped updating base iPad because having no Apple Intelligence would perhaps be bad for the optics. Either way, we won’t get an update until sometime next year, which means Apple will be selling an almost 3-year-old product with a 5-year-old chipset when it finally gets updated.

That’s pretty concerning for long-term software support, but that’s apparently our reality. In the meantime, Apple will get to enjoy additional iPad Air sales from customers who care about the Apple Intelligence feature set, but want to stay within a budget.

What do you think about Apple appearing to be all-in on Apple Intelligence? Let us know in the comments.

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