When Apple unveils its next iPads (read exactly when that is predicted to be here), there’ll likely be two latest iPad Pro tablets and two iPad Air models. And a brand new report claims something very unexpected: the iPad Air will use the miniLED backlight technology from the present iPad Pro. This is sensible news – in every sense of the word.
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 with iPad Air on top.
April 20 update below. This post was first published on May 18, 2024.
While the promise of an OLED screen for the following iPad Pro seems to have only just leaked, there’s little to no news concerning the upcoming iPad Air, other than the suggestion that it would be available in two sizes for the primary time.
But now a report from Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants, who makes a speciality of displays, says a surprise is in store.
He posted on Xand this was picked up by Zac Hall at 9to5Mac. Yong commented: “Surprise! The upcoming 12.9″ iPad Air features a MiniLED display. This uses up the remaining panels of the 12.9″ MiniLED iPad Pro and uses less power than an edge-lit LCD…”
This could be very exciting news. The display on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is sensational. The many mini-LED backlights provide brightness, deep contrast and vibrancy that a standard LCD cannot achieve. It’s by far the most effective display on any iPad.
One caveat: Ross predicts this transformation just for the larger iPad Air with a 12.9-inch display, not the smaller model with a display of around 10.9 inches. If Ross is true that Apple has a stock of 12.9-inch MiniLED screens, then it is sensible that only the larger screen will profit.
This is a clever option to boost sales of the larger Air, while foregoing the smaller model’s technology will likely lead to savings for Apple that may keep the worth competitive. This is especially vital if, as predicted, Apple releases the iPad Pro and iPad Air on the identical day – the corporate needs clear demarcations between the models.
Display is one in every of them. It is assumed that there can be price increases for the iPad Pro, not least due to expected OLED screens.
Update from April twentieth. The miniLED display technology that is been reported was truly surprising – nobody had predicted it before Ross Young – but it surely is sensible and there are other explanation why it’s a great thing which can be just starting to emerge.
As Macworld emphasizes: “Implementing a mini-LED display would result in savings in power consumption compared to current LED displays. Mini-LEDs also produce better blacks, so image quality on the iPad Air could see an improvement.”
There’s also logic beyond using leftover 12.9-inch panels from the iPad Pro. By the best way, since Apple is run by someone who is thought to have superpowers in relation to production line economics, I believe it is not a lot leftovers because it is buying in bulk results in economies of scale because Apple knew it might use this for the brand new Air all along.
And as Macworld adds: “This creates a non-Pro pairing that provides an alternative to the 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro.”
The only downside to this arrangement is that it again creates an imbalance between the 2 tablet sizes, with only the larger Air having miniLED – an imbalance that may now be eliminated on the Pro models if, what seems overwhelmingly likely, happens , each have OLED displays.
