Skip to main content

Report: Apple Silicon Macs and redesigned iPad coming later this year

Promotional logo for WWDC 2023.
This story is part of our complete Apple WWDC coverage
 

Apple will launch a new 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air later in 2020, both of which will be powered by Apple Silicon processors, according to DigiTimes. The same report also claims an iPad in a new 10.8-inch size will launch at about the same time.

Recommended Videos

DigiTimes cited sources indicating that backlit units for the MacBooks and iPads will begin shipping in the third quarter of 2020 before the launch of the final products later in the year.

The report comes to a similar conclusion as one recently released by noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Earlier in July, Kuo stated he believes Apple could potentially launch the MacBook Air first. The 13-inch MacBook Pro might come a little later, with Kuo suggesting it could go into production in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Both Kuo’s report and the one from DigiTimes suggest Apple is on track to release its first Apple Silicon Macs by the end of the year. This was something explicitly promised by the company at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2020, where Apple CEO Tim Cook announced it would begin transitioning away from Intel processors and toward its own custom-made chips. This switch would take about two years to complete, according to Cook.

An affordable iPad with a killer feature

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apple does not currently sell a 10.8-inch iPad; instead, its closest offerings are the 11-inch iPad Pro, the 10.5-inch iPad Air, and the 10.2-inch iPad. The new 10.8-inch could feature the same redesigned chassis that the iPad Pro received in 2018, with slimline bezels and no Home button to make room for a much more spacious display.

Given DigiTimes’ mention of the upcoming iPad’s low cost, the 10.2-inch iPad seems the most likely candidate for this redesign.

The DigiTimes report also notes that its sources expect the device to sell well: “Sales prospects for the new 10.8-inch iPad devices are also bright as the new lineup, which feature high-performance CPUs, will be available at more affordable prices, the sources indicated.”

According to leaker L0vetodream, that “high-performance CPU” will be the A12 currently used in the iPad Air. In fact, the only iPad not currently on the A12 generation of processors is the 10.2-inch iPad, which uses the A10 processor launched in 2016. That lends further credence to the idea that the 10.8-inch iPad is a redesign of this particular model, bringing it in line with the chip capabilities of Apple’s other iPads.

Equipped with such a powerful chip and a very affordable price, the 10.8-inch iPad could be the tablet to beat when it launches later this year. We will be on hand with our impressions as soon as we get one.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Alex Blake
Alex Blake has been working with Digital Trends since 2019, where he spends most of his time writing about Mac computers…
Is the base iPad too popular to get Apple Intelligence?
iPad (2025) colors.

In an age where Apple is all about its AI powered Apple Intelligence, it seems odd that it hasn't crammed it into the base model iPad (2025). Why that is may have now become clearer.

On the surface there's the obvious hardware issue of the base iPad simply not packing enough punch to keep up with the AI. But Apple would have known this in advance, so it presumably chose to leave this model of iPad a little behind in terms of AI upgrades.

Read more
Apple silicon has made the MacBook Pro a consumer favorite
Someone using a MacBook Pro at a desk.

Apple’s computer lineup has greatly benefitted from its update to the M4 chip in 2024. The brand introduced the M4 MacBook Pro and iMac lines in the last year– and research has further indicated that Apple’s decision to shift from Intel processors to proprietary silicon was a solid move. It has made consumers favor Apple laptops more. 

According to statistics from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), MacBook form factors, in either MacBook Pro or MacBook Air made up 86% of Apple’s PC market share in 2024. Consumers especially favored the M4 MacBook Pro at a rate of 53%, while 33% of MacBook Air models shipped during the year, and 14% of iMac models. These figures vary only slightly from the year prior; however, CIRP noted that Apple appears to have weathered any fluctuations that may have occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Read more
Here’s how Apple’s first foldable MacBook might win me over
The Zenbook Fold 17 open on a table.

Rumors have persisted for years now that Apple is working on a touchscreen MacBook, but I’ve never been truly convinced. For one thing, I don’t see how a touchscreen could improve my MacBook experience enough to justify the inevitable price rise. This is Apple we’re talking about, after all, and there’s just no way that a touchscreen MacBook will possibly come cheap.

As well as that, I’ve long agreed with Steve Jobs’ belief that adding a touchscreen to a regular MacBook is an ergonomic nightmare. Constantly reaching up to the display is a quick way to exhaust your arms, and paining its users isn’t really part of Apple’s playbook. The Mac operating system isn’t designed for touch either, and in any case, adding a touchscreen would result in all manner of greasy fingerprints on your monitor. It’s never seemed like a good idea to me.

Read more