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

Alex Blake
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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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Alex Blake
Alex Blake
Computing Writer
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