The next iPad Pros could be more MacBook-like than ever

Getting the laptop look

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Wondering what’s planned for theiPad Pro 2023(or 2024)? Well, the latest leaks and rumors give us a partial picture, and suggest these tablets could look more like a MacBook then ever, and even come with far more storage than a MacBook Air.

The bulk of the latest iPad leaks come from the ever reliable Mark Gurman, who – writing in hisPower On newsletterfor Bloomberg – claimed thatAppleis working on a more laptop-like Magic Keyboard for the iPad.

This isn’t totally new information, asGurman previously mentioned a new Magic Keyboardwith a larger trackpad. However, he’s gone into more detail now, saying that the top case (in other words the area around the actual keys) will be aluminum, which would see it match the design of the keyboards on recent MacBooks.

This change will apparently make it sturdier and appear more premium, though Gurman wonders if that will also lead to a price rise.

Don’t expect a giant iPad in the near future

In the same newsletter, Gurman claims that Apple had been exploring the possibility of a 14-inch iPad (which is something we’d previously heard rumored), and came “close” to releasing it this year. But the tipster said that the plan has been shelved, and that we’ll see a 13-inch model instead.

That would be just slightly bigger than theiPad Pro 12.9 (2022), but would see it match the smallest MacBook Pro for size. And if Apple was exploring larger sizes, we’d think there’s a high chance they might one day launch.

So between a bigger screen and a MacBook-like keyboard accessory, the next iPad Pros could be closer than ever to Apple’s laptops in terms of design. And the specs might be closer too, as leaker@Tech_Revehas said that the upcomingOLEDiPad Pro expected in 2024 might have 4TB of storage at the top end.

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Sources say the upcoming OLED iPad Pro next year will have a 4TB option… Is there really a need for that much storage? 💀September 3, 2023

It’s worth noting that at the moment it’s uncertain whether the next iPad Pro models will land in 2024 or whether there will be 2023 models first, so this 4TB model may or may not be the next one. Though most leaks now point to early next year for the next update.

In any case, that’s actually twice as much storage as you can get in a MacBook Air, so we’d take this with a pinch of salt. But if true it would suggest Apple sees its iPad Pro line as serious computing devices, and it’s still only half as much storage as a MacBook Pro can come with.

Given that Apple’s top iPads already use MacBook-class chipsets we might not be too far off a day when the main difference between a MacBook and an iPad is simply whether they have a touchscreen, and whether the keyboard is detachable.

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James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.

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