Apple Reportedly Cancels Plan To Release iPad Air With OLED Display For 2022

Earlier in June this year, renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple would be updating certain 2022 iPad models with OLED displays, starting with the next-generation iPad Air. However, according to a recent investor note obtained by MacRumors, Kuo now says the company has allegedly decided to exclude the Air variant from receiving this upgrade.

Instead, it is said that the company will continue featuring LCD displays for next year’s iPad Air model. The analyst states that one reason behind this was due to costs as well as quality concerns, which did not meet Apple’s expectations. This also seemingly corroborates with a report by The Elec that was published back in late September, which suggests that Apple has called off a joint-project with Samsung to use an OLED display developed by the South Korean giant for a forthcoming iPad Air model.

Meanwhile, an earlier prediction of Kuo’s suggests that Apple is upgrading the 11-inch iPad Pro to feature a mini LED display – a tech that is already included in the current generation 12.9-inch Pro model. It is also mentioned in the investor note that Kuo claims Apple intends to have the new 11-inch model to be the “focus of [the] iPad line in 2022,” and concluded that releasing an OLED-equipped iPad Air would be detrimental to its potential sales.

While Kuo’s track record of predicting future Apple’s releases has been accurate to a certain degree, it is still advisable to take the information provided by the analyst with a pinch of salt. Whether his predictions are accurate or not will only be determined when Apple officially unveils its 2022 iPad line-up, which – as most of us are aware – is still far off.

iPad mini 6 Also Reportedly Exhibiting A Display Issue

It looks like the iPhone 13 Pro models aren’t the only newly launched Apple products experiencing display issues. According to 9to5Mac and The Verge’s Dieter Bohn, exhibited on the company’s new iPad mini 6 is a wobbling effect that occurs when content is moving quickly on screen when used in portrait mode.

The issue, also dubbed as “jelly scrolling” by both sources as well as owners of the tablet, is easily noticeable when scrolling up or down on a web page or certain apps (ie: social media). As demonstrated by Bohn in a Twitter post, it appears that one side of the 6th gen iPad mini 6’s display is refreshing slower than the other, thus causing content to appear as if it is wobbling. Strangely enough, he notes that the effect is not present when using the new tablet in horizontal orientation.

It looks like that this isn’t an isolated issue either, as an owner told 9to5Mac that the wobbling effect is also present on all iPad mini  6 demo units that are displayed in their local Apple Store. The company has yet to acknowledge and address the flaw, and it is still uncertain whether it is caused by the tablet’s LCD panel, its display controllers, or by its firmware/software.

Apple recently responded to the iPhone 13 Pro series’ refresh rate issue and promised to roll out a fix soon. With that, hopefully the company would also follow up on the 6th gen iPad mini and offer a potential solution for the display’s wobbling effect problem.

As previously reported, the iPad mini 6 will retail at a starting price of RM2,299, but its expected arrival in Malaysia has not been determined at this time. Meanwhile, all four iPhone 13 variations, which includes the standard, mini, Pro and Pro Max models, are slated to arrive locally next month on 8 October.

Apple Reportedly Launching Redesigned iPad Mini In Fall 2021

It is believed that Apple is planning to introduce a redesigned iPad Mini, according to various unofficial sources as early as late 2020. Originally speculated to be released in the first half of this year, a new report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurnam now suggests that the iPhone maker is due to launch the tablet by fall 2021.

Gurnam claims that the new iPad Mini will sport a design similar to the latest iPad Air. This could possibly mean that the tablet will come with a larger screen-to-body ratio by featuring thinner bezels and removing the physical home button. Unsurprisingly, it will also be equipped with the latest Apple processor, but its other specifications such as storage and battery capacities are not known at this time.

Although his prediction for the Mini’s release ended up inaccurate, renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also claimed that the tablet will feature a larger display that is believed to be in between 8.5 inches and 9 inches. However, it is unclear whether he was referring to the iPad Mini’s overall size or just its screen. Meanwhile, another earlier leak (shown below) suggests that this refresh will see Apple debuting an in-display camera and home button cutout – which actually sounds very uncharacteristic for the brand, so we advise to take this information with a generous serving of salt.

A redesign for the Mini is perhaps one of the most long awaited refreshes to happen, given the fact that the series has been sticking with the same design for several generations. Mark Gurnam even described this upcoming release as “the biggest redesign in the nine-year history” of the product.

Regardless, we won’t know for certain for now as Apple has yet to officially announce the development of a redesigned iPad Mini. Hopefully we’ll hear something from them soon, perhaps during a potential keynote that’s likely to happen within the remainder of the year.

Certain Apple iPad Models Rumoured To Be Fitted With OLED, Not LED Displays

The iPad already received a significant glow up (literally) this year with its 12.9-inch model debuting Apple’s mini-LED display. Now there are rumours that Apple is planning to adopt OLED displays for some of next year’s iPad models.

According to a report by ETNews, Apple and multiple display companies have agreed on the production and delivery of OLED iPad displays starting in 2022 as “the small and medium-sized OLED market is expected to enter the second growth phase”. This is in line with the contents of the research note from reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in March that said that the 2022 iPad Air will feature an OLED display.

Kuo pointed out that although Apple would adopt Mini-LED displays for the new iPad Pro, other tablet models would switch to OLED displays, beginning with the iPad Air next year. Mini-LED and OLED panels are similarly revered for their ability to display deeper blacks, though the former does not suffer from the issue of burn-in, such as the latter. Kuo stated that it is for that specific reason that Apple has no plans to bring OLED to its productivity devices.

Since the OLED displays for the upcoming iPad will be flat — unlike the custom iPhone panels folded at the bottom — it will cost less than the expensive mini-LED panels. It should be noted that while the new iPad’s mini-LED display tops out at 1,600 nits peak brightness, the iPhone 12 Pro’s OLED only reaches 1,200 nits.

Apple CEO Tim Cook Warns Chip Shortage Could Affect Its iPad, Mac Supply

Apple CEO Tim Cook warned that the ongoing global chip shortage could squeeze its supply of M1-powered products, like the new iPad Pro and iMac 2021, later this year.

“The shortages primarily affect ‌iPad‌ and Mac,” Cook told analysts, according to the BBC. “We have a good handle on our demand – but what everybody else is doing, I don’t know.”

Earlier this month, it was reported that Apple delayed its production for the Macbook and iPad, pushing back a portion of its component order for the two products from the first half of the year to the second half.

Cook said the company would do its best to confront these shortages, but added that it would be “very, very difficult” to predict when they would end.

Taiwanese chip manufacturer TSMC, which makes chips for Apple, warned that the chip shortage might last into 2022, with an easing only happening in 2023. The company is spending an extraordinary US$100 billion (~RM413.8 billion) over the next three years to boost the chip-making capacity of its plants.

Foxconn, which also counts Apple as a client, sees the shortage running well into the second quarter of next year. So there’s at least some agreement on the time frame.

As we’ve noted before, a global chip shortage is currently strangling the supply of everything from cars and smartphones to graphic cards and gaming consoles. Largely caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the shortage has been notably worsened by rising trade and political tensions between the US and China.

Apple Gives New iPad Pro The M1 Chip; Starts From RM3499

Apple is expected to announce a new iPad Pro during its very recent event. And indeed the company did just that. But the new tablet packs something new, the M1 chip. The very same one that it packed in its latest Macs and Macbooks.

The powerful chip allows the iPad Pro to do things you’d usually only associate with desktop systems. And Apple also claims that it can do all that while still maintaining all-day battery life.

But that’s not all, as the iPad Pro has another trick up its sleeve, or rather in its front-facing camera. Apple says this is its new 12MP wide angle camera. And with it, the feature that the company calls Center Stage.

Together, not only can you fit more things into frame, the camera intelligently detects if you are moving out of frame, and tries to pan towards your direction. Or, if someone else comes into frame, it automatically zooms out to fit everyone.

Other improvements Apple has given to the new iPad Pro include Thunderbolt support for the USB-C port, and even an optional 5G variant. And if you go for the larger 12.9-inch variant, you’ll also get it with a miniaturised Pro Display XDR, called the Liquid Retina XDR.

Both iPad Pro sizes come in five storage configurations, which are 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and a whopping 2TB of storage space. For the 11-inch model, these are priced at RM3499, RM3949, RM4849, RM6649 and RM8449, respectively. If you want the 5G model, it will be a RM650 premium on top.

As for the 12.9-inch model, the prices are RM4799, RM5249, RM6149, RM7949 and RM9749, respectively. The same RM650 premium applies here for the 5G models. While Apple Malaysia has announced the prices of the iPad Pro, the company has not announced its availability date just yet.

Apple Feels The Pinch Of Global Chip Shortage; Delays MacBook, iPad Production

Apple’s production for the MacBook and iPad has officially been delayed and it’s all due to the global chip shortage. According to a report by Nikkei, the fruit company has pushed back a portion of its component order for the two products from the first half of the year to the second half.

The delay is a clear sign that even giants like the company from Cupertino isn’t immune from issues like the ongoing components famine that was brought about by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. An issue, by the way, that is affecting a company with one of the most complicated supply chains in the world, and its insane ability to mobilise its suppliers in extremely short notices.

For what it is worth and perhaps as a form of consolation to Apple, the company isn’t alone in this. Its rival, Samsung, isn’t faring much better in this climate and if that wasn’t bad enough, it was also forced to shut down its Texas factory back in February, after an apocalyptically cold winter storm swept through the US state. Causing power outages and leaving its residents in the dark.

Outside the realm of smartphones, the chip shortage has also affected the production line for PC components, chief among them being the GPU. To make matters worse, that shortage is further compounded by the unscrupulous actions of scalpers and GPU miners, the latter brought about by the crypto-boom in the value of Bitcoin.

At the time of writing, Apple did not comment on any of the reports.