New rumours suggest Apple's going big with a 14.1-inch iPad. Will it work?

Image to scale

Apple’s developer conference recently wrapped up, where we saw all of this year’s new software updates. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any new iPads alongside the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro hardware announcements. But we did get a few changes in iPadOS 16, including the new Stage Manager multitasking. But dwarfing (quite literally) all of that news is one rumour that Apple is working on a larger iPad.

The Apple WWDC 2022 announcements that really matter

According to a new report from Ross Young, a 14.1-inch iPad is in the works over in Cupertino. Initially, Young predicted this was a new version of iPad Pro, but has since revised this to the run-of-the-mill standard model.

Confirmed the 14.1" iPad Pro is being developed with our supply chain sources. It will have MiniLEDs and ProMotion. Not sure of the timing, but early 2023 may be more likely.
— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) June 9, 2022

Super-sized, super-skinny, and super-normal: What the 14.1-inch iPad might offer

Despite initially thinking the new Apple tablet would feature a MiniLED display and ProMotion, Young has clarified that this is not the case. This means the display will be a standard LED one, just like the current 10.2-inch standard iPad. While this isn’t great news, it does mean that Apple will be able to offer the new device at non-Pro prices. At least your wallet will be happy.

Surprisingly, we confirmed that the 14.1″ iPad will not have MiniLEDs after all, just regular LED edge lighting. It will also not likely be ProMotion either after talking with panel suppliers. So, it won’t likely be an iPad Pro, just an iPad. Q1’23 still looks likely though.
Ross Young

Is there any good news about this device? Thanks to the EU’s ruling on USB-C and the fact Apple is stuffing the non-Lightning port on iPads, we’re pretty confident the device will feature USB-C. Due to the size of the display, expect full Apple Pencil support, too. While currently unclear, we’d expect a redesign to the slimmer bezel design on the iPad Pro, Air, and mini.

Young holds a 92.9% accuracy rating at the time of writing, putting his new report in good standing. Previously, he correctly reported a bunch of changes to the 2021 iPad mini and 2021 MacBook Pro refresh, among others in the past as well. Young is a display panel expert, so this new report is right up his alley.

What the 14.1-inch iPad might look like

We’re pretty confident that this report is correct due to Young’s accuracy, but that opens up another can of worms entirely. Why would Apple do this? With non-Pro features, this looks like it’ll be a very large iPad that’s not all that great. Stage Manager has been a fairly controversial feature, but, whatever your stance, isn’t exactly the ground-breaking multitasking, Mac-like feature we’ve all been after.

A 14.1-inch iPad would require Apple to bring something new to the table, especially in the realms of multitasking, to take advantage of the sheer size. With such a large tablet, it’d be great if they’d throw in the table as well. Currently, we’re not quite sure what that could be, or more importantly, if Apple will deliver.

Which iPad is best for you? Pro vs Air vs Mini vs iPad 10.2

About

Connor is a writer for Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. He has been writing for around seven years now, with writing across the web and in print too. Connor has experience on most major platforms, though does hold a place in his heart for macOS, iOS/iPadOS, electric vehicles, and smartphone tech. Just like everyone else around here, he’s a fan of gadgets of all sorts! Aside from writing, Connor is involved in the startup scene. This exciting involvement puts him at the front of new and exciting tech, always on the lookout for innovating products.