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It’s being reported that Apple has cut the component orders for its upcoming OLED iPad Pro by around 20%-30%. This suggests that Apple doesn’t think many people will buy the new OLED iPad Pro. And a big reason for that is likely the price increase that will be needed for an OLED display on the iPad Pro.
This comes from Korea Daily, which has some really good sources in the industry – especially since these panels are coming from Samsung and LG. Apple had originally ordered ten million panels, which were split 60/40 between LG Display and Samsung. This cut is expected to affect LG specifically, reducing their order down to three or four million units, while Samsung’s order is unchanged.
So what does this mean? Well, LG was set to provide the OLED panels for the new 13-inch iPad Pro, while Samsung was doing the 11.1-inch iPad Pro. With LG getting the cut here, it means Apple doesn’t think they’ll sell as many. Given that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is already $1,099, and rumors are suggesting that it would jump to $1,800 with OLED, it’s unlikely that it’ll be a big seller.
OLED iPad Pro’s are set to be announced in March or April
Last year was the first year in the history of the iPad that Apple did not announce any new iPads at all. That’s almost unfathomable because the regular iPad always gets updated in the fall. A big reason for this is that Apple is planning to redesign the entire iPad lineup as well as streamline it. This means we could see some iPads getting ditched.
It looks like the new OLED iPad Pro models will be the first ones to be announced this year. We’re currently still expecting a launch event in either March or April when the new iPad Pros will be announced. That time frame doesn’t sound all that out there since Apple typically does an event around then to announce the new spring color for the iPhone. Last year, Apple did a yellow iPhone 14 for the spring, and in the past, we’ve seen green, red, and purple. Though it could also be done through a press release, I’d be willing to bet this OLED iPad Pro will not be a simple press release announcement.
The OLED iPad Pros are expected to get some pretty big price bumps this year, and the M3 chipset will also be added. The 11.1-inch model is expected to jump to $1,500 from $799. Now, that is a massive jump, nearly double in price, but remember, the 11-inch is not a Mini LED iPad like the 12.9-inch. So you’re going from LCD to OLED with this one. Now, on the 12.9-inch model, it’s expected to cost $1,800, up from $1,099. With these starting prices, I would not be surprised to see Apple ditching the 128GB starting storage and going straight to 256GB.