The release of Apple’s much-anticipated 5G-capable 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Mini-LED display will be delayed until 2021, due to the impact the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has had on Apple’s supply chain, says a new report by Chinese-language publication United Daily News.
UDN says Apple had originally expected to launch the new iPad Pro in the fall, but has privately admitted it will not meet that target date. Last week, analyst Jeff Pu told investors that the much-rumored 12.9-inch iPad Pro might be delayed until early 2021, due to the device’s “complex panel design.”
Ming-Chi Kuo in December told investors that Apple was working on up to six Mini-LED products, including a 12.9-inch iPad Pro powered by an A14X chip, which would see release during the third quarter of 2020. That of course, was before the global virus outbreak took control over the company’s release plans.
In mid-March, DigiTimes reported the Mini-LED iPad Pro was still on track for a fourth-quarter 2020 release.
The iPad Pro saw a minor refresh in March, getting an A12Z Bionic chip (an A12X chip with an eighth GPU core enabled), and Ultra-Wide camera, improved mics, and a LiDAR Scanner for enhanced augmented reality features.