Apple's entry-level iPad could get a new, cheaper refresh in 2024

With Apple set to hold a new iPad event on May 7 the expectation is that a refreshed iPad Pro will be joined by a revamped iPad Air lineup, but those hoping for the entry-level iPad to get some love will be disappointed. They won't be that way for long though, and Apple is expected to update that model later this year as well. And it might even get cheaper, too.

The current 10th-gen iPad is the best ever, and it ditched the Home button to make it appear more modern and match the other iPads in the lineup. But that meant an increase in price from the previous $329 to the $449 price that Apple asks for today. However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman now believes that Apple is not only going to update the iPad but also potentially seek to reduce its price, too.

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Writing in a larger explainer about the upcoming May 7 event, Gurman said that Apple is working on a cost-reduced version of its 10th-gen iPad. If this does happen Apple will phase the older 9th-gen model out but no firm details have yet been shared.

In terms of improvements, we can of course expect Apple to give the next-gen iPad a more speedy chip but that's something that could well depend on which silicon the company puts into the new OLED iPad Pro and updated iPad Air 6. The former is now tipped to be the first Apple device to sport the M4, suggesting all new iPads may have newer chips than we might otherwise expect.