Apple Has Likely Abandoned 'iPad Ultra' Plans

Apple has reportedly abandoned plans for a foldable "iPad Ultra" pursuing years of disappointing income show for the iPad Pro.


The assertion predominantly comes from the Weibo leaker known arsenic "Instant Digital," who posted the remark successful effect to a question astir whether the ‌iPad‌ would articulation a rumored "Ultra" bid of Apple devices. Instant Digital listed the Apple Watch Ultra, M-series Ultra chips, "iPhone Ultra," and "MacBook Ultra" with an OLED show arsenic products successful the pipeline, but explicitly excluded the ‌iPad‌ from that group, citing anemic marketplace show for the ‌iPad Pro‌. They added that Apple present has "no plans" to merchandise an ‌iPad‌ Ultra.

The ‌iPad Pro‌'s income struggles are good documented. In October 2024, it was reported that shipment projections for the M4 ‌iPad Pro‌ had been significantly cut aft weaker-than-expected request pursuing its motorboat earlier that year. DSCC expert Ross Young lowered his full-year 2024 forecast from up to 10 cardinal units to conscionable 6.7 million, with shipments of the 13-inch exemplary projected to autumn by much than 50% and 90% successful the 3rd and 4th quarters respectively.

Young attributed the sluggish reception successful portion to the precocious terms point, with the 11-inch exemplary starting astatine $999 and the 13-inch astatine $1,299, levels that deter buyers who presumption tablets arsenic secondary devices alongside a smartphone oregon laptop. ‌iPad‌ gross has declined for 3 consecutive years, and the class accounted for conscionable 6.73% of Apple's full gross successful 2025.

In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple has been processing a 20-inch foldable ‌iPad‌, describing the task arsenic a precedence for Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering and aboriginal Apple CEO John Ternus. Gurman noted, however, that the instrumentality "may extremity up being a wacky experimentation that doesn't spot the airy of day, according to respective radical who person worked connected it."

The rumored foldable ‌iPad‌ has a agelong and troubled improvement history. Last October, it emerged that engineering challenges tied to weight, features, and show exertion had pushed Apple's people motorboat from 2028 to 2029 oregon later. The instrumentality was reportedly being developed with a ample Samsung OLED display, with Apple focused connected minimizing the disposable crease, conscionable similar the upcoming foldable iPhone.

Prototype units reportedly weighed astir 3.5 pounds, making them heavier than a 14-inch MacBook Pro and astir 3 times the value of a 13-inch ‌iPad Pro‌. The instrumentality could person been priced arsenic precocious arsenic $3,900, astir triple the $1,299 starting terms of the 13-inch ‌iPad Pro‌.

There has besides been uncertainty astir however the merchandise would beryllium categorized. In March, Gurman noted that a "gigantic" foldable ‌iPad‌ would situation Apple's contented of keeping the Mac and ‌iPad‌ arsenic abstracted merchandise lines, with immoderate internally describing it arsenic a foldable ‌iPad‌ and others arsenic an all-display MacBook. When closed, the instrumentality reportedly resembles a Mac, with an aluminum ammunition and nary exterior display. The plan is said to beryllium akin to Huawei's MateBook Fold, an 18-inch foldable tablet presently priced astatine $3,400.

The reports travel against a backdrop of Apple's rumored plans to grow its "Ultra" branding crossed aggregate merchandise lines. At slightest three Ultra devices are believed to beryllium successful the pipeline for this twelvemonth alone: a foldable ‌iPhone Ultra‌ priced astatine astir $2,000, AirPods Ultra with cameras for Visual Intelligence, and a MacBook Ultra featuring a touch-enabled OLED show priced up to 20% supra the existent ‌MacBook Pro‌ lineup. A root speaking to Macworld subsequently corroborated the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ and MacBook Ultra names.

Apple already applies the "Ultra" moniker to Apple Watch Ultra, M-series Ultra chips, and CarPlay Ultra. An ‌iPad‌ Ultra mightiness look similar a earthy acceptable for a household of higher-end, much experimental hardware astatine the apical of each lineup, but with the ‌iPad Pro‌ already struggling to find buyers astatine its existent terms point, the question of whether capable request exists for an adjacent much costly ‌iPad‌ whitethorn beryllium answering itself.
This article, "Apple Has Likely Abandoned 'iPad Ultra' Plans" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com

Discuss this article successful our forums