Only one tablet has survived the rise and fall of the tablet craze — mostly unscathed, that is— and that’s the Apple iPad. First launched in 2010, the original iPad mostly served as a larger iPhone, but without calling capabilities. And with no front-facing camera, you couldn’t even place video calls. Fast forward almost a decade and Apple’s tablet lineup are bonafide laptop replacements for some. Apple has adapted the iPad in form, function, and overall cost in such a way that it’s become the no-brainer tablet purchase.
Whether you’re looking to save on the latest iPad Pro and iPad Mini or find bargains on the the older iPad Air or 11th-gen iPad, we’ve found the best deals.
It was inevitable, but Belkin will be the first company with a case turning your tablet into Toy Story 5’s new Lily Pad character. The $49.99 case is made from EVA foam and features both a built-in carrying handle and a folding kickstand. Hopefully it doesn’t come preset to villain mode.
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Apple has supposedly been working on a folding tablet since at least 2023. The rumored release has slipped from 2024, to 2026, to 2028, to 2029, and now, according to Mark Gurman, it might not happen at all. While it was a priority for incoming CEO John Ternus, its future is now in doubt:
Foldable iPad: Apple has been working on a roughly 20-inch foldable iPad. This device has been a Ternus priority but may end up being a wacky experiment that doesn’t see the light of day, according to several people who have worked on it.
Apple added an OLED display to the iPad Pro in 2024, and Apple Insider points out this ET News report suggesting the Air could be next, in the first half of 2027. A rumor last year from Bloomberg, however, suggested it would come after an OLED iPad Mini upgrade in 2026.
[Apple Insider]
After adding support for the iPhone 17 and its square sensor selfie camera last November, Adobe has updated its Project Indigo camera app to support the iPhone 17e and iPads with at least 6GB of RAM. But Adobe warns that “Project Indigo is not yet tuned for iPad operation” and suggests sticking with an iPhone for an “optimal experience.”
[App Store]
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If your iPad is still in good shape, you don’t need this one. Or any other new one. But if it’s upgrade time, start here.
MacBook will get more touch-friendly before 2026 is out, and there’s supposedly a foldable 18-inch iPad in the works, but Apple has no intention of merging the two product lines anytime soon. Execs have remained steadfast in their dedication to keeping the two things separate. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman:
The company argues that it produces better devices by separating the categories, but there’s also a business consideration. Internally, executives believe that a hybrid plan would hurt sales. Apple generates roughly $30 billion annually from each category, adding up to $61.7 billion last year. That’s a hugely material slice of its overall business.
Rumors of an Apple product launch event next week look confirmed, now that Tim Cook is posting about a “big week ahead,” with a short video clip of someone swiping around Apple’s logo. So, new MacBook Pros, probably some new iPads, and maybe the rumored iPhone 17e?
We’ll find out soon.
After a string of exec departures from Apple, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported a few days ago that Srouji, who oversees the chips that have helped iPhones, Macs, and other devices lead their categories, had discussed leaving for another company.
Today, Gurman reports the exec sought to calm employees, sending a message to his division that said “I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.”
Apple seems to finally know what its largest and most impressive tablet really is. Time to build it.
It makes perfect sense when you think about it: The company already added vapor cooling to the iPhone 17 Pro. And as the iPad Pro chips get more powerful and the OS more capable, cooling is going to be a major issue. Bloomberg’s Mark Gruman says it should be coming with the new M6 chips in the spring of 2027.
Don’t expect a foldable iPad to quickly follow Apple’s lightly refreshed M5 iPad Pro, as the project is reportedly delayed, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
His sources indicate that, unlike the rumored foldable iPhone, the $3k Mac-like tablet is tied up in development issues, around its weight, features, and OLED display.
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This year’s model is a teeny-tiny upgrade to an already fabulous tablet. But there’s a glimmer of something bigger here.
Apple was prepared this time for its M5 chip launch in the new MacBook Pro and iPad Pro, as it promptly included the new devices in its polishing cloth compatibility list. We got a bit of a scare last month when it took a couple days for iPhone 17 compatibility.
There are fixes for bugs that some new iPhone 17 / Pro / Air owners have noticed, like wonky Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios, as well as camera artifacts experienced “under certain lighting conditions.”
One iOS 26 issue addressed is blank custom tinted icons, plus one security flaw for a “maliciously crafted font.”
Apple’s new cross-platform design system is created for a world we don’t live in.
A vulnerability (CVE-2025-43300) stemming from Apple’s image processing framework, “may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals,” according to Apple.
Apple has rolled out a patch for iOS 18.6.2, iPadOS 18.6.2, macOS Sequoia 15.6.1, and other OS versions listed here.
[BleepingComputer]
