Apple has reportedly postponed the launch of its 12.9-inch, 5G compatible iPad Pro to 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic that has gripped many countries, businesses and people alike. Even in the ongoing health crisis, OnePlus managed to launch its latest OnePlus 8 series followed by Apple iPhone SE 2020, just a day later. But unfortunately due to the nation-wide lockdown currently in effect till May 3 delivery of non-essential products such as mobile phones and laptops are prohibited in India.
According to a report by China’s United Daily News, the Cupertino giant was earlier preparing to launch an iPad Pro with 5G support and mini-LED display by the end of Q3 2020 but has now decided to delay the launch owing to supply chain partners in China who are dealing with COVID-19 crisis.
There have been various rumours surrounding the launch of an iPad Pro with 5G support with the latest speculations hinting that Apple is going to launch a 12.9-inch iPad Pro powered by A14X chip. Jon Prosser of FrontPageTech tweeted last month that the new iPad Pro will be introduced in late 2020. However, the latest report by UDN suggests that the launch has been pushed further to Spring 2021.
Apple iPad Pro received an incremental update in March 2020 with an A12Z Bionic chipset, 120Hz refresh rate display, LiDAR sensor for better Augment Reality support and starts at Rs 71,900 in India. The upcoming iPad Pro, however, is said to be the company’s first 5G supported iPad.
This comes weeks after MacRumours reported that the iPhone 12 is on track to launch sometime in September this year but pointed out supply chain delays caused due to Coronavirus outbreak. This means that the Pro variant of the phone will hit shelves at a later date in October. The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro are rumoured to follow along the lines of iPad Pro and will come with a LiDAR sensor in addition to a 64MP primary camera.
Interestingly, Prosser has tweeted recently that we could also see an iPhone SE Plus 2020 launch in the next few weeks but hasn’t shared any more details around the phone yet. The iPhone SE 2020 was unveiled on April 15, corroborating with Prosser’s earlier leaks.