13-inch M4 iPad Pro with an OLED display
The fall update adding the M5 chip to the iPad Pro is getting closer to reality, with OLED displays for the tablet reportedly entering mass production for a launch in October.
Apple’s fall updates tend to include some form of iPad change. One of the rumored launches is the upgrade bringing M5 to the iPad Pro, and a report seems to indicate it is on the way.
According to report sources of ZDNet Korea via Digitimesmass production of the OLED display used by the iPad Pro has commenced.
The timing for display mass production lines up with the typical expectations for Apple’s iPad supply chain ahead of a launch. An early-summer production of OLED panels may seem late, but if it’s using the same display technology as the current-gen screens with no major changes, this wouldn’t require as much preparation as introducing a whole new display design.
An October introduction of the iPad Pro is probable, considering the usual structure of Apple’s fall launches. While a September event is focused on the iPhone with other products as supplementary, the iPad can often be introduced at the same time, or at a follow-up event the following month.
The M4 iPad Pro launch was a considerable oddity for Apple, as its May 2024 launch was the first time that the iPad Pro was the first product in a new Apple Silicon generation. It arrived months before the first M4 Macs.
The rollout would also meet expectations from analysts and rumors on the tablet. In December 2024, Ming-Chi Kuo forecast that the M5 iPad Pro will enter mass production in the second half of 2025.
In March, a serial leaker said that the M5 iPad Pro was in “advanced testing” ahead of mass production.
The M5 iPad Pro is anticipated to be a spec-bump update with relatively few changes, aside from the processor.
While ZDNet is a well-known publication, ZDNet Korea is less so for Western audiences. It also doesn’t have much of a track record that we can use to say whether the story is accurate.
Digitimesmeanwhile, has a reasonable track record when it comes to supply chain rumors and leaks, though its product feature claims are considerably less accurate.
That all said, the presence of other rumors for a fall launch timeline from more accurate sources, as well as Apple’s usual schedule of events, makes this a fairly believable story.
Diversification
Supply duties for the OLED panels will apparently be shaken up for 2025’s launch. For the current generation, Apple relies on Samsung to supply 11-inch iPad Pro displays and LG for its 13-inch panels.
However, the inbound displays will be supplied from both manufacturers in both sizes, with each dealing with 11-inch and 13-inch OLED panels. The move is probably one of diversification, in that it minimizes supply issues for a specific model if Samsung or LG run into trouble.
This is a big theme for Apple in recent years, and goes beyond the supply chain for individual products. Apple has worked with supply chain partners to expand its presence out of China and into other territories, including India.