Apple's most affordable iPad model will receive an update with Apple Intelligence capabilities in late 2025, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has suggested.
Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said that the iPhone SE is expected to gain Apple Intelligence features in March 2025, with the entry-level iPad following "later in the year." Gurman went on to suggest that nearly every Apple device with a screen will support Apple Intelligence by 2026.
The timeline indicates a significant gap since the last refresh of the entry-level iPad, which occurred in October 2022. The delayed update could be attributed to the technical requirements of implementing AI capabilities in a budget-friendly $349 device.
The current 10th-generation iPad has an A14 chip that was first used in the iPhone 12 lineup, and it's getting outdated. The logical choice for the next iPad is the A16 that was used in the iPhone 15 models, but if Apple wants to make Apple Intelligence as accessible as possible, an A17 Pro chip or A18 chip would likely be necessary.
Notably, Apple last week announced the latest iPad mini with Apple Intelligence support via a standalone press release. The company also lowered the price of the existing iPad 10 and stopped including a charger with the device in Europe. It's highly unlikely that Apple would have changed its iPad lineup in this way if an iPad 11 was imminent.
It is unclear if Apple is still planning to host a Mac-focused event in October, but it seems that an iPad 11 will not be announced this month either way.
