Next year’s iPad Pro could be stupidly expensive

iPad Pro 2022 — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The iPad Pro 2024 is looking to be a big upgrade on the current model, and sadly, according to the leaker Revegnus, that could be joined by a big price hike.

A price increase of some variety seems inevitable according to Revegnus' sources. But one of their apparent multiple insiders claims a particularly big jump in price, with the 11-inch model starting at $1,500, and the new 13-incher at $1,800. For comparison, the current 11-inch model starts at $800, and the larger 12.9-inch version costs $1,100.

At this price, the iPad Pro would cost more than a MacBook Air, either the $1,200 13-inch model or $1,300 15-inch edition. In fact, the 13-inch iPad Pro would cost almost as much as a basic 14-inch MacBook Pro at $2,000, which seems absurd considering Apple's current targeting of its iPads at less intensive use cases.

An iPad for Pros

We'd heard a rumor of this enormous price increase earlier this year, which when taken into account with this newer claim, along with other rumored features like an OLED display, an updated aluminum Magic Keyboard accessory and rumored new OS, paints a picture of a very different type of iPad Pro that's squarely aimed at professional users — similar to Apple's Mac Studio and Mac Pro — rather than it being a top-tier consumer-grade device like an iPhone 15 Pro.

This repurposing of the iPad Pro isn't necessarily a terrible idea, but Apple would need to continue improving the Pro app ecosystem on iPads. It's already a fantastic device for digital artists, yet for music and video production, the interface is not effective enough to make use of the M2 chipsets; even with the introduction of iPadOS versions of Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro earlier this year.

It's likely that Apple will reveal the next iPad Pro next year, perhaps in Spring, going by recent reports that new iPads would arrive within a few months. Otherwise, the two obvious launch options in 2024 would be WWDC in the summer or Apple's regular fall event in September.

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Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.