There have been many rumors about the 2024 iPad Pro, many of which point to Apple eventually adding an OLED display to one or more tablets. However, one sketchy new rumor claims that the opposite could happen, suggesting that Apple will revert to LCD display panels. The thing is, you can't believe everything you read on the Internet.

According to a new report from DigiTimes, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro will feature this now decidedly outdated display panel when it launches next year. This will restore some parity with the 11-inch iPad Pro, but in the worst possible way.

The current 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2022 has a "Liquid Retina XDR display" that uses a mini LED backlight; the 11-inch model has a simpler "Liquid Retina display" that uses a LED backlight. This is the same display panel used on lesser iPads, including the entry-level iPad 10, which is not very "Pro" if you ask me.

DigiTimes argues that the high cost of a mini LED display is so prohibitive that it is "a hurdle to broader industry adoption." The magazine speculates that Apple is trying to change direction "because of its emphasis on scalability and market penetration."

This logic can be understood to explain why Apple has not made more widespread use of mini-LED displays in other products. So far, the mini-LED display has only been used in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and the larger MacBook Pro.

The fact that we are only seeing this technology on larger screens may explain the disparity between the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, as there may be scalability issues that would prohibit the use of mini-LEDs on smaller displays It also raises the question of whether.

As for the claim that Apple may truncate the 12.9-inch iPad Pro next year, a lot of things don't add up. First of all, Apple is not the kind of company that would change course unless things got really bad, as the MacBook Butterfly keyboard was very unpopular. Furthermore, given the rumors that the iPad Pro may be priced higher next year, it doesn't make sense for Apple to start cutting back on features.

That's especially true given that the Pro series is often the jumping point for other key features: the iPad Pro was the first device to replace Lightning with USB-C and the first mini LED display in an Apple product. So the OLED iPad Pro rumor makes a lot of sense.

Even though the iPhone has had an OLED display for such a long time, Apple's other lineups have not caught up. Again, this is because the additional cost of using OLEDs can be absorbed by the higher price of the tablet. This is not true for mini-LEDs and micro-LEDs, but given that OLED displays are already quite popular, it means that expensive R&D is not necessary.

Thus, once Apple has the production capacity and supply chain in place, this screen can be deployed in cheaper devices, presumably at the same time as reducing costs. According to recent rumors, that could happen as early as 2026.

But logic aside, MacRumors notes that the DigiTimes report contains a number of inconsistencies that cast doubt on the entire story. Apparently, an earlier version of the story mentioned that the 12.9-inch iPad Air would have an LCD panel rather than a mini LED. However, the reference to this tablet was later removed, and at some point it was only mentioned that a new iPad Air would appear.

To make matters worse, the report also mentions an undersized OLED iPad Pro to be released early next year. This is something we hear a lot about, and it is a change that iPad fans are eagerly awaiting. However, it makes no sense for Apple to offer such an upgrade and at the same time offer a slightly different, downgraded device.

Based on the inconsistencies in this report, and the fact that there is no logical reason for Apple to announce an LCD 12.9" iPad Pro, I would be very surprised if this report proved to be accurate. But we won't know for sure until Apple actually announces the new generation iPad Pro.

Until then, you can read the latest news and rumors at the iPad Pro 2024 hub.