New iPad coming at Apple Event next week? iPad 8 stock shortage suggests so

It looks like the Apple iPad 10.2-inch (2020) could be running in limited supply online and at retailers, with shipping times slipping to 3-6 weeks on Apple’s online store. Though there's no word from Apple on why this might be, it may suggest that an update to Apple's least expensive eighth-generation tablet is imminent.

The news comes ahead of next week's Apple Event. All of the 10.2-inch iPad models are currently only listed for delivery in October – and some are even completely unavailable.

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Shipping delays appear to be taking the eight-generation iPad launch into October, impacting delivery in the United States, alongside causing disruption in Japan, China, and select European countries. 

Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman reports Apple has informed its retail employees “not to speculate why to consumers,” in relation to the stock shortages. Gurman playfully adds: “Any guesses why?.” Gurman is seemingly referring to earlier rumors that a newly-designed low-cost iPad could be round the corner. Replete with an updated A-series chip, it’s expected to succeed the eighth-gen iPad as the most accessibly priced of Apple’s range of tablets, sitting at the other end of the scale to Apple's iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2021).

Apple Event will tell all

Don't be fooled, though: 4GB RAM, Touch ID authentication, and a Lightning port should provide ample features to override any sense that this isn’t a serious iPad. Apple’s seventh-generation and eighth-generation ‌iPad‌ models were both introduced at past September events, as well as them usually being targeted at students with term resuming in September. 

The scene is now officially set for a new iPad announcement, amongst many other enthralling debuts like the iPhone 13 lineup, an Apple Watch Series 7, and quite possibly a new pair of AirPods. Stay tuned.