OLED iPad Pros now expected to launch in March and arrive in April

The launch of the new OLED iPad Pros appears to be as mysterious as the current whereabouts of the royal princess Kate Middleton, with multiple reports of launch dates and delays sowing confusion over when the OLED iPads will actually appear. But a picture is starting to emerge that strongly suggests we're going to see a late March launch and deliveries later in April.

As we reported last week, the move to OLED displays hasn't been entirely smooth and in particular, manufacturing for the 11-inch OLED iPad Pro was falling behind the 12.9-inch model. That means supply of the smaller Pro could be more limited at launch, and with demand expected to be high that means you might have to wait a bit if that's the model you want. 

When will we see the OLED iPad Pros?

The OLED iPad Pro launch is still believed to be taking place on or near 26 March 2024, according to the latest rumours coming from Chinese leakers. But according to display analyst Ross Young, as reported by MacRumors, the Pros won't be ready to ship on that date.

That ties in with the most recent report from well connected Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, who said earlier this week that there was also a software issue around the OLED iPads: the software, a version of iOS 17.4, "won't be complete until the end of March or even some time in April". That software needs to be installed on the iPads before they ship, and as a result that could mean an extra couple of weeks before the new Pros are ready to be sent to customers. 

That doesn't appear to be affecting the launch plans, but if the report is correct then the software issues and the previously reported lack of supply of the 11-inch panels could mean delays in getting the 11-inch Pro in particular.

The Pros aren't the only big iPads that we're expecting to see this month or next: there's the 12.9-inch iPad Air too. And another leaker has added to the chorus claiming that it's getting a small but key design change: ShrimpApplePro is the latest leaker to say that the new Air will move the Face ID and FaceTime camera so it's on top when you use the tablet in landscape mode. That detail has been spotted in the code for iOS 17.4, the same version of the OS that the Pros are waiting on.