In summary:
- Macworld reports that Apple’s entry-level iPad may soon receive Apple Intelligence features powered by a new A18 processor, upgrading from the current A16 chip.
- This update aims to expand AI accessibility across Apple’s best-selling devices, aligning the budget iPad with iPhones and Macs that already support these features.
- No major design changes are expected, with the focus remaining on internal upgrades to boost AI adoption among mainstream users.
Apple boss Tim Cook has repeatedly said the company is committed to (and excited about) AI technology, but not every Apple product has gotten the message. Whereas every currently sold iPhone and Mac supports Apple Intelligence, the entry-level iPad still isn’t able to run any of Apple’s AI features.
According to a new report, however, the baseline iPad will soon receive an update that gives it the capacity to run Apple Intelligence features, thus bringing it in line with the rest of Apple’s range (minus the Apple Watch, of course). And, crucially, encouraging a large proportion of the company’s customers to use its AI tech.
In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman discusses at some length what he describes as the “slew” of product launches which Apple has in store for us “over the next several weeks.” This includes updates in the iPhone, Mac, and iPad lines, but most of the iPad announcements will be quite minor, he warns.
“For those holding out for design changes,” Gurman writes, “prepare to be disappointed: There’s little new coming to the iPad family this year other than faster processors.”
The exceptions to this, he writes, are an OLED screen coming to the new iPad mini (probably later in the year), and the standard iPad’s elevation to AI-ready status thanks to its inclusion of Apple’s A18 processor, up from the current A16. Gurman predicts this upgrade will be central to the iPad’s marketing campaign.
It does make sense that Apple would like to finally complete the set and bring the standard iPad into the Apple Intelligence fold. The company’s cheapest products are, for obvious reasons, its best sellers, so the best way to increase take-up of a new feature is to make sure those products support it. Hence the (somewhat ill-advised) push to get Apple Intelligence on the iPhone 16e last year.
In fact, it was in many ways a surprise that the 2025 iPad didn’t get AI and a price bump. Just over a year ago, a source predicted confidently that it would. That source’s name was Mark Gurman.
So it’s worth remaining skeptical until the announcement is actually made… but he’s probably right this time. You can keep up with all the latest news and rumors with our frequently updated new iPad 2026 superguide.
Author: David Price, Editor, Macworld
David has been writing about technology for well over two decades, and got on board the Apple hype train when covering the original iPhone launch in 2007. He is an enthusiastic Apple Watch evangelist and feels that the HomePod is misunderstood.