According to a source, two of Apple’s entry-level iPad devices may run on an older chipset rather than the current A18 processor. Despite previously documented problems with high manufacturing costs and low yields, the device in question is the Apple iPad (11th Gen), whose alleged variations are thought to use the same chip as the iPhone 15 Pro models. The tablet might enable Apple Intelligence, the company’s newest artificial intelligence (AI)-powered software capabilities, thanks to this updated chipset.
iPad 11th Generation to Launch with 8GB of RAM
The alleged 11th-generation iPad was covered in depth by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in the most recent edition of his weekly Power On newsletter. The A17 Pro chipset from the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max is anticipated to be used. After the release of the iPad Mini (7th Gen) in October 2024, the gadget might be the second iPad in Apple’s lineup to have this chip.
According to rumors, the J481 and J482 models would come with 8GB of RAM, meaning they will include Apple Intelligence features, just like the more costly iPad Mini model.
According to the journalist, Apple anticipated abandoning the A17 Pro chipset because of previously documented problems. According to reports, TSMC, Apple’s SoC provider, is having trouble with the first generation 3nm N3B process because of its high cost and poor yields. Moreover, it did not significantly improve performance over its predecessor.
Consequently, it was predicted that Apple would not incorporate this functionality into its high-volume goods, such as the iPad basic model. Notably, the business switched to the A18 Pro chip, which was constructed using second-generation 3nm technology, rather than utilizing the chipset above in any of the iPhone 16 versions.
According to Gurman, Apple could create an exception for the alleged Apple iPad (11th Gen) model. Although a binned version of the A17 Pro with a 5-core GPU is said to power the iPad Mini (7th Gen), it is unknown if the same type will also be utilized in the alleged base iPad.
 will feature the powerful A17 Pro SoC and advanced Apple Intelligence capabilities, according to insider Mark Gurman. Get ready for enhanced performance){kind=link}