iPad Pro Ultra sounds incredibly unlikely to arrive in 2022, disappointing no one

No 14-inch iPad

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An intriguing rumor from earlier in the year pointed to thenew iPad Pro for 2022coming in a gigantic 14.1-inch configuration, and people paid attention, in part due to a big-nameleaker saying the samea whole year before.

However, we’re soon to run through the ribbon which denotes the end of 2022, and not only is this ‘iPad Pro Ultra’ (as we’ve taken to calling it) a total no-show, but there haven’t actually beenanyiPad Pros, as many people expected. Or even the newiPad (2022)that was basically a given, sinceApple’s entry-level line gets an update every single year.

These tablets didn’t show up at theiPhone 14launch, and while rumors pointed to a subsequent launch event taking place in October for iPads, more recent news points to this being asmaller-scale affair. In fact, it might not be a launch event at all, with a big-name Apple leaker suggesting that the company might just send out a press release to announce new products.

So no iPad Pro Ultra?

If Apple were to announce a new giant iPad Pro, it wouldn’t do so through a press release. This Ultra-fication would be the biggest change in Apple’s iPad Pro line since it switched from 9.7-inch to 11-inch sizes for the smaller model, and the company almost definitely wouldn’t announce this via a glorified email.

No - it seems unlikely that a 14-inch iPad is showing up this year.

This isn’t a total surprise, as the leaker who provided the 2022 release date information has quite a mixed track record, and the other, more reliable sources didn’t actually point to any year in particular.

But with the launch of theSamsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultraat the beginning of the year, with a giant 14.6-inch display, lots of people thought that Apple could have something to match.

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That’s not to say that we won’t see a giant-screen iPad at all, just that it almost definitely won’t be out before the end of the year.

Big iPad; smallest violin

We imagine that this news, of a giant iPad Pro not arriving this year, won’t break many hearts.

Apple fans are having a bumper year for product launches: there have been a grand total of three new Apple Watches, the most we’ve seen in one year, as well as four new smartphones including theiPhone 14 Pro Max, which is the biggest upgrade Apple has brought to its smartphones in years.

Plus, earlier in the year we saw theiPad Air 2022,iPhone SE 2022, and plenty of new computers. It’s been a very busy year to be an Apple fan.

The one area in which the company has been lacking, is also the area in which it has the biggest lead over its rivals: tablets. We’ve only seen the one iPad, which isn’t many compared to most years, though the October press release will likely change that.

In such a busy year, Apple likely doesn’t have the factory space, and its fans likely don’t have the funds, for an even bigger, and even more expensive, iPad Pro Ultra. We can save that device, and its inevitable shake-up of ourbest tabletslist, for another year.

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.

He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.

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