Aside from unveiling of the expected iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus last Sep. 7, a lot of people were also hoping to see a new iPad.

Some were expecting iPad Mini 5 or iPad 3 Air while others were hoping for the iPad Pro 2. Unfortunately, everyone was left hanging as Apple only launched the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch 2.

When can we expect Apple to launch a new iPad?

According to the world renowned analyst Ming Ch-Kuo, Apple will most likely focus on iPad Pro line for now. So it looks like the iPad Mini and iPad Air will take the backseat for some time.

The new iPad Pro 2 will allegedly be available in three variants, 12.9 inch, 10.5 inch and 9.7 inch. These will run in different processors, A10X chipset for the 12.9 inch and 10.5 inch while the 9.7 inch will likely run on A9X.

iPad Pro 2 is also expected to zoom, pan and scroll faster and smoother.

iPad Pro 2 9.7 inch will be the affordable, entry-level variant while the 12.9 inch and 10.5 inch will be the high end and will cater to the business and education sectors.

Bloomberg reported that in early 2017, Apple may provide new iPad software features in line with an upgrade to the iOS 10 operating system. One of these new features will include enhancement of the current Apple Pencil. 

The Apple Pencil is similar to the stylus that Samsung is currently offering to its phablets or Notes. It aims to aid professionals in handwriting or drawing but right now, the Apple Pencil is very limited as it is only available in specific apps. Apple plans to correct this so users can use the Apple Pencil in messaging, browsing and email.

The next event that Apple will likely have will be on October 2016. Unfortunately, the Apple event will still not include the unveiling of any new iPad. The October Apple event will instead focus on Mac products.

The iPad Pro 2 release date will be on March 2017.