The first iPad of the year tipped for 2021

News of the first iPad release of the year for 2021 was revealed over the weekend. This first Apple tablet of the year is tipped to be an iPad Pro of the 12.9-inch variety. This might well be the first iPad Pro with a mini-LED display, delivering a very early high point in the year's offerings from Apple.

Information on the first iPad of the year comes from a Digitimes report that also noted Apple was ready to roll with flexible OLED panels for the next iPhone. It's unlikely the next iPhone will be bendy – the flexibility allows the possibility that the next iPhone could have a tiny bit of a curve to its edges – or that the next iPhone will utilize a more flexible display to allow a more hearty overall device.

ABOVE: You're seeing the otherwise most recent iPad Air. You'd be forgiven for mistaking it for an iPad Pro, or an iPad... they all seem rather similar now, don't they?

The next iPad will sport a lot of the same features delivered by the otherwise most recent iPad Pro. It'll be aimed at replacing your current laptop – or at least appearing to edge its way into your life via a particularly diverse set of abilities. This next-generation iPad Pro may be the first of the year with the next A-series chip that'll roll within Apple mobile devices throughout the year.

The iPad Pro 12.9-inch (early 2021) will likely have a display that surpasses that of the rest of the iPad family, and likely the iPhone's most recent entries, too. The iPad Pro is a prime device with which to launch a new, more impressive display series.

Think back to the first time Apple released a device with a display with 120Hz image refresh rate – it was an iPad. Think of the first device Apple released with a display panel capable of utilizing the Apple Pencil – it was an iPad. Now's the time for that Mini-LED goodness.