Ever since Apple delayed the release of iPadOS 16, its launch date has been up in the air. But alongside the announcement of the 2022 iPad Pro today, Apple finally confirmed that the tablet OS update will be launching on Monday, October 24. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise as Apple itself said that we should expect it to come at some point in the fall, but other than that vague window, the company has been silent on the official release date up until now.
Now, expect the free software update to be rolling out early next week on October 24 in anticipation of the launch of the 2022 iPad and iPad Pro just two days after the OS update on October 26. While the new tablets will come with iPadOS 16 pre-installed right out of the box, they aren’t the only Apple devices that will support it.
The list of iPads that will support iPadOS 16 as soon as it launches next week is actually pretty extensive. As a general rule of thumb, you can expect your device to support the update if it’s a model from the last several years. That said, the specific list of supported devices is as follows:
If you’ve got an iPad but aren’t sure what generation it is, you can easily check by opening the Settings app, selecting General, and then About. Under Model Name, you’ll see which iPad you have and which generation it is. Once iPadOS 16 launches next week, you’ll be able to find the system update in the Settings app under Software Update in the General tab.
Earlier this year, Apple spoke about wanting to make the line between tablet and laptop smaller with the introduction of iPadOS 16. To do this, one of the software update’s main focuses is on equipping iPads with the ability to more seamlessly multitask with the new Stage Manager app. In addition to the newfound focus on multitasking and efficiency, iPadOS 16 also adds some hotly requested features like iMessage editing, Passkeys, shared tab groups, and a text search function that works like hitting CTRL+F on a computer keyboard.
There was a communication error on Apple’s part earlier this year that said some of iPadOS 16’s biggest features wouldn’t be available on older iPads that didn’t have the M1 chipset. However, the company has since walked that back and confirmed that Stage Manager will be available on older models.
Affinity’s new all-in-one creative app is finally coming to the iPad, nearly a year after Canva launched the redesigned desktop version for Mac and Windows. Creatives have been asking for the iPad release ever since, especially because files created in the new Affinity app cannot be opened in the older V2 iPad apps.
Affinity already has Photo, Designer, and Publisher apps on iPad, but the new release combines those tools into the same unified app that Canva launched on desktop last year.
Touchscreen laptops have been around for years. You can get them in all sizes and shapes. Just not from Apple. For years, the Cupertino giant has treated the idea of a touchscreen MacBook the way I treat a meeting that could have been an email: with open contempt. However, Wednesday looks like the day the company could finally change its mind.
The latest Apple invite puts the “Pro and Tell” showcase in Los Angeles at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) on October 28, 2026. Instead of a regular live-streamed keynote, it is an invitation-only, hands-on event for a handful of press and creators (similar to what the company did for the MacBook Neo earlier this year).
Apple has just launched its latest iPad mini with a notable set of upgrades, including an OLED screen, improved speakers, and a more resilient build. It also gets a new chip, and the whole package costs $200 more than its predecessor. But if you look closely at Apple’s online store, you’ll realize that $699 isn’t enough to get you the most powerful version of the A20 Pro chip inside this tablet. In fact, even if you pay $800 for the 256GB model, you still won’t get the beefiest variant. Only when you jump to the 512GB trim, which costs an absurd $999, do you get the most powerful flavor of the A20 Pro.
The $999 model gets more than extra storage