Apple’s reportedly working on a cheap iPad to launch alongside the iPhone 11

Apple is working on an affordable iPad to launch in Q3 this year, according to a fresh report from the Digitimes.

The ‘leak’ suggested an unnamed source confirmed the news late on Thursday. Details about the unconfirmed iPad were not included outside of the fact it will “possibly” launch as early as September. Apple is expected to unveil its hotly anticipated next-generation iPhone 11 in September as well.

If accurate the move would be a departure from Apple’s usual iPad release schedule. The company usually unveils its latest iPads later in the year, around October.

The lack of clarity and atypical release Window highlighted in the report mean we’d recommend taking the news with a pinch of salt. The Digitimes also has an at best spotty record with its “leaks” which don’t always turn out to be correct.

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The news follows past industry rumblings suggesting Apple is working on a new 10.2-inch iPad, though again legit looking details about it are few and far between.

Whatever happens the new Apple slates will have very different software to past iPads. Apple unveiled iPadOS at its WWDC 2019 developer conference in June. iPadOS is a new operating system bespoke designed for Apple tablets.

The OS aims to radically boost iPads productivity offering and improve integration with the company’s MacOS desktop operating system. The OS is available in beta form now with a full consumer release scheduled for an unspecified point later this year.

Related: Best tablet 2019

Highlights include upgraded multi-tasking, a new dark mode and Apple Sidecar. Sidecar lets you turn iPads into graphics tablets and second screens when paired with a MacOS Catalina MacBook or desktop.

There are more concrete looking details about the iPhone 11 doing the rounds. Widespread speculation suggests the iPhone 11 will feature a reworked multi-sensor camera. The leaks suggest it’ll be housed in a Pixel 4-style square camera housing.