As Apple rolls out its MacBook line with the groundbreaking M1 chip on board, many iPad fans have been wondering whether the upcoming iPads will include the Apple-made silicon chip, too.
But, if rumours are to be believed (and these are extremely believable), Apple seems to have something pretty special up its sleeve for the next iPad Pro, in the form of an A14X chip. And the addition of that 'X' to the existing A14 Bionic chip is set to supercharge the performance of the new iPad Pro, set to launch next month. We're sure the best iPad Pro apps will run spiffingly on the upgraded hardware. Hooray.
The new A14X chip will be a game-changer (Image credit: Apple)
So where does this 'believable' rumour come from? Well, straight from the developer code of the most recent iOS 14.5 beta release – and it doesn't get much better than that. Apparently, 9-5Mac found references to the new chip buried in the code, under the codename '13G' – super-mysterious because there is no known chip with that name. But with an intimate knowledge of former codenames, 9-5Mac is certain that this code stands for the new A14X chip, meaning it's on its way. And since it is found in the beta of iOS 14.5, it makes sense that Apple would launch iOS 15 with full support for the new chip.
This upgraded processor has been long-awaited by those wanting the iPad Pro to get a real boost. Based on the M1 chip, the processor is said to be 'blisteringly fast', which is great news for creatives wanting to run powerful art and design software on their portable devices.
New chip based on the groundbreaking M1 processor (Image credit: Apple)
Georgia is lucky enough to be Creative Bloq's Editor. She has been working for Creative Bloq since 2018, starting out as a freelancer writing about all things branding, design, art, tech and creativity – as well as sniffing out genuinely good deals on creative technology. Since becoming Editor, she has been managing the site and its long term strategy, helping to shape the diverse content streams CB is known for and leading the team in their own creativity.
