Apple introduced its revamped iPad Pro this spring, the first to feature the M4 processor. Next year Apple's tablets are expected to feature the new M5 chipset. However, a new report claims that we won't see the next SoC until late 2025.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote in his blog that Apple will not put the iPad Pro M5 into production until late 2025. Our understanding is that Apple wants the iPad Pro to be improved every year like the MacBook and iPhone, though.

“The iPad Pro with the M5 processor is expected to go into mass production in the second half of 2013. The company's business momentum in the second half of the year is expected to benefit greatly from Apple's new product launch,” he wrote.

As noted above, the iPad Pro M4 was launched in April of this year, so a late 2025 launch would be a significant delay for Apple.

This is not entirely surprising news, as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman made similar claims when Apple announced its new iMac, Mac Mini, and MacBook Pro with M4 in October.

Gurman said at the time that the M5 would debut in 2025 with the iPad Pro. He also said it would not appear until late 2025, suggesting that the M5 iPad Pro would not be available until early 2026.

Unfortunately, we don't know much more about the M5 chip; it was speculated that the M5 would be Apple's first 2nm chip, more powerful than the 3nm-based M4 system-on-chip, and possibly with more transistors.

At first glance, the M4 appeared to be in a rush to ship; previous chips were on an 18-month cycle. The delayed M5 appears to be Apple's attempt to return to that pattern.

As for next year's iPad Pro, not much else has been rumored, but it seems unlikely that there will be many design changes. This year's model is slimmer and lighter, while the camera placement has been changed. Apple may be fine with the status quo for a couple more times.