iPadOS 17 might finally drop support for the 1st-gen iPad Pro
We’re just about two months away from WWDC, which will bring a preview of Apple’s 2023 software updates. But along with the new features, we’ll also be interested in what device the new OSes can run and which older products get shut out.
According to a new report, just six devices that update to iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 will lose support for the new OSes, but they’re important ones:
- iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone X
- iPad (5th-gen)
- iPad Pro (9.7-inch)
- iPad Pro (12.9-inch, 1st-gen)
Of note, the iPhone 8 was the last model with a Home button before the iPhone SE revived the design, and the iPhone X was the first OLED model without a Home button. They both have an A11 Bionic processor.
On the iPad side, the fifth-gen iPad, which launched in 2017, has an A9 processor, while the 9.7-inch iPad Pro and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which launched in 2016 and 2015, respectively, both have slightly faster A9X processors. Apple stopped supporting the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus with A9 processors when iOS 16 launched in September. If true, they would represent the first iPad Pro models that can’t update to the latest version of iPadOS since the line launched in 2016. Apple redesigned the iPad Pro in 2018, and it’s likely that those models will continue to be supported for at least two more versions.
Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference will kick off on June 5 with a keynote presentation where we’ll learn all about the new version of iOS and iPadOS. The full versions will then enter several months of testing before arriving on devices later this fall.