Apple asterisked its way to introducing a new iPad yesterday

Last weekend, speculation grew that Apple was set to introduce three new iPad models on October 17, including a new base iPad that would be the 11th generation version of the original lineup. Also on the menu was a new iPad Air that would replace the M1 chip currently powering the device with the even more powerful M2 and a new iPad mini with the 4nm A16 Bionic under the hood. Oh yes, a new Apple Pencil with USB-C charging capabilities could also be rumored to appear.

October 17 therefore passed without any new iPad model being released. At least that’s what we thought. The third-generation Apple Pencil materialized with USB-C charging support and a lower price ($79), although it lacked the pressure sensitivity of the 2nd-generation Pencil ($129) . The rumor that Apple was going to announce three new tablets on Tuesday was certainly not based on any valid information.

However, it’s possible that a source or tipster simply misread some of the signs for three new iPads. After all, once the dust has settled, it turns out that Apple has finally introduced a new iPad model, even though technically it’s just a variation of an existing iPad. In a press release published in ChinaApple announced that the existing base 10th generation iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular model now supports eSIM for the first time in mainland China.

The US version of the tablet already supports eSIM, so you can decide for yourself whether it’s a new iPad or not. In mainland China, this is certainly a novelty since it offers users “a fast, smooth and secure cellular data connection without a physical SIM card.” Yet Apple itself was so unimpressed with what it did that it excluded mention of the tablet in the title of its press release in China and it was not mentioned in the releases press releases published by Apple in other countries and which only concerned the new Apple Pencil. .