Apple asterisked its way to introducing a new iPad yesterday

Last weekend speculation grew that Apple was on the verge of introducing three new iPad models on October 17th including a new basic iPad that would be the 11th generation version of the original slate. Also on the menu was a new iPad Air that would replace the M1 chip that currently powers the device with the even more powerful M2 and a new iPad mini with the 4nm A16 Bionic under the hood. Oh yeah, a new Apple Pencil with USB-C charging capabilities might also show up according tot he rumor.

So October 17th came and went without any new iPad models being released. At least we thought so. The third-gen Apple Pencil did materialize with USB-C charging support and a lower price tag ($79) although it does not have the pressure sensitivity that the 2nd generation pencil ($129) has. The rumor that Apple was going to announce three new tablets on Tuesday was certainly not based on any valid information.

However, there is a chance that a source or a tipster simply misread some of the signs pointing to three new iPads. After all, after the dust had settled, it turns out that Apple did introduce a new iPad model after all, although technically it merely created a variation of an existing iPad. In a press release issued in China, Apple announced that the existing 10th-generation basic iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular model now supports eSIM for the first time in mainland China.

The U.S. version of the tablet already supports eSIM so you can decide for yourself whether this is a new iPad or not. Certainly in mainland China it is new since it gives users there “a fast, smooth and secure cellular data connection without a physical SIM card.” Still, Apple itself was so unimpressed with what it did that it excluded mention of the tablet in the headline of its press release in China and it wasn’t mentioned in the press releases Apple issued in other countries which were all about the new Apple Pencil.