“Pencil us in for May 7!

This is a pretty clear hint that we’ll see a new Apple Pencil.

So, what do we want to see?

A human using an Apple pencil to draw on an old iPad Pro

We’d love to see an even bigger iPad for designers and artists.Kelly Sikkema / Unsplash

“I’m hoping for an iPad Mini Pro.

Bram Van Oost / Unsplash

But with the Apple Silicon MacBook Pro, the Mac was suddenly back.

It was unashamedly chunky instead of sacrificing power and flexibility for skinniness.

Close up on the tip of an Apple Pencil on a white background

Maybe we’ll finally see an Apple Pencil that will work on all iPads.Joan Tran / Unsplash

Could the same happen to the iPad Pro?

We certainly hope so.

Just adding in a few more USB-C/Thunderbolt ports would be good enough, but why stop there?

M2 Macbook Pro closed side with magsafe connector, 2 Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4 / USB-C ports and a heaphone jack

The iPad Pro could take some lessons from the MacBook Pro.Bram Van Oost / Unsplash

How about the return of the headphone jack?

Or an SD card slot?

Even a microSD slot would do.

Other than that, what the iPad Pro really needs is better software.

Despite all its incredible hardware power, the iPad is still just a big iPhone.

Its Files app is rudimentary and barely works, and its multi-window implementation is janky and hard to understand.

Faced with these criticisms, some folks might say that you should just buy a Mac.

And yes, why not a mini Pro?

If the Air can get a big-screen version, then why can’t the Pro get a mini version?

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.