iPads that are compatible with iPadOS 17 include:
- iPad Air 3rd gen and later
- iPad 6th gen and later
- iPad mini 5th generation and later
- iPad Pro models that were released in 2017 and onwards.
The first generation iPad Pro models are equipped with the A9x chip and the fifth generation iPad is equipped with the A9 chipset. According to the report, it will live on the iPadOS 16 operating system. Apple may be planning to align iPadOS with iOS, which also dropped support for the A9 chip when it released iOS 16.
Not just Apple, every tech brand including Samsung, Google and others drop support to older generation models keeping in mind the hardware that cannot support/operate newer features. Apple usually drops support for models when it’s about to introduce new features, and leaves them with the previous generation’s release.
However, these models usually receive updates for security but not at frequent intervals. If reports are to be believed then iOS 17 is said to focus on stability rather than features but it cannot be said for sure. Apple may surprise and introduce many new features at the WWDC 2023 conference.
