Apple, Inc. is expected to launch three new iPads in 2017, including a new 10.5-inch iPad Pro, according to a report released Monday.

Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI Securities made the claim in a note to investors, saying that Apple would deliver a 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2, a 10.5-inch iPad Pro and a lower-cost 9.7-inch iPad. Notably, the report made no mention of Apple’s 7.9-inch iPad Mini, leading to speculation that the model will be discontinued.

The report claims that Apple will use its new A10X processor with the 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros. The 9.7-inch standard iPad will use the A9X chipset used in the current iPad Pro models to be able to keep offering a lower-cost option in its tablet lineup.

Where the report gets more interesting is Kuo’s predictions for 2018 — among them a radical design change that includes flexible AMOLED screens.

“Revolutionary iPad model likely to be introduced in 2018F at the earliest, with radical changes in form factor design & user behavior on adoption of flexible AMOLED panel,” Kuo states in the report (via Macrumors). “We believe iPad will follow in the footsteps of the iPhone by adopting AMOLED panel in 2018F at the earliest. If Apple can truly tap the potential of a flexible AMOLED panel, we believe the new iPad model will offer new selling points through radical form factor design and user behavior changes, which could benefit shipments.”

Wait

Given it’s known that Apple has tapped Samsung to produce AMOLED screens for its next generation iPhones going on sale in 2017 (notably not the new models due to be released later this year), it’s completely reasonable to expect that the improved screen technology will make its way into Apple’s iPad lineup sometime in 2018.

What that does mean, though, is that the new models to be released in 2017 will be minor in upgrades at best. It also means iPad fans, like iPhone fans this year, will have to wait another year before they get a product that is a serious change from what is currently on offer.

As with the iPhone, it’s an odd strategy from Apple to delay serious upgrades. It is telling on the company’s bottom line, with both iPhone and iPad sales declining due to a lack of a major product update. Put simply, when the technology you already have works and there’s little new and different, there is no compelling reason to upgrade to a new model.

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