Fast Facts
Apple’s long-awaited iPad updates are reportedly happening in May 2024. It’s reported that Apple will launch new accessories alongside updated iPad Air and iPad Pro models.
It’s been well over 500 days since Apple (AAPL) introduced an iPad, and that’s a rare occurrence. In 2023, rather than drop a new model, Apple introduced a new accessory — the Apple Pencil with USB-C — but it was a rare year. Luckily, if you’ve been waiting to upgrade your current iPad or get one of Apple’s tablets for the first time, a launch is nearing.
We’ve been tracking rumors of an upgraded iPad Air and a major upgrade to the iPad Pro for a bit, and things are heating up. Now, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that the long-awaited launch is scheduled for early May. That would place the announcement shortly before Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, which will kick off on Jun. 10, 2024, about two months after the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air with M3.
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What can we expect? Well, it is rumored that Apple will drop a few new iPads and some enhanced accessories. Apple’s iPad Air has long been an excellent option for “Pro-sumers” or as the Pro for everyone model. It offers a bit more horsepower from Apple’s M1 chip and enables support for more advanced multitasking, supports the Magic Keyboard, and a new size.
Logic Pro for iPad running on a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard.
Currently, there is just one iPad Air with a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, but Apple is reportedly adding a 12.9-inch size just like the iPad Pro. Effectively, a larger-screen iPad will be brought to a lower price point for the first time. Either route, it should get an upgrade from the M1 chip to a more powerful one, maybe Apple’s M2 chip.
The iPad Pro, on the other hand—currently available in an 11-inch or 12.9-inch size—will stick with two options but upgrade both displays to OLED screen time. This will be an enhancement over the Mini LED 12.9-inch option and a larger one over the standard 11-inch LED model. It should make visuals even more immersive, and both will be more powerful thanks to Apple’s M2 chip. The swap to OLED displays could usher in a refreshed look for the iPad Pro, at least making them thinner and more lightweight.
Four new iPad models are already a lot, but Apple is also planning the first refresh to the Magic Keyboard. It should sport a more premium design but still effectively add a physical keyboard and trackpad to the iPad Air or iPad Pro, as well as a case. It’s been a great accessory that levels up what you can accomplish with an iPad.
Rolling out a Pro-focused iPad alongside a more consumer-focused one and new accessories could allow Apple to tell a more holistic story and a full ecosystem play. Further, it could roll out a software enhancement or two.
Either way, we can only hope that this May time frame will come to fruition and that those patiently waiting for an iPad Air or iPad Pro will get what they’ve been after.
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Apple’s iPad Pro attached to a Magic Keyboard.
