The past weeks have seen a few claims concerning Apple launching new iPad Pro and iPad Air tablets in March. With April having arrived, it proves that those were wrong forecasts. A new report from a more reliable leaker suggests that the Cupertino tech giant will eventually launch and release the new iPads in May, which is just a month away.
When will the OLED iPad Pro and 2024 iPad Air launch?
According to the unnamed source cited by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple’s suppliers are already ramping up production of the upcoming iPad Pro and iPad Air tablets in China. With that in mind, it is believed these devices will possibly be unveiled in early May followed by the first shipment within the same month.
It was also noted that Apple originally intended to release these iPads earlier. However, the company was not able to finish polishing the new iPadOS 18 that the tablets were supposed to boot up with. As a result, developers are said to be wrapping up the software before May.
The source also mentioned that Apple’s switch to the OLED screen has caused delay as manufacturing of this type of display panel requires new processing methods compared to manufacturng mini-LEDs in the 2022 iPad Pro (review). As we know, only the 2024 iPad Pro will adopt the OLED panel as the iPad Air will stick with LCD.
A snappy M3 chipset to power the all new iPad
Gurman added that all four iPad models will be powered by the Apple M3 chipset, contrary to some reports that only the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models will take advantage of the newer chipset. However, we might still see the company differentiate the chipset by incorporating a beefier version such as a faster GPU core or faster Neural Engine setup in the iPad Pro.
Elsewhere, the iPad Pro is said to feature a slightly enlarged viewing real estate which is the result of reduced bezels. It should also bring a sleeker form factor compared to its predecessor.
As for the iPad Air, a new 12.9-inch variant is joining the 10.9-inch option. Based on leaked schematics, both should feature a slightly revamped exterior with the rear camera module housed on an elliptical island and the selfie camera repositioned at the landscape side.
Alongside the new iPads, Apple is expected to unveil an array of official accessories including keyboards, cases, and a next-gen Apple Pencil.
What’s your plan this year? Are you interested to upgrade to any of these new iPads? Tell us in the comments.
