The iPad Air was final up to date in March 2022 and the newest rumors strongly recommend that the arrival of a brand new mannequin (or two!) might be coming quickly. Right here’s all we all know up to now concerning the Sixth technology iPad Air. The newest Apple occasion occurred on October 30, however there have been no new iPads at that occasion, however we count on one in early 2024. Right here’s the whole lot you could know concerning the new mannequin.
Replace March 28: The brand new iPad Air will doubtless arrive in Could.
2024 iPad Air launch date: When will the brand new mannequin arrive?
Apple’s occasion on October 30 noticed the corporate solely launch new Macs, and 2023 handed and not using a single iPad replace for the primary time since Apple’s late CEO and founder Steve Jobs launched the class in 2010. The previous three generations of iPad Air arrived about 18 months aside, and because the fifth technology arrived in March 2022, we’re overdue for an replace.
However we’d not have for much longer to attend. After Apple introduced the M3 MacBook Air in early March, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reiterated his report that Apple is planning to launch new iPads together with a particular construct of iOS 17.4 earlier than the tip of April. He claimed earlier within the yr, reporting that new iPads had gone into manufacturing forward of a spring launch.
The iPad Air is unlikely to be the one iPad getting an replace in 2024. In November 2023, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote that Apple will refresh all 4 iPad strains—customary, mini, Air, and Professional—in 2024.
Ross Younger of Show Provide Chain Consultants says the brand new iPads are anticipated to ship in April, whereas a follow-up from Mark Gurman to his earlier rumors means that the brand new software program isn’t fairly prepared but and the brand new iPads would ship in early Could.
2024 iPad Air sizes: Is Apple getting ready to launch a bigger mannequin?
- Rumored: The usual 10.9-inch mannequin and a brand new 12.9-inch possibility.
An October 2023 9to5Mac report claimed, not solely that “there are a number of new iPads on observe for the approaching months,” however that this contains two new iPad Air fashions. The positioning signifies that Apple “could also be contemplating introducing a bigger model of the iPad Air, or a dearer mannequin with higher specs.” This principle appears to be primarily based on the truth that there are two codenames related to the brand new iPad Air: J507 and J508, with the one different iPad having two codenames being the iPad Professional, which additionally is available in two sizes.
In November Ming-Chi Kuo mentioned the extra iPad Air measurement, saying that the iPad Air line can be break up into two sizes: 10.9-inch and a brand new 12.9-inch mannequin. And the tweet above from Younger additionally confirms the existence of a brand new iPad Air show measurement.
Nevertheless, a tweet in March from ShrimpApplePro means that just one measurement of iPad Air is coming:
2024 iPad Air value: How a lot will the brand new mannequin price?
- Anticipated: Beginning at $599 for the ten.9-inch mannequin and $699 for the 12.9-inch mannequin.
- Worldwide value drop? Exterior the U.S. Apple buyers are hoping Apple will reverse the worth hikes of the previous few years, as they did with the iPhone.
Relating to the potential pricing of the iPad Air 6, we are able to take a look at the generations which have preceded it as a clue for what you’ll should pay when it lastly does arrive.
IDG
- 64GB, Wi-Fi – $599 / £669
- 256GB, Wi-Fi – $749 / £849
- 64GB, Mobile – $749 / £849
- 256GB, Mobile – $899 / £1,029
- 64GB, Wi-Fi – $599 / £579
- 256GB, Wi-Fi – $749 / £729
- 64GB, Mobile – $729 /£709
- 256GB, Mobile – $879 / £859
As you’ll be able to see, Apple stored a lot of the pricing roughly the identical for its U.S. prospects when shifting between the previous few generations, whereas exterior the U.S. patrons acquired hit with aggressive value hikes (a pattern that occurred throughout all Apple merchandise). Nevertheless, Apple reversed these value hikes in 2023 when it launched the iPhone 15, so we’re hopeful that exterior the U.S. Apple buyers may even see iPad costs lower.
If Apple does introduce the next spec or bigger iPad Air to accompany the present measurement, we might see decrease costs for the entry-level mannequin and better costs on the high quality. However with the iPad mini costing $499, it’s extra doubtless that Apple provides $100 or $150 for the bigger mannequin. This may be related pricing because the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus and create a long way between the Air and Professional strains.
There could also be a bigger iPad Air in 2024.
IDG
2024 iPad Air options: How will the brand new mannequin be higher?
- Sooner processor
- Similar design with new digital camera placement
For a tool whose launch might be imminent, there are a ton of rumors concerning the iPad Air 6. This is perhaps a case of Apple tightening up any leaks that have been showing in its manufacturing chain, or that any updates to the iPad Air can be minimal. Right here’s what we do know:
A brand new M2 processor
The obvious space the place the iPad Air 6 can be superior to the iPad Air 5 is within the processor. The iPad Air 5 already boasts a reasonably nifty M1 chip, however the iPad Professional has been sporting M2 silicon for over a yr, and it’s prone to get an replace to the new M3 chipset in 2024. So it’s doubtless that Apple will preserve the iPad Air on the older M2 technology to make the iPad Professional extra enticing to high-end customers. Gurman and others have reported that Apple’s plan is certainly to place an M2 chip within the iPad Air.
A much bigger and higher show
Whereas the iPad Professional is rumored to realize an OLED show for the primary time, it’s doubtless that the iPad will get the identical remedy. Moderately, Apple is planning on introducing a bigger iPad Air on the identical 12.9 inches because the iPad Professional, however with out barely completely different tech, in line with Ming-Chi Kuo: “The 12.9-inch iPad Air is an all-new mannequin, and whereas it lacks mini-LED, it advantages from an Oxide backplane (the identical spec as the prevailing mini-LED iPad Execs), providing higher show efficiency than the ten.9-inch iPad Air with an a-Si backplane.”
The identical design with new colours
Sadly, the iPad Air is unlikely to get a brand new design with the brand new mannequin. Leaked renders of the brand new gadget present a design that’s almost an identical to the present mannequin, together with the position of the entrance digital camera on the brief edge. We had hoped Apple would possibly change the position to panorama after the Tenth-gen iPad modified the place. It seems to not be, nevertheless.
The one design change to talk of is a slight tweak to the rear digital camera. Whereas we don’t count on it to realize a second digital camera, Apple will apparently put the flash inside a brand new oval digital camera properly. We additionally count on new colours, both brighter to match the Tenth-gen iPad or extra muted to match the iPhone 15.
Leaked renders present the 2024 iPad Air with a near-identical design as the present mannequin.
Panorama digital camera
For so long as there was an iPad Air, the entrance digital camera has been on the “brief” edge, successfully making it a portrait gadget. Nevertheless, which may be on account of change. Whereas early rumors claimed the digital camera would keep in the identical spot (see photograph above), a report from a Weibo leaker claims that the ten.9- and new 12.9-inch variations of the Sixth-gen iPad Air may have their selfie digital camera on the lengthy edge. Meaning when docked in a Magic Keyboard, you gained’t should crane your neck seeking to the aspect.
Extra storage choices
For the reason that launch of the iPhone 13, Apple has provided a baseline storage capability of 128GB. Sadly, this hasn’t been the case with the iPad line, which at present begins at a slightly paltry 64GB except you go for a Professional mannequin. Might the iPad Air 6 lastly see this transformation? We hope slightly than know that when the iPad Air 6 turns up, it is going to be endowed with a roomy 128GB so it could possibly change into a laptop computer alternative with out paying additional for the 256GB mannequin. With a bigger display, there have additionally been reviews of upper storage choices just like the iPad Professional.
We’ll proceed to watch the newest information and rumors surrounding the 2024 iPad Air, so make sure to examine again frequently to see what we are able to discover. Within the meantime, right here’s a choice of one of the best offers for the iPad Air 5.