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Apple Announces New iPad Air With M3 Chip, Updated Magic Keyboard
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That’s what I’m thinking, since the air and pro have the same size, shape and connectors. The keyboard might be a stealth upgrade to give you an M4 like typing function key experience
Yup. I’ve got the M2 iPad Air and it works just fine. When I bought mine in 2024 I told the Apple salesgeek that I didn’t need the M4 iPad Pro. His response: “Nobody needs the M4 iPad Pro.”
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So it was the iPad Air and the iPad that has been announced not the M4 Macbook Air. And why does the iPad Air have the M3 not the M4 and the iPad have the A16 and not A17 Pro? Weird decisions in my opinion.
Everyone can tone down any excitement for the MBA
Based upon the iPad releases ... the MBA is for sure a straight chip swap
Apple has become so incredibly conservative and uninspiring
Based upon the iPad releases ... the MBA is for sure a straight chip swap
Apple has become so incredibly conservative and uninspiring
Why would they use the same chip their "PRO" line (and more expensive) uses? The iPad Air is a lesser model.
If news summaries are any indication, the press release would have probably said that Apple today released a new Samsung monitor.
I know this was expected and the iPad Air was coming with an M3 according to rumors but… it still doesn’t make much sense, unless this is a strategy to clean up the inventory of remaining M3 chips, and launch an M4 iPad Air later this year.
The N3B process was meant to be transitional and short lived, so my guess is that both the iPad mini and iPad Air are now the devices using the remaining stock of A17Pro and M3 chips, respectively.
The N3B process was meant to be transitional and short lived, so my guess is that both the iPad mini and iPad Air are now the devices using the remaining stock of A17Pro and M3 chips, respectively.
Why is there even a distinction between the keyboard for the Air and the Pro...
Money :
- iPad Pro has exclusive M4 so it can attract more people
- iPad Air/Mini have an apple intelligence compatible chip, apple want's you to get this !
The chip would have come down in price by now, oh well...
I'm not really intending critique since the Air was already quite good, but have they ever done an update this small before? It's literally just M2 -> M3, zero other specs changed.
edit: Actually I'll critique the screen refresh rate, since that probably means the next Mini won't get over 60Hz either
edit: Actually I'll critique the screen refresh rate, since that probably means the next Mini won't get over 60Hz either
That’s unfortunate and so are the same pastel colors as for the iPad mini. 🤷♂️ I initially bought the white keyboard for the iPad Pro. It looks amazing but the backlighting bleeds through the keyboard to the point of distraction (others here have also commented on this) so I swapped it for black. iPad Air users will have no choice.
Is the new keyboard cover trackpad really any bigger? It looks the exact same in the pics.
The new iPad Air Magic Keyboard is compatible with all the Air models back to iPad Air 4 and I’m pleasantly surprised with this fact.
Would the M4 have been a reason? What would it have done that the M3 or even your M1 doesn’t?
I think you answered your own question. There has to be actual reasons to pay more for a pro.
M1 user: I'll wait for the price drop
M2 user: No thanks
M2 user: No thanks