New iPad Air, iPad Pro, and MacBook Air Models Likely to Launch in March or April

[Ghost31]

I got a M2 iPad Pro a few months ago and honestly it’s so good that I’m thinking about just keeping this pretty much forever. I don’t think there’s gonna be any worthwhile change for a lot of years. It’s all the same stuff. Like I’m gonna look at my micro LED screen and tell myself I desperately need something different just so I can watch YouTube videos or something?

I’ve always just been tempted by technology and just upgraded every time even when it wasn’t a big change, but I’ve always envy people that could just keep something for a long time and be happy with it. The older I get the more I wanna do that and I think the iPad pros are perfect example of that.

Not to mention in a couple generations, the vision is probably gonna replace most devices anyway so my current iPad may last a lot longer than I thought

 

[GMShadow]

Here’s what I want for the MacBook Air: base 16GB ram

They didn’t do it for the iMac so they won’t be doing it for the Air.

It's about time to upgrade my 2020 iPad Pro to iPad Air or another iPad Pro.

I moved from a 2020 to the M2 last month and was surprised at how noticeable the performance boost was even with casual use.

(For those who ask why I didn’t wait for M3, the higher cost and required new keyboard were the two main reasons)

 

[Eric_WVGG]

Is it unusual to release updated iPads and MacBooks at the same time? I thought usually the releases were staggered.

Well here's a different way of looking at it… Apple mostly releases stuff three times a year:

1. September (iPhone and Watch) / October (anything else to squeeze out before xmas)
2. June WWDC (developer stuff, typically Pro grade Macs)
3. March (consumer stuff that wasn't ready for Christmas)

… so Macbook Air and iPads in March makes a lot of sense.

also Macbook Airs in WWDC would be very weird because they'd be underwhelming to developers, and very tardy (six whole months after M3 MBP!)… so yeah it's kind of obvious they'd come out in March.

The strangest thing about the latest round of releases is that the MBP came early in November (or late in the autumn cycle, depending on how you look at it)… normally I think you'd see the Air in March and MBPs in June, so dunno why the M3 MBP came so fast… anyway Apple tea leaves are fun

 

[tutubibi]

I am eagerly awaiting to find out if Apple laptop will finally get more RAM than Apple tablet!

 

[minik]

why? is it slow or....?

The battery capacity is now at 88% and shows hiccup when doing web browsing, also I tend to upgrade the iPad once every three years. Will see, I'm happy to get the iPad Air if it offers a 12.9-inch display. The Magic Keyboard may be un-usable on this year models, which is a bummer.

 

[SW3029]

The logic board on the MBA doesn't take up the full width of the case so there's nowhere to attach a port on that side (it does on the MBPs due to space needed for the fans). The audio jack sits on its own little mini-card but that doesn't require the high-bandwidth connection back to the logic board that a Thunderbolt port would require.

Interesting. Thanks!

 

[Gloor]

lol, hiccups - you are funny. That device is more than capable so unless you use it for some specific app thats crazy hungry then you are fine for years to come.

I have iPad Air 2 which I use for browsing and its still perfect.
I also have iPad Pro (M1) 2021 model and that thing is a beast. For browsing, there isn't much difference between the 2 (except the ram).

The battery capacity is now at 88% and shows hiccup when doing web browsing, also I tend to upgrade the iPad once every three years. Will see, I'm happy to get the iPad Air if it offers a 12.9-inch display. The Magic Keyboard may be un-usable on this year models, which is a bummer.

 

[SpanishAppleNerd]

You mean the Euro went up.

Both are true ofc

 

[azentropy]

It’s pretty much a given that the price will increase. They won’t give out OLED displays for free.

Maybe, but a reason they didn't bring the 11" to mini LED previously is they couldn't hit a competitive price target. Samsung has has their 11" AMOLED tablet at $799 (and that includes a pen and 256GB of storage currently). I really don't see them going too much higher than that.

 

[Crow_Servo]

Yes, and some did (namely the Pro Max).


While that's a positive way of looking at it, you obviously look at the entire package and the entire product. If you were looking for purely a 256 GB model, sure, nothing has changed. But the fact is that last year, you could get a 14 Pro Max-model for $100 less.

Food-for-thought-scenario: what if Apple introduces a 2 TB iPhone 15 Pro Max in the coming months for $4999. And than this fall, when iPhone 16 Pro Max is announced, the new iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at 2 TB for $4999. Surely, no one would argue that "there is no price increase" because "the 2 TB 15 Pro Max also starts at $4999"?

So a completely unrealistic scenario then…

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Nice to hear the M3 MBA is coming relatively soon.

Why? MBAs are the lower end. What specifically do you need that you expect will be present in an M3 MBA that is not present in an M2 MBA?

Edit: Answering my own question, my guess is that M3 MBAs will game better than M2 MBAs do.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Here’s what I want for the MacBook Air: base 16GB ram

?? If you want 16 GB simply buy it...

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I am eagerly awaiting to find out if Apple laptop will finally get more RAM than Apple tablet!

?? MBP laptops can get up to 128 GB RAM, far more than any tablet.

 

[minik]

lol, hiccups - you are funny. That device is more than capable so unless you use it for some specific app thats crazy hungry then you are fine for years to come.

I have iPad Air 2 which I use for browsing and its still perfect.
I also have iPad Pro (M1) 2021 model and that thing is a beast. For browsing, there isn't much difference between the 2 (except the ram).

That's good for you when it comes to hardware longevity. At work, we just retired the iPad Air 2 due to the iPadOS 15 support. Yes iPadOS 15.8.1 is on deck for security patches. It is slow to be honest.

I also assigned with an iPad Air (5th gen), the M1 chip with 8GB of memory is sure exceptional on it (vs my personal iPad Pro). Not to mention, less pixels to push and limited to 60Hz panel. ProMotion is really not necessary for me however having a quad-speaker system on the Pro line is beneficial.

 

[chineseguy38]

More kitchen sinks from Tim Apple.

 

[anthogag]

My 12.9” M2 iPad Pro has a great screen. I am anticipating a larger M3 Pro with better cameras and screen. Surprise us Apple, make it the same price…or an incremental adjustment

 

[Tuck_]

I am eagerly awaiting to find out if Apple laptop will finally get more RAM than Apple tablet!

Not this year. Maybe next.

If the pro starts with 8gb,the air isn't going to start with more than that.

 

[Fuzzball84]

At this point the most worthwhile updates would be on the software side… a nicer screen, longer lasting battery, and a more durable magic keyboard would be nice… but there not going to enable you to do anything more with the device… and make people rush to buy.

Why would they when ever since about 2018 for ipad pro, and 2020 for ipad air… the hardware and its capability has been fantastic for their use cases…

The software… well thats where all the improvements can be made at this point.

Id rather they diverted all attention to improving the software and making it as efficient as possible. They could even claim a more environmental friendly approach by saying they enabled more use cases for the hardware you already own. Id pay for that softwareupdate!

 

[tutubibi]

At this point the most worthwhile updates would be on the software side… a nicer screen, longer lasting battery, and a more durable magic keyboard would be nice… but there not going to enable you to do anything more with the device… and make people rush to buy.

Why would they when ever since about 2018 for ipad pro, and 2020 for ipad air… the hardware and its capability has been fantastic for their use cases…

The software… well thats where all the improvements can be made at this point.

Id rather they diverted all attention to improving the software and making it as efficient as possible. They could even claim a more environmental friendly approach by saying they enabled more use cases for the hardware you already own. Id pay for that softwareupdate!

I agree, iPad needs better OS to fully unlock its capabilities. I have M1 iPad Pro and not planning to upgrade until iPadOS gets way better. Right now, iPad is a perfect content consumption device but not much more.

 

[CharlesShaw]

When someone upgrades an iPhone Pro Max after two years, they receive a high five and a group hug. Someone talks about wanting to upgrade an iPad Pro and people try to talk them off the ledge.

 

[return2sendai]

Moving one of the two USB-C ports on the MacBook Air to the other side would be a welcome design tweak. Why oh why does Apple stick both USB-C ports on the same side?

Aesthetics

 

[jrath1]

Hoping the new MacBook Airs can run dual monitors natively.

 

[Verified Whiskey]

As long as they don’t jack up the price of the 11” iPad Pro I’ll get one. Also I’m interested in the 13” MBA but only if they increase the base RAM and storage or at least offer better pricing on 16/512. I don’t think that is happening though.p after seeing the M3 iMacs.

I’m right there with you, I am in the market for a new MacBook Air. It can’t come soon enough. I want to purchase something now but I think I’m holding out for the next gen MBA so it’s not outdated in a month and a half. Bring on the M3!

It would be a nice surprise to see base storage/memory get bumped up, or prices get lower, but in this economy I’m not holding my breath.

 

[Verified Whiskey]

Aesthetics

And the busses that drive those ports

 

[Chuckeee]

Hoping the new MacBook Airs can run dual monitors natively.

Unlikely since this is a limitation associated with the same base M3 chip used in the iMac and then low-end MBP. The fanless MBA lacks the thermal dissipation to use a M3 Pro chip