New iPads Expected Shortly After This Week's Likely M4 MacBook Air Announcement

[MacRumors]

Apple is expected to announce new MacBook Air models with the M4 chip as soon as this week, and new iPads should follow shortly after.

iPad Air and iPad 10 inventory is running low at Apple Stores, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes this is a sign that new iPads will be introduced soon.

However, unlike the new MacBook Air, he said the new iPad models "probably won't come in the next few days."

So, the timeframe for the new iPads is not narrowed down yet, but it seems like the devices will not be unveiled at the same time as the MacBook Air with the M4 chip.

Our best guess is that these iPads will launch at some point in March or April.

No major design changes have been rumored for the next iPad Air or iPad 11, with the devices expected to receive under-the-hood improvements only. The next iPad Air is expected to be powered by the M3 chip or M4 chip, while the iPad 11 is rumored to be equipped with an A16 Bionic chip or A17 Pro chip.

As for the iPad Pro, do not expect a new model until Apple announces the M5 chip. And the iPad mini was just updated months ago.

Article Link: New iPads Expected Shortly After This Week's Likely M4 MacBook Air Announcement

 

[EugW]

Here’s hoping that tariffs don’t affect the prices too much.

Would such tariffs affect Canadian buyers? We could get hit by changes to the exchange rate though. Currently US$1 = CA$1.4458, or CA$1 = US$0.6917

Right now the iPad is US$349 or CA$499, corresponding to an exchange rate of 1.4298.

 

[Daalseth]

OK then. My partner’s iPad Air is 5-6 years old and has been getting to be rather flaky. Perfect timing to upgrade them to a new one.

 

[Daalseth]

Here’s hoping that tariffs don’t affect the prices too much.

Would such tariffs affect Canadian buyers? We are going to get hit by the exchange rate though. Currently US$1 = CA$1.4458, or CA$1 = US$0.6917

That’s been my concern too. Yes something should fly from China directly to Vancouver or Toronto and then to our homes. But I know that the Apple things I’ve been ordering have been going to the US, often KY or TN, and then crossing the border to Mississauga to clear customs. This could conceivably mean that we’d get hit twice, once with Trump Tariffs on products from China, and then on retaliatory tariffs on items getting imported to Canada from the US.

 

[A Hobo]

I’m a little surprised they won’t go ahead and put an M2 in the basic iPad 11, an M3 in the iPad Air and keep the M4 in the pro, until the M5 comes along and everything in the SKU chart shifts up one CPU gen on next refresh..

SKU stratification is currently an issue I feel, on top of not labelling binned models in the announcements, “up-to” has become a crutch and I usually need to double check how many cores I’m getting on machines because I can’t just think ‘M4 chip’ I have to check am I getting 8 or 10 core? And in what ratio? Even the GPU is binned from 8-10 across the M4 line of both desktop Macs, portable Macs and iPads. So you really got to check your specs out to be sure.

 

[Warped9]

Here’s hoping that tariffs don’t affect the prices too much.

Right now the iPad is US$349 or CA$499, corresponding to an exchange rate of 1.4298.

The iPad 10 can be had for $449 in some places. And if there are still some around when the 11 is released you can expect to see clearance prices on the remaining 10s.

 

[Joshuaorange]

I’ve bought a new iPad almost every generation since they came out and have found them less and less useful each round. I have an OLED iPad Pro now with keyboard and pencil pro that add virtually no value to my life at all. I will not be buying another.

 

[Kay_Ess]

Just what we've all been waiting for!

"new iPads"

😐

They’re still the nicest tablets on the market, right? I like them a lot even though I don’t have one.

 

[Kay_Ess]

I’ve bought a new iPad almost every generation since they came out and have found them less and less useful each round. I have an OLED iPad Pro now with keyboard and pencil pro that add virtually no value to my life at all. I will not be buying another.

But consider your e-peen..!

 

[PlayUltimate]

I’ve bought a new iPad almost every generation since they came out and have found them less and less useful each round. I have an OLED iPad Pro now with keyboard and pencil pro that add virtually no value to my life at all. I will not be buying another.

I really like my iPad Pro (albeit 12.9 gen 4) I have a pencil but I have little reason to buy a keyboard case since it just makes it bigger and heavier than it already is. I am looking to buy a new one. But will likely not get the Pro this time. . . . we will see what is on offer.

 

[jeffkempster]

I’ve bought a new iPad almost every generation since they came out and have found them less and less useful each round. I have an OLED iPad Pro now with keyboard and pencil pro that add virtually no value to my life at all. I will not be buying another.

I could not disagree more. I have also had every iPad since the first one in 2010. I am so impressed with the latest M4 13”. It is my go machine even though I have a pretty great MacBook Pro. I use it for drawing, surfing the web, watching shows and movies, emails and more. I love how I can convert it from something very small and light with the Smart Cover and turn it into something more powerful with the Magic Keyboard. I use procreate, all the affinity apps. I am a developer and I plan out all my work and design my apps on this device.

I might be the only one 😆 but I regularly connect it to my studio display with an external keyboard and trackpad. Stage manager really shines on a big external screen like that. Not so much on the iPad itself.

I can easily say if I can only ever have one device, this would win out over my phone or Mac.

I do wish I could actually develop more on this device with Xcode and the terminal.

 

[Joshuaorange]

I could not disagree more. I have also had every iPad since the first one in 2010. I am so impressed with the latest M4 13”. It is my go machine even though I have a pretty great MacBook Pro. I use it for drawing, surfing the web, watching shows and movies, emails and more. I love how I can convert it from something very small and light with the Smart Cover and turn it into something more powerful with the Magic Keyboard. I use procreate, all the affinity apps. I am a developer and I plan out all my work and design my apps on this device.

I might be the only one 😆 but I regularly connect it to my studio display with an external keyboard and trackpad. Stage manager really shines on a big external screen like that. Not so much on the iPad itself.

I can easily say if I can only ever have one device, this would win out over my phone or Mac.

I do wish I could actually develop more on this device with Xcode and the terminal.

Procreate is the only use I have for it. Adobe apps are nowhere near as capable as desktop versions, it won’t run Fusion 360 at all. I really can’t grasp why anyone would use a far inferior device on an external screen. It’s not nearly as small and portable as you claim. I have a Thinkpad fold that’s smaller folded and much bigger unfolded while being far more capable. I know others usage will vary from mine but for someone like me, it has nothing to offer that another, better equipped device doesn’t flat out beat it at.

 

[coachgq]

I’m a little surprised they won’t go ahead and put an M2 in the basic iPad 11, an M3 in the iPad Air and keep the M4 in the pro, until the M5 comes along and everything in the SKU chart shifts up one CPU gen on next refresh..

SKU stratification is currently an issue I feel, on top of not labelling binned models in the announcements, “up-to” has become a crutch and I usually need to double check how many cores I’m getting on machines because I can’t just think ‘M4 chip’ I have to check am I getting 8 or 10 core? And in what ratio? Even the GPU is binned from 8-10 across the M4 line of both desktop Macs, portable Macs and iPads. So you really got to check your specs out to be sure.

I was thinking the same but at least the 17 pro chip so AI could be used on the iPad.

 

[Joshuaorange]

I really like my iPad Pro (albeit 12.9 gen 4) I have a pencil but I have little reason to buy a keyboard case since it just makes it bigger and heavier than it already is. I am looking to buy a new one. But will likely not get the Pro this time. . . . we will see what is on offer.

I bought the pencil pro with it on day one. As far as I know, the “pro” features still don’t work on any apps that matter.

 

[Joshuaorange]

They’re still the nicest tablets on the market, right? I like them a lot even though I don’t have one.

Actually I have a Thinkpad fold that’s a hell of a lot nicer than any iPad and far more capable.

 

[Naraxus]

I’ve bought a new iPad almost every generation since they came out and have found them less and less useful each round. I have an OLED iPad Pro now with keyboard and pencil pro that add virtually no value to my life at all. I will not be buying another.

If you found them to "be less and less useful each round" then why did you continue buying them up til present day?

 

[Joshuaorange]

But consider your e-peen..!

I’m not even sure what this means.

 

[deaglecat]

hoping we dont see a big price hike on the new iPad 11..to enable the (largely unfullfilled) promise of Apple intelligence.

[iPhone 16e..I'm looking at you]

 

[thefrost]

So just a spec bump update.

 

[TigerNike23]

I’m always happy to see new products, but I’ve had my M1 iPad Air for two years now and it’s just as fast as it was then.

Really the only quality-of-life improvement with the M2-and-newer models is the front camera moved to the side.

 

[EugW]

I’ve bought a new iPad almost every generation since they came out

Why? For most people that would be an incredible waste of money.

But I guess it’s good for your e-peen.

I’m a little surprised they won’t go ahead and put an M2 in the basic iPad 11

An M series in the base iPad is completely unnecessary.

 

[BelgianChoklit]

I could not disagree more. I have also had every iPad since the first one in 2010. I am so impressed with the latest M4 13”. It is my go machine even though I have a pretty great MacBook Pro. I use it for drawing, surfing the web, watching shows and movies, emails and more. I love how I can convert it from something very small and light with the Smart Cover and turn it into something more powerful with the Magic Keyboard. I use procreate, all the affinity apps. I am a developer and I plan out all my work and design my apps on this device.

I might be the only one 😆 but I regularly connect it to my studio display with an external keyboard and trackpad. Stage manager really shines on a big external screen like that. Not so much on the iPad itself.

I can easily say if I can only ever have one device, this would win out over my phone or Mac.

I do wish I could actually develop more on this device with Xcode and the terminal.

I'm happy you're happy, but you say you've bought every single generation? I must say I find that kinda nuts considering the upgrades between generations ever since the first and second gen iPad Pro have been minimal.

A good friend of mine who's an architect uses nothing but his iPad Pro at work and on the train, he uses it like a maniac. And even he upgrades only every 3 generations. He only just went from the M1 to the M4 and it wasn't even due to something the M4 offers that the M1 didn't. It was because he needed more RAM and he had made the "bad choice" to get the 256GB M1 which only had 8GB. So he has the 1TB M4 13" now. He hasn't talked to me about the display quality difference but I'm sure he must appreciate that too. But honestly, even the display quality difference isn't that great like between retina and non-retina for example.

Could you explain why you upgrade every generation?

 

[Warped9]

So just a spec bump update.

We actually don't know what we're getting beyond the A17 Pro chip and likely 8gb RAM. If we get that alone and they hold the price that's not bad. But if they also give us 128gb base storage and hold the price or minimize the price hike that will be a great value.

 

[thefrost]

We actually don't know what we're getting beyond the A17 Pro chip and likely 8gb RAM. If we get that alone and they hold the price that's not bad. But if they also give us 128gb base storage and hold the price or minimize the price hike that will be a great value.

I hope the price isn't bad but I won't hold my breath.

 

[Joshuaorange]

But I guess it’s good for your e-peen.

Bro, what an odd thing to say.