Apple seems likely to launch new iPad Air, iPad Pro, and MacBook Air models “around the end of March,” according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter, which was published on Sunday.
The iPad Air models are expected to gain a new 12.9-inch display size as well as an updated 10.9-inch model. Other expected features include an M2 chip for faster performance, a redesigned rear camera bump, Wi-Fi 6E support, and Bluetooth 5.3. No major external design changes are expected.
The current fifth-generation iPad Air with the M1 chip was released in March 2022.
Apple is also thought to be working on the next-gen iPad Pro models, complete with 11-inch and 13-inch units that will be the first iPad equipped with OLED displays. As mentioned before, OLED technology would offer increased brightness, more vivid colors, higher contrast ratio, lower power consumption, and other benefits compared to existing models with LCD panels. Apple currently uses OLED displays for the latest iPhone and Apple Watch models, excluding the lower-end iPhone SE. Unfortunately, OLED panels are a bit pricier, and the next-gen iPad Pro models could be a bit more expensive as a result.
Other rumored features for the next-gen iPad Pro models include Apple’s latest M3 chip for faster performance, MagSafe wireless charging, a redesigned Magic Keyboard with a larger trackpad and an aluminum top casing, and a landscape-oriented front camera. There may also be rear camera design changes, as seen on the next-gen iPad Air models. The current iPad Pro models with the M2 chip were released in October 2022.
Finally, the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air notebooks, which launched a year apart given production delays, are expected to be updated simultaneously this March. The key new feature for the laptops will be Apple’s latest M3 chip.
With the M3 chip, the next MacBook Air models will gain hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading for improved graphics rendering in games, including more accurate lighting, reflections, and shadows. Apple already updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, 16-inch MacBook Pro, and 24-inch iMac with the M3 chip last year.
While no major design changes are expected for the M3 MacBook Air, the notebook could gain support for Wi-Fi 6E like other Macs. Apple last updated the 13-inch MacBook Air in July 2022, while the first-ever 15-inch MacBook Air was released in June 2023.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.