Apple has told us it’s going to be launching something new on May 7, and all the signs point to that something being new iPads. Now a new report lists the specific models and accessories we’ll be getting introduced to on Tuesday.
This report comes from well-known Apple tipster Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, and it rounds up some of the rumors we’ve already been hearing. Gurman says we’ll get a new pair of iPad Pro models: the 11-inch and 12.9-inch sizes will be the same as the current iPad Pros, but they’ll be the first Apple tablets to switch to OLED.
They “may” run on M4 chips Gurman says, something which we’ve heard before. That would help distinguish them from the updated iPad Air, apparently arriving in 10.9-inch and 12.9-inch sizes – that larger size would be a first for the iPad Air, so we’d have two versions of both the Pro and Air models.
The M2 chip is the one most likely to be in the 2024 iPad Air, Gurman says. As you’ll see from our iPad Air 5 review, it was fitted with an M1 chip. The report also predicts that some AI features will be “teased” ahead of a full unveiling at WWDC on June 10.
Pencils and keyboards
As for accessories, Gurman states that we’ll get a new Apple Pencil with haptic feedback, and a new Magic Keyboard that will “make the iPad look more laptop-like”. We’ve previously been told by the same source to expect these extras alongside the iPads.
While a new entry-level iPad and a new iPad mini are being worked on, they apparently won’t be shown off on Tuesday. Apple is working to make its 11th-generation iPad significantly cheaper than its 10th-generation iPad, the report says.
A few more tidbits: according to Gurman, the event is starting earlier than normal (May 7 at 7am PT / 10am ET / 3pm BST, and on May 8 at 12am AEST) so people in China can watch along, and will last “a little more than half an hour”.
It’ll be the first time Apple has refreshed its iPad models since 2022, so Tim Cook and the other Apple execs will be hoping there’s some pent up demand for these tablets. If you want to see everything as it happens, here’s how to watch along.
