Apple is expected to launch new iPad devices at the beginning of May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The new iPad Pro is expected to feature an OLED display and a faster iPad Air, including a 12.9-inch model for the first time. The details of the upcoming iPad models have been consistent and have been circulating in rumors since last year.
Reports suggest that the new iPad Pro models will add OLED displays (offering deeper blacks and richer colors) and will run on the new M3 chip, which is already in some Mac computers. It is said that the new tablets will be launched alongside an Apple Pencil and a redesigned Magic Keyboard. Apart from the option of a white color, the latter remains unchanged since its introduction four years ago.
Meanwhile, the iPad Air is rumored to run on a new processor. While Bloomberg did not specify which one, considering the current model uses the M1, and Apple likely wants to reserve the M3 for the more expensive Pro model, the M2 sounds like a safe bet. The option of a 12.9-inch screen marks the first time the iPad Air line offers a display larger than 10.9 inches. Although Apple will raise the price for this model compared to the smaller sibling that expected to be beside it, it will be the most cost-effective way to get a large iPad screen so far.
Gurman said earlier this month that the new tablets will be launched alongside the M3 MacBook Air, but the laptop arrived without any iPads in tow. He now reports that Apple's release timeline has been pushed back to complete work on the device software and smooth out "the kinks from the new and complex manufacturing techniques" they require.
