For those counting down the days for the arrival of the upcoming 2024 Apple iPad Pro and Air, it seems they may have to wait a bit longer.
Currently, there have been rumours of a reveal in late March or early April, however, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, this likely won’t happen.
In his latest report, Gurman claims the upcoming tablets should be revealed in early May, citing the sped up production at Apple’s suppliers. Production-related challenges are reportedly the cause of the pushed back launch.
“Apple had planned to release the new iPads by the end of March or early April, but the company has been working to finish software for the devices. The screens in the latest models also require complex new manufacturing techniques, which have contributed to the delay.”
All four trims will be relying on the new M3 silicon, which currently powers a range of MacBooks. The biggest change will arrive on the iPad Air, as Apple is planning a 12.9-inch version.
iPad Pro models will receive an OLED display upgrade, however, it remains unclear if this will be reserved for the large-screen version only, or the 11-inch model as well.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro will be equipped with a mini-LED screen, and the smaller version will come with an LCD panel. It’s unclear if a design revision is in the pipeline, however, new keyboard accessories are claimed to be on the table.
The most interesting part will be the software, and how the M3 silicon handles AI. Apple are currently claimed to be considering a Gemini Nano licencing deal with Google.
The company has also claimed the M3 silicon is capable of running various language models, and tasks such as Stable Diffusion-driven image creation.
The M3 silicon comes with added AI features, and a price hike is likely, due to the upgrades planned.
The RAM and storage situation is similar across the iPad Pro and MacBook Air, meaning there should be some new on-device AI-driven experiences at least.
