iPad Air 6 Rumored to Launch in October as Only iPad Refresh of 2023

[MacRumors]

The sixth-generation iPad Air should launch in October as the only iPad refresh of 2023, according to a plausible rumor shared on Chinese social media site Weibo.

"Only the iPad Air series should be updated this year," the post reads, with a subsequent clarification that the product refresh will take place in October, with "no mini and Pro this year." The information comes from an account with a proven track record for disclosing accurate information about Apple's plans.

On the latest episode of The MacRumors Show podcast, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that there is a new iPad Air with improved specifications in the works and the device is apparently "coming soonish," likely in October. The rumor was posted to Weibo prior to Gurman's most recent remarks.

Gurman believes that there will be a further Apple product launch in October, but expressed skepticism that an entire event will take place to introduce new devices. He said that it could be similar to the introduction of the M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro models earlier this year, which were announced via press release and a short video. Gurman claimed that October could see something "along those lines." "I'm not sure they have enough to drag people down to Cupertino to watch the video like they do for this [iPhone 15] launch," he added.

Apple last updated the iPad Air in March 2022 with the M1 chip, an upgraded 12-megapixel front camera with Center Stage support, a faster USB-C port, 5G support on cellular models, and new color options. Pricing starts at $599 in the U.S. for 64GB of storage. It is unclear what new features the next-generation iPad Air will offer, but possibilities include the M2 chip, a Thunderbolt port like the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil hover, and new color options.

Article Link: iPad Air 6 Rumored to Launch in October as Only iPad Refresh of 2023

 

[MayaUser]

too little, too late

 

[contacos]

this seems like an update for nothing more than principal like what could it possibly do better that the Air 5 with the limitation set my iPadOS itself can’t do

 

[537635]

With the standard iPad moving to iPad Air design (no bezels), what is now the point of iPad Air?

 

[swiftapplefan]

I just want an October Apple Event for the M3 chip devices, and the iPad Air. I love these events!

 

[Force332]

My only question is will it move the FaceTime camera to the landscape orientation like the 10th generation iPad? My guess is no. I suspect that since the Air and Pro share the same design, that change will first happen on the Pro line before it trickles down to the Air. The iPad line as a whole I think will continue to be overly complex and confusing for at least the near future.

 

[praetorian909]

My only question is will it move the FaceTime camera to the landscape orientation like the 10th generation iPad? My guess is no. I suspect that since the Air and Pro share the same design, that change will first happen on the Pro line before it trickles down to the Air. The iPad line as a whole I think will continue to be overly complex and confusing for at least the near future.

Well I think you could be right, i think they will move the front camera. The Air actually is more similar to the iPad 10 than the Pro since it‘s 10.9 in and has Touch ID.

 

[giebe]

Would be great to get an iPad mini with M2 Chip

 

[abatabia]

The M1 is already overkill for the air. The M2 won’t add too much, and I can’t see them changing the design.

 

[lenningj]

Current Air at £669. If Apple bumps specs with M2, base storage at 128gb then I expect the price to hike another £80. Not worth a upgrade for me if the screen remains at 10.9", rather wait for M3 Pro iPads next year

 

[Warped9]

An iPad Air 6, and iPad 11, would be a spec bump which could easily be introduced by press release given there wouldn’t be drastic changes from existing models. A press release for an M3 iMac would be odd (but not impossible) for something that, while technically a spec bump over the existing model, would actually be a significant upgrade in performance and capability. It deserves some fanfare after being ignored for two years.

 

[HMFIC03]

Dynamic island and thunderbolt please

 

[klasma]

With the standard iPad moving to iPad Air design (no bezels), what is now the point of iPad Air?

Significantly better screen (AR coating, P3 color, fully laminated), double the RAM, significantly higher CPU and GPU performance, Pencil 2 support.

 

[zedsdead]

This Air is just a cheaper striped down 11" Pro...seems to have no reason to exist...what I miss most about Job's Apple is that product lineups were actually full of different products, not just cheaper versions of the top model.

The iPod had the Touch, Classic, Nano and Shuffle - all of which had different feature sets and price points. They played with the Nano almost every year.

Outside of just a mini and then every iPad being the same with just cheaper parts, it would be nice to see iPads of really different sizes, folding, etc...

The Watch should have had just an activity $99 band years ago in addition to the watches. People would eat this up.

The Phone and Mac (although this has it the least at this point) have similar issues.

 

[klasma]

Well I think you could be right, i think they will move the front camera.

I don’t think so, because it clashes with Pencil 2 charging. That's why the iPad 10 is still on the Pencil 1 despite having no lightning port to charge it.

 

[Force332]

Well I think you could be right, i think they will move the front camera. The Air actually is more similar to the iPad 10 than the Pro since it‘s 10.9 in and has Touch ID.

But the Air uses the 2nd generation Apple Pencil which I believe is what has hindered moving the camera. Unless Apple plans to change the Air to now support the 1st generation pencil, which I definitely don’t see, then I don’t see Apple moving the current location of the pencil on the Air to move the camera. Again, I’m assuming that would only come in the rumored and upcoming Pro redesign.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

This Air is just a cheaper striped down 11" Pro...seems to have no reason to exist

Well you just explained why it exists in the first half of your comment

 

[klasma]

This Air is just a cheaper striped down 11"...seems to have no reason to exist

Face ID, portrait stereo audio, ProMotion, are significant differences IMO. It’s good to have the choice of not having to pay for those.

 

[one more]

With the standard iPad moving to iPad Air design (no bezels), what is now the point of iPad Air?

So far the differences are Air’s better (laminated) screen, more RAM, better speakers and a faster M-series chip. Other than that, yes, very similar.

Having said that, I will only upgrade my Air 5 once they get an OLED screen, so probably Air 7.

 

[DFZD]

I don't know if Air anymore serves a purpose other than as a price gap filler.

 

[ItsASpider]

Dynamic island and thunderbolt please

Why would you ever want anything that is a notch ore punchhole in a tablet?

 

[Torty]

why no titanium case to make the air an air?

 

[ItsASpider]

So far the differences are Air’s better (laminated) screen, more RAM, better speakers and a faster M-series chip. Other than that, yes, very similar.

Having said that, I will only upgrade my Air 5 once they get an OLED screen, so probably Air 7.

...and then there is that the Airs will probably be supported for longer as these come out with up-to-date chips, instead of older designs. And if Apple ever will bother to make stage manager actually useful (including on secondary monitors), then maybe it has some potential to actually, properly, replace laptops.

 

[headlessmike]

Significantly better screen (AR coating, P3 color, fully laminated), double the RAM, significantly higher CPU and GPU performance, Pencil 2 support.

And USB 3.

 

[Rodney Dangerfield]

I just want an October Apple Event for the M3 chip devices, and the iPad Air. I love these events!

Agree...Technically, these Apple events are interesting; however, financially, draining!...LOL