Air 7 will not get oled, pro models will get it before the air does, and to get people to jump to pro models oled will be a selling point probably
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPad Air 6 Rumored to Launch in October as Only iPad Refresh of 2023
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Will be a pretty big departure from the norm if they don't update the base iPad this year.
The main reason I picked up an iPad 10 is to get the landscape-orientation camera. If the Air had it, I would have bought that. If the next Air does not have it, I’ll have to rule it out. Apple needs to introduce this feature on every new iPad.
And it’ll become more then obvious that the base level iPad was really just meant to be a basic device for content consumption, nothing more.
And the weird gen 1 Apple pencil support for it was a ‘well I guess we should support it 🤷♂️’.
Would be very odd if iPad Air got M2 while iMac remains on M1
The Air exist for people on a lower budget who don't need all the bells and whistles and would also possibly appreciate more flashy colors.
I understand what you say, however: because Apple is much bigger now, they have to be more conservative. A step in a bad direction could represent billions of losses. The Apple from the 90s was able to afford more risky moves.
I have the hunch that iMac is receiving the M3 pretty soon.
Why not? Air 6 will come in October 2023 (soon) with some minor tweaks, followed up by OLED Pros in spring or autumn 2024, then an OLED Air 7 can follow, half a year or one year after the Pros.
Keep in mind that both the Pro and Air support the second generation Apple Pencil, and moving the front camera might interfere with space reserved for the charger. I'm happy to plug in a usb camera but would appreciate other upgrades such as more storage at all price points, making Final Cut Pro for iPad a compelling experience on the Air.
As someone with an M2 iPad Pro, my advice is: if the SoC is the only change on the Air 6, I’d go for a discounted M1 fifth gen iPad Air once the M2 is released.
I bought the M2 iPad Pro, not just for the M2, but for the 5.3 Bluetooth and maybe a bit longer software support, but after having used the M1 and M2 iPad Pro, I can assure you that I notice no difference in performance, and the M2 iPad Pro is not as power efficient as I initially thought. I mean, my 12X iPad Pro was more power efficient and the M1 Pro, which I used for a month, wasn’t too dissimilar. I wouldn’t say he M2 iPad Pro has a terrible battery life because that wouldn’t be correct, but it is not as good as my previous 11” iPad Pro.
I bought the M2 iPad Pro, not just for the M2, but for the 5.3 Bluetooth and maybe a bit longer software support, but after having used the M1 and M2 iPad Pro, I can assure you that I notice no difference in performance, and the M2 iPad Pro is not as power efficient as I initially thought. I mean, my 12X iPad Pro was more power efficient and the M1 Pro, which I used for a month, wasn’t too dissimilar. I wouldn’t say he M2 iPad Pro has a terrible battery life because that wouldn’t be correct, but it is not as good as my previous 11” iPad Pro.
I'm shocked the mini isn't getting an update considering I just bought one 6 weeks ago. Go figure.
This is one way of looking at it. Another is that Airs exist for smarter shoppers, who do not feel like spending extra on features they do not actually need.
For instance, I do not need a camera on my iPad, let alone several with a LIDAR scanner. Same for more advanced speakers - I use AirPods most of the time anyhow. ProMotion - tried it in a shop side by side with Air, not a big deal for my use. A faster chip and more RAM? Handy, but not so much obvious difference. It is not that my M1 Air stutters scrolling a page in Safari or writing in Notes or Pages.
In fact, I cannot currently think of a single Apple Pro product which would be remarkably better vs its regular (non-Pro) version. Even AirPods Pro vs my AP3 - AP3 sound better to me and I actually prefer their open sound-leaking design. When I tried APP, they really lacked treble for my ears. 🤷🏻♂️
The notable exception at the time was a MacBook Pro 13” 2015, which I got solely for its Retina display. If I were buying a MacBook today, it would be Air, no questions.
So, different needs for different folks, I guess.
Last edited:
That’s why I bought one. I have a MacBook Pro but wanted something for portability, media consumption, note taking, and for public speaking events. The Air is perfect for that. I didn’t need everything the Pro offered. Maybe the less expensive iPad would work but the M1 processor and RAM of the Air give it longevity. It also doesn’t hurt that I got my M1 on sale for about $400 (sale plus discounted gift cards).
Last edited:
If the iPad Air gets the M2 chip, then there’s little doubt the Pros will get the M3. Which is fine and expected. Now, what about the base iPad? I mean the 10.9-inch version? I think the base iPad should get the M1. The iPad 10 is currently running an A14 chip and the Mini a crippled A15. If Apple doesn’t want to put the M1 in the iPad 11, then the Mini should get it and the base iPad the A16. Time to move on from the A14 and A15 - and time to retire the 9.8-inch iPad.
The new Air sounds like the 5th gen M1 air will be the better choice if you can find a discounted one. (Assuming no screen upgrade or more ram etc)
M2 anything (MBP, Air, mini etc) has been a non event - faster yes, but not noticeable in the slightest for many work loads. M3 will be the same. Especially for a consumption device like the Air.
M1 is still super fast. Even my current gen mini iPad feels fast at everything I use it for and that probably has an ancient A series chip in it.
M2 anything (MBP, Air, mini etc) has been a non event - faster yes, but not noticeable in the slightest for many work loads. M3 will be the same. Especially for a consumption device like the Air.
M1 is still super fast. Even my current gen mini iPad feels fast at everything I use it for and that probably has an ancient A series chip in it.
Thank you. The “Air” moniker needs to go.
Back when “Air” debuted, it was with the MacBook Air that Steve pulled out of a manila envelope. Then, “Air” was leveraged to highlight the “light as air” aspect of the impossibility thin laptop. But now… every iPad is thin/light. Not sure the term “Air” carries the same relevance it once did. Sure, thers equity in the iPad Air name. But I think they’ll be fine if we cleaned up the category. Just iPad and iPad Pro. Two tiers. Each with a mini version (there IS a market for an iPad Pro mini). Clean. Simple. Done. Do this across all product lines. Ex: MacBook Air becomes MacBook, joining the MacBook Pro to complete that category.
Last edited:
This was my same reaction to when they released the 5th Gen. Walmart had the base iPad Air 4th Gen (online) for $349 as an early Black Friday Deal!
Which is unfortunate. It is super possible to clean up all categories without taking a hit in revenue. It’s a mess, currently.
I have both AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro 2nd gen. I find the EarPods 3 lighter and more comfortable (since they have no rubber tips), but are practically useless in public transport where whatever I am listening to quickly gets drowned out by the background noise.
Apple seems to have settled on the good -> better paradigm. You have the base model with the core features that Apple deems essential to the core product experience, as well as the "pro" model with extra bells and whistles for those willing to pay more. They are not essential, but nice to have.
Iphone 14 -> iPhone 14 pro
iPhone 14 plus -> iPhone 14 pro max
13" MBA -> 14" MBP
15" MBA -> 16" MBP
iPad Air -> 11" iPad Pro (maybe it could be called "iPad", but that would be confusing with the other existing iPad models).
AirPods 3rd gen -> AirPods Pro -> AirPods Max
Apple Watch SE -> apple watch -> Apple Watch Ultra
I think they strike a pretty good balance of hitting as many price points as possible, while keeping the lineup lean (a lot of them use similar parts, which probably helps with managing inventory).
I can kinda understand where Apple is going with this.
It's like how when I got my first iPad and was experimenting with apps left and right as I tinkered with what worked and what didn't. I would eventually settle on a particular selection of apps that did what I needed them to do, and while I still purchase the occasional app here and there, my workflow hasn't really changed in the last couple of years, so there is no reason for me to change, because it works.
Apple has settled because customers have settled. There doesn't seem to be the next big thing beyond the smartphone, iPad and MacBook form factors that Apple pioneered, barring the Vision Pro. Smart speakers haven't taken off, I doubt folding phones represent the next smartphone paradigm that detractors so desperately wish it to be, maybe we already are looking at the final forms of these product categories.
Titanium is heavier than the aluminum currently used for iPad. Titanium would not make it lighter.
But why call it Air? Call it… iPad.