Next-Gen iPad Air With 12.9-Inch Display and Redesigned Camera Unit Revealed in CAD Renders

[Lounge vibes 05]

So Apple will have landscape camera in the base iPad 10, but not in the 13" Air which is way more likely to be used in landscape?

Yep. At least that’s my assumption.
The iPad 10 works with the USB-C pencil, the iPad Air works with the second generation pencil, and the new pro will work with the third generation pencil.
not sure why anyone expects anything different, the new air is just going to be last generations pro with a scaled down 60 Hz LCD display.
Just like the standard iPhone 15s were basically the 14 pro with a scaled down display.

I figure Apple will use smaller split magnets on either side of the camera instead of a large central magnet.

this does make the most sense.
Either that, or they move it to the side with the power button just beneath it. But then of course, it covers up the speakers.

 

[zyztem]

Let me guess.. 60hz screen?

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

That said, I still don't understand why we can't have both (at least with the Pro). Give the user the choice to have one, the other, or both.

I’d love both in my iPhone.
Unfortunately, Apple does not work that way.

I’d also love Touch ID for profile switching on the Apple TV, but I don’t even know if this would be possible.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

Only reason I have yet to buy an iPad is because I want a 128GB AIR.

Well, then you’re never getting an Air.

It’s 64GB or 256GB, or you get a Pro.

 

[Rafterman]

Let me guess.. 60hz screen?

Probably. If it had all the features of a Pro, then why have a Pro? Plus...price.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

too many iPad models.

iPad mini - iPad - iPad Pro

iPad and iPad Pro can have regular and larger sizes displays.

This is basically exactly what they’re doing, except they do have to have a sub-$500 full size tablet if they even want a chance at competing against Chromebooks in the education market.

 

[gigapocket1]

Sigh.. Just gave my sister my 12.9 iPad Pro from 2018 and in need of a new one... Really don't want to spend the money on a new pro lol... Just wish that the air had a 120hz.. I also don't want a 12.9 inch screen

 

[subjonas]

Only reason I have yet to buy an iPad is because I want a 128GB AIR.

Can’t you just buy a 256GB Air and ignore the other 128GB?

 

[Nicole1980]

It looks like a rectangle! These articles never fail to surprise me.

 

[subjonas]

Noooo, the front facing camera is in the wrong place. For me at least…😢. Who uses such a big iPad in portrait mode??

Instead of making the camera landscape, I’d prefer Apple make the Magic Keyboard support portrait orientation.
I would like the higher closer to eye level camera, also I like typing documents and browsing in portrait.

 

[CharlesShaw]

Sigh.. Just gave my sister my 12.9 iPad Pro from 2018 and in need of a new one... Really don't want to spend the money on a new pro lol... Just wish that the air had a 120hz.. I also don't want a 12.9 inch screen

Nobody wants to spend the money on a new Pro, but you’re in need of a new one, and just a months before new ones will be announced. Lucky timing, if you ask me.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

Would be shocking if it remained 60hz. I am hoping they move the ProMotion LCDs currently on the Pros to the Airs, to make way for the OLED panels on the Pros. It's just not acceptable in this day and age to continue to use 120hz as a "Pro-only" feature.

I’d be shocked if it’s not 60Hz for the next iPads Air.

Best case scenario is iPads Pro jumping to 120Hz OLED and iPads Air jump to 60Hz OLED. Basically what we have on iPhone right now.

But since the Pros are not even OLED now, I’m more inclined to think Apple fears OLED on the Airs would steal too much hype from the next Pros when they jump to OLED.

Think about how many years the $799 iPhone stayed LCD while iPhones Pro had jumped to OLED.

Also, Apple’s the company that put out iPad 10 and a new crappy Pencil when the iPad Air from 2020 had way better specs and 2nd Gen Pencil support.

Only Apple makes the world’s only truly mainstream and popular tablet. They don’t have to impress consumers too much to land a sale.

 

[lazyrighteye]

too many iPad models.

iPad mini - iPad - iPad Pro

iPad and iPad Pro can have regular and larger sizes displays. at a minimum have Face ID and optionally include Touch ID with FaceID still being an option.

Too many models across their entire offering. Or, they’re not really grouped in a way that makes it easy for the shopper when looking to buy.

Before I continue: the following is NOT bulletproof. Nor is it happening. So those easily rankled by such pondering of a random forum member: breathe easy. Nothing is changing.

I propose a 2-there system: Entry & Pro. Period. The end. Offer small, medium & large screen sizes in each tier (that has screens). Yep, that means you’d have an iPad Pro mini. Some Pro user want/need a smaller footprint without sacrificing top-of-the-line performance. The inverse is also very true: some entry-level users want/need as large a screen a possible but do not require top-of-the-line performance.

Under this 2-there system, lines might look like:

iPad & iPad Pro
Small (mini), medium (10.whatever) & large (12.something)
I’d also be way ok if we dropped the device number in the name in favor of model year. iPad mini (2024) offers more universally understood info than iPad mini 7. For the vast majority of shopper. “I loved the 2028 iPhone.”

MacBook & MacBook Pro
Small, medium & large
The Air becomes the MacBook. Drop the Air moniker in as many places as is possible. Yes, I know there is brand equity in the term. Apple will be A-OK to drop.

iPhone & iPhone Pro
Small, medium & large
Same as iPad: include year in device name. iPhone Pro (2024) vs iPhone Pro 16.

iMac
iMac (24”) & iMac Pro (27”+)
This like gets trickier. I’m not sure we need an entry and a Pro. But if they kept that 2-tier structure across all lines, I’d be ok with that.

Mac and Mac Pro
Small, medium & large
Mac mini (small) Mac Studio (med) & Mac Pro (large)
The current “Studio” branding goofs this up a bit, but whatevs.


Again: all for fun. No need for any blood pressure spikes.

All I know is from the potential shopper’s perspective, is that it’s never been more confusing to purchase an Apple product. It’s not at all
Impossible: Apple’s doing just fine. But I do think there is unnecessary friction at the point of purchase that they could address (optically) whilst still offering the same amount of flexibility for the shopper.

My $.03.

 

[subjonas]

Assuming this has Touch ID and supports Hover (M2 or greater), I would get this to eventually replace my 12.9” Pro. I would miss the quad speakers and larger storage (and maybe Thunderbolt) of the Pro, but Touch ID would outweigh those for me. No Hover might be a dealbreaker, but I think it’s pretty safe to assume it will support it.

 

[CharlesShaw]

My $.03.

I’m certain that your junk drawer is tidy and organized.

 

[goonie4life9]

Here we go with Apple's tutti-frutti, phoney-baloney, plastic banana, good time, rock-n-roll "leaks" to build hype. The re-design will rile some people up, who will rush to buy the current version, thus covering those who decide to wait.

 

[alr94]

ProMotion should be the standard. Even very cheap Android phones come with at least 90hz displays.

 

[bradman83]

It will be relocated and this render is wrong. There’s no way Apple will stick with the portrait camera with a whole new chassis on the iPad Air when they’ve already moved to a landscape camera on the base iPad.

The base iPad doesn't include wireless charging coils and magnets for the Apple Pencil, the Air and Pro do. That's why Apple hasn't put the camera in a landscape position on those models - there's no room for it.

 

[mikethebigo]

I’d be shocked if it’s not 60Hz for the next iPads Air.

Best case scenario is iPads Pro jumping to 120Hz OLED and iPads Air jump to 60Hz OLED. Basically what we have on iPhone right now.

But since the Pros are not even OLED now, I’m more inclined to think Apple fears OLED on the Airs would steal too much hype from the next Pros when they jump to OLED.

Think about how many years the $799 iPhone stayed LCD while iPhones Pro had jumped to OLED.

Also, Apple’s the company that put out iPad 10 and a new crappy Pencil when the iPad Air from 2020 had way better specs and 2nd Gen Pencil support.

Only Apple makes the world’s only truly mainstream and popular tablet. They don’t have to impress consumers too much to land a sale.

I agree they will be LCD and not OLED. But Apple needs to stay with the times and keep up with their customer base. Sure, many older adults do not care at all about refresh rate, but I know that for younger generations, frame rate is progressively more important, and very noticeable when not up to the standards of phones and other devices.

Apple doesn't need to woo people much to get them to want an iPad, that's true. But it's going to be harmful for the brand and for sales long-term if younger people try these "new" iPads out and literally have a reaction like "yuck" or "that looks way worse than my gaming monitor."

 

[kangyula]

I don't really get what is Apple thinking with iPads. First they advertise the Apple pencil and the ipad as a sketching-note taking device. Then add the camera bump, so it's unstable on flat surfaces without a case, which makes it more heavy and cumbersome. But they also wanna sell you a keyboard, which is a single piece - the back cover, which would make it stable for writing does not detach from the keybard. So they'd expect me to carry around a keybord plust a separate cover to be able to use the Apple Pencil? All this so they can write 12 MP on the specs sheet for a camera which is used by like 5-10% of iPad users?

 

[emulajavi]

What I see in my 12.9-inch iPad Pro in vertical vs what I see in horizontal. For me iPad use is 95% in vertical.

4 messages vs 3.

For websites, email, reading, etc I prefer portrait orientation. only use I prefer horizontal is for videos, but I also regularly watch video in vertical, for example in YouTube, to be able to see comments at the same time.

 

[Tagbert]

Disagree. I have Face ID on my iPhone 14 and I don’t care for it. It doesn’t always work, maybe because it’s dependent on light levels and whether I’m wearing my reading glasses or not. I much prefer the Touch ID on my iPad Air 5. So if the iPad Air 6 comes with Touch ID I’m perfectly cool with that.
…

FaceID does not use ambient light. It has an infrared projector that can work in the dark.

If you are having trouble with it while wearing your glasses, you might try going into the FaceID settings and setting up an alternate appearance wearing your glasses.

 

[Fuzzball84]

Having a larger air will make perfect sense for some people... hopefully a big saving over the larger iPad Pro. Some people will be very happy about this.

I have been tempted by a larger iPad... combining it with the Magic Keyboard... as it would be able to do the vast majority of what id like to do for a casual, one the go ... mainly consumption, device.

One of the big bonuses is that I feel (with the rigidity of Magic Keyboard) it will feel far more sturdy than the MacBook Air (both M2 sizes). I love my MacBook Air M2 but sometimes it just feels like its far, far more fragile than I think 😬 but its battery life is just still super amazing and it almost never, gets hot... even when updating... which is a testament to Apples efficiency with ARM. I think my iPads actually get warmer to the touch than my MacBook....

 

[satchmo]

There is no ideal spot of the camera. Move it to the landscape "top" position and a crowd will chime in griping about the change because the "as is" is ideal for them. Perhaps the answer is for Apple to insert 2 cameras to scratch both itches and just charge more for the addition? But even then, it seems likely that people would gripe about the aesthetics of showing cams on 2 sides and not on the other 2.

Yes, aesthetically it would be a challenge. But it would be nice if Apple started to 'think different' again.

It just feels like Apple is just phoning it in every update cycle. Sure, better cameras, OLED and thinner bezels. But if you look at competitors today, these features are table stakes. And with the rumoured large price hike for iPad Pros, I wish and expect more.

 

[NT1440]

I don't really get what is Apple thinking with iPads. First they advertise the Apple pencil and the ipad as a sketching-note taking device. Then add the camera bump, so it's unstable on flat surfaces without a case, which makes it more heavy and cumbersome. But they also wanna sell you a keyboard, which is a single piece - the back cover, which would make it stable for writing does not detach from the keybard. So they'd expect me to carry around a keybord plust a separate cover to be able to use the Apple Pencil? All this so they can write 12 MP on the specs sheet for a camera which is used by like 5-10% of iPad users?

They expect you to buy whatever is needed for your own use case.