The new M3 MacBook Air was just the start: Apple has plenty more products to launch in the next few weeks. And some of them are very different from their predecessors, so there's more happening here than just some minor speed bumps and design tweaks. Apple's thinking big with the iPad Air, making the iPad Pros even more attractive and adding some new accessories too.
Here's what to expect in March or early April.
iPad Pro: M3 chips and OLED displays
We're expecting to see two new versions of the iPad Pro, Apple's best tablet for professional users. Both are expected to come with the new M3 processor, and their displays will be OLED. That doesn't just mean better, more vivid colours. It means thinner and potentially more energy efficient displays.
We're also expecting the iPad Pros to move the front camera from its current awkward position. At the moment it's only on the top if you hold the iPad in portrait mode, but if you use it with a keyboard or Magic Keyboard you've probably got it in landscape most of the time. So the camera is moving to the right hand bevel in portrait, which means it'll be at the top when you're in landscape.
It's been rumoured that the new iPad Pros will also get wireless charging via MagSafe.
iPad Air: bigger and better
Apple is believed to have two new iPad Air models ready to launch, both of which are powered by the M2 chip and which, like the iPad Pros, are expected to move the camera to a more sensible place. There won't be OLED displays for the Airs, however, but one of the models is still getting a big upgrade: it's going to have a 12.9-inch display. That makes it a really good option for people who want the screen space of Apple's biggest iPad Pro but don't need the horsepower or the price tag; it's particularly good if you do a lot of reading on your tablet or like to work in splitscreen mode.
New accessories for the new iPads
The new iPad Pros are thinner, and that means they need new accessories to fit them. A new Magic Keyboard has been rumoured for a long time now, and it's expected to give the iPad a more MacBook-like appearance along with a larger trackpad and an enclosure that's at least partially made from aluminium.
We're also expecting Apple to launch a revised version of the second generation Apple Pencil. There are lots of conflicting rumours around this one with some reports suggesting it'll have swappable magnetic tips, others claiming it'll be able to sample colours and still others saying it'll just be a bit more stubby.
The most interesting rumour is also the one with the least corroboration: renders of what is claimed to be the new iPhone SE have been circulating. That would be a replacement for the current model, which launched in 2022, and some Apple watchers believe that we may see it long before the iPhone 16 launch later this year.
We'll find out soon enough: Apple is expected to launch these new products in late March or early April 2024.
