Apple’s new Imaginative and prescient Professional headset is ready to land in shops this Friday, however that’s probably simply the tip of the iceberg for what the corporate has deliberate for us within the subsequent few weeks.
We’ve heard rumors of an action-packed March occasion since early December, and it seems to be like Apple remains to be on monitor to make that occur. As Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman shares on this week’s version of his Energy On e-newsletter, a minimum of a few of Apple’s flagship merchandise are “already deep in manufacturing abroad” and able to “come out across the finish of March.”
Particularly, this record contains Apple’s 13-inch M3 MacBook Air and the brand new M3-powered OLED iPad Professional, which Gurman says represents the ”largest revamp ever” of Apple’s flagship pill.
Gurman’s end-of-March estimate is barely extra optimistic than the April timeline we heard earlier this month, nevertheless it’s shut sufficient that we will break up the distinction. Apple will probably maintain a March occasion to point out off the brand new merchandise and announce pre-orders that very same week; whether or not the merchandise ship by the tip of March or in the beginning of April is a subtler level. Both manner, right here’s what we will count on to see.
The M3 OLED iPad Professional
Whereas it’s nearly sure the 2024 iPad Professional lineup will get an OLED display and an M3 chip, there are nonetheless a number of query marks on what else we will count on.
To not disparage an OLED display, which is a reasonably important improve that will be a primary for something bigger than a Max-sized iPhone, however Gurman’s optimism about it being an enormous revamp suggests we’ll see one thing extra. An M3 chip is desk stakes for the next-generation iPad, however there have additionally been rumors of a panorama digicam just like what Apple did with the Tenth-generation iPad in 2022, plus MagSafe or Qi2 charging which may even assist reverse-wireless.
Considerably, code discovered within the first iOS 17.4 beta not solely strongly hints on the panorama digicam but additionally references a brand new Magic Keyboard for iPad and Apple Pencil. The Magic Keyboard could also be nothing greater than an replace to match the bodily dimensions of the brand new fashions — the bigger iPad Professional is anticipated to extend to a good 13-inch show — however a third-generation Apple Pencil is an intriguing concept that we’ve been listening to rumors about for years.
The iPad Air in Two Sizes
One doable cause Apple could also be transferring to a 13-inch iPad Professional is to make room for an additional important change to its lineup: A bigger iPad Air.
Final 12 months, reviews of a 12.9-inch iPad Air started circulating, and whereas they had been initially confused for the iPad Professional, the presence of an LCD display meant that they should have been referring to a unique pill. As these began to gel, it turned clear that Apple was trying to produce a lower-cost model of its largest iPad Professional.
The present iPad Air is available in at 10.9 inches to the 11-inch iPad Professional, so presumably, Apple desires to make the identical distinction on the plus-sized mannequin, with a 12.9-inch iPad Air alongside the brand new 13-inch iPad Professional. Don’t count on something too groundbreaking right here, although; aside from a probable bump to an M2 chip, the brand new iPad Air is alleged to have largely the identical specs as the present mannequin, though the 12.9-inch model will undoubtedly be welcome for individuals who don’t need to pay laptop computer costs for a bigger pill.
The M3 MacBook Air
Though Apple stunned us with a 15-inch MacBook Air final 12 months, it’s been practically two years because the firm refreshed its extra widespread 13-inch mannequin, and it was a little bit of a shock when it unveiled its M3 chips in October with out a MacBook Air alongside for the experience.
As an alternative, October introduced us a brand new MacBook Professional lineup, with the 13-inch Contact Bar-equipped MacBook Professional using off into the sundown, to get replaced by a plain-old-M3 14-inch mannequin that in any other case shared the identical design and specs as its pricier M3 Professional and M3 Max siblings. The one different Mac to get an M3 chip was the 24-inch iMac, which had skipped the M2 totally.
In fact, Apple had simply launched a 15-inch MacBook Air with the M2 chip, so upgrading the MacBook Air lineup final fall would have put it within the problematic place of refreshing the 15-inch MacBook Air with an M3 chip solely 4 months later or skipping it totally and leaving it behind on the M2 chip. Neither appeared like a very good concept, however by the point March rolls round, the 15-inch MacBook Air may have been in the marketplace for 9 months, permitting Apple to deliver the complete lineup into M3 territory — and hopefully maintain it in lockstep when the time for an M4 arrives in 2025.
In accordance with Gurman’s sources, solely the 13-inch MacBook Air has began mass manufacturing. Nevertheless, that’s extra probably a mirrored image of the decrease demand for the 15-inch mannequin than any signal that it will likely be delayed, as Gurman nonetheless predicts that each the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air fashions will seem in March.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]