Apple will host its traditional spring launch event today, Tuesday 7 May, as it plans to add new tablets to its best iPads lineup, along with new accessories and maybe a surprise or two.
And so, the T3 team and myself, news editor Rik Henderson, will be keeping you up to date with all of the major rumours and subsequent announcements through the day. After all, I've personally been covering Apple events and its products for more than 20 years, while our collective knowledge and experience is vast.
We'll be posting live stories and information right here as we build up to the event itself – planned for 7am PDT, 10am EDT, 3pm BST – and then as it unfolds.
It's best to bookmark this page therefore, if you want to learn more about the new iPad Pro with OLED devices, a suspected giant iPad Air, the Apple Pencil 3, and anything else Apple plans. It'll be a jam-packed event, that's for sure.
How to watch the Apple May event livestream
Apple's first major event of 2024 will stream online later today, at 3pm BST, and you can watch it right here on T3.
Alternatively, it will be streamed on Apple.com and can be watched directly on Apple TV, too.
We expect it to last between 30 minutes and an hour, so strap yourself in as there'll be a whole lot of new products to savour.
Best OLED panels "on the market"
Two new iPad Pro models are tipped for today's event, both sporting OLED displays – a first for the range.
But, Apple being Apple, these won't just be any ordinary OLED panels. It is claimed that the company will use the "best on the market".
Experts at Display Supply Chain Consultants – a well-known consultancy firm – have revealed that the new iPad Pros will use OLED displays with LTPO technology, 120Hz refresh rates, high brightness and extended battery life for the tablets themselves.
Tim Cook hints at new Apple Pencil
As soon as Apple announced its latest event, CEO Tim Cook took to Twitter to give us a strong hint on one of the products – a new Apple Pencil.
Pencil us in for May 7! ✏️ #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/1tvyB7h450April 23, 2024
Long-rumoured, the Apple Pencil 3 will reportedly feature new gesture support, with the ability to squeeze the stylus to perform a customisable action. That could be to add a signature to a pdf, draw specific shapes, or something else.
It is also tipped to introduce motion sensors for use with the Apple Vision Pro, which would make the new Pencil something worth upgrading to for owners of the headset.
A mammoth iPad Air
As well as the new iPad Pro models, Apple is said to be introducing a new iPad Air today. However, it's not a replacement for the existing 10.9-inch edition, it's something else besides...
The new iPad Air will reportedly come with a massive 12.9-inch display, to offer a more affordable alternative to the larger iPad Pro.
It won't have a much-rumoured mini-LED panel though. According to experts, Apple's plans to use existing iPad Pro display technology for the new device have been changed at the last minute.
Still, a mammoth iPad Air should be a useful, interesting addition to the family.
No iPad mini... again
Although a new iPad mini has been rumoured for every Apple launch event in the last 12 months, it's still never appeared. And, sadly, don't expect to see it at this one neither.
Bloomberg writer and Apple expert Mark Gurman doesn't believe it'll be announced any time soon.
In fact, even though the mini hasn't been upgraded since 2021, we might have to wait another couple of years for a new model. ET News suggests that Apple will hold off until it can put an OLED panel inside its smallest tablet, and that won't happen until 2026.
A new chip?
One rumour which is being pushed is the launch of the Apple M4 chip here. Many believe that will be found inside of a new iPad Pro model, with the chip expected to push the envelope for the brand in terms of AI.
Does that seem likely? Well, not to me.
While many have pointed to the new devices skipping out on the M3 chip altogether, I can't see a smaller iPad-focussed event taking that crown – particularly with WWDC expected in a little over a month.
The slow death of the Macbook
Another reported update to the current product range is a new Magic Keyboard. For the unaware, that's Apple's keyboard attachment for the iPad.
According to Mark Gurman, the revised design will include aluminium parts for a more laptop-like feel, and greater durability. That will be a welcome addition for users who've had longevity problems with the current version.
The real question here, though, is – if new iPad's could have the most up-to-date chip and a laptop-like keyboard accessory, how much longer does the MacBook have in its current form?
Cheap as chips
Another rumoured new model is the base model iPad. We saw that updated with the iPad (10th Gen) in late 2022.
However, many have complained about the price, which saw the entry level model rise up to £499. That's quite steep for an entry level model, and Apple will surely be keep to reclaim the lower end market.
However, we wouldn't expect that today. Gurman reports that it's in the pipeline for later this year, and we've seen nothing to suggest otherwise as of right now.
iPad Pro M2 on sale
News ed Rik here again to take us up to the event.
For those who are looking on this event today with a view to investing in the latest iPad Pro, it's worth noting that the existing models are currently available with very healthy discounts.
For example, the 11-inch Apple iPad Pro M2 has £60 off on Amazon right now. That's for the 128GB Wi-Fi edition in Space Grey.
In fact, you can get up to £120 off depending on the model, including the 11-inch 2TB Cellular version, also in Space Grey.
Could we get a new iPhone SE?
Although unlikely, there have been some murmurings about a new iPhone SE being in the works, and some have even suggested it could make a surprise appearance during the Let Loose event.
In all honesty, I doubt we'll see it – after all, very few experts have talked about the device in the build up. However, it's worth keeping an eye on proceedings in case.
The latest rumour on the new iPhone SE is based on a case leak from a third-party manufacturer. If genuine, it shows a phone that fits the iPhone family more than the last model, with Face ID added to the series for the first time.
Live from Apple's London HQ
T3's editor-in-chief, Mat Gallagher, has arrived at Apple's London HQ in Battersea – the main venue for the global event.
He'll hopefully be going hands-on with any new devices soon afterwards, to bring us his first impressions.
For now, here are some of his pictures from the event itself.
Apple is being very "sketchy" about the announcements to follow
As we wait for the event to start, the graphics Apple is showing on the main stage are very "sketchy".
That's surely a new hint that a lot of the focus will be on a greatly-improved Apple Pencil, to go with the new iPads.
It might even be that the Pencil 3 will have even more new features than we previous thought. And don't forget, you can watch the action as it happens on T3 here, via the video near the top of the page.
Here we go...
Mike Lowe, T3's Tech Editor, here to take over the live Apple Event. T3's Editor-In-Chief, Mat Gallagher, is on the ground at the event to get the close-up.
It's 3pm UK time and the curtain has lifted, so strap in as the next hour promises to be a rollercoaster of iPad announcements. G'warn Tim Cook, let's have it...
There's updates about Apple Vision Pro being great and MacBook Air 13- and 15-inch models now both being the world's best-selling laptops of their respective sizes.
New iPad Air
Here's the new iPad Air for 2024! It's the update to the previous model, released in 2022.
The big news? There's a 13-inch Air option, giving lots more screen real-estate than the (also available) 11-inch display version.
Both displays for 11- and 13-inch iPad Air have the same features, so you're not missing out on resolution density or brightness whichever you pick.
The new Air features landscape stereo speakers with spatial audio and a newly positioned front-facing camera.
Colour-wise there's new blue and new purple options, complementing the typical Starlight and Space Grey options.
Interestingly, the new Air opts for Apple's M2 processor, so no M3 (or rumoured M4) option to be seen here.
The new Air works with the Apple Pencil but also the Magic Keyboard. That blurs the line between iPad Air and iPad Pro more than ever.
The new 11-inch iPad Air starts at $599, while the 13-inch model starts at $799. UK pricing will be confirmed shortly, as pre-orders will be live today with on-sale date from next week.
Upgraded iPad Pro models
Moving on from new iPad Air, here's the new iPad Pro, looking to show-off why it's in a class of its own when it comes to tablets.
It's "impossibly thin" with a stunning new design, new OLED display, and sounds very serious indeed.
There are two sizes: 11-inch and 13-inch. They're much thinner than before, too, at 5.1mm and 5.3mm respectively. Lower weight makes these tablets much more portable. Despite being thinner the 2024 iPad Pro models are just as strong as their predecessors.
The much-rumoured OLED panel isn't just one panel, Apple has developed Tandem OLED using two panels to ensure high brightness is possible. It's capable of delivering 1000 nits full display (1600 nits peak). That's a major upgrade. And it's called Ultra Retina XDR display.
Woah, M4 is here!
The rumours were true: the new iPad Pro models feature Apple's M4 silicon, being the first products from the company to feature this chip.
It features the most powerful neural engine ever, a new CPU that's a 50% jump over the older M2, and a newly designed 10-core GPU for graphics processing.
It's more power-efficient, too, meaning M2 levels of power by using only a quarter of the power. That'll mean better battery life, which is also improved thanks to better thermals - there's new graphite sheeting and copper in the logo to assist with this.
App upgrades
It's not just about hardware though: Final Cut Pro gets an upgrade for the new iPad Pro with M4. Final rendering is up to 2x faster than on previous M2 iPad Pro.
Logic Pro 2 also gets upgrades: in addition to drummer there's a bass and keyboard player, powered by AI, added to the feature set. There's also a new feature called Stem Splitter, which takes any recording and extracts four distinct parts - even if you don't possess the original stems.
All-new Pencil and Magic Keyboard
A completely redesigned keyboard for the new iPad Pro is even thinner and even lighter than before.
It now includes a function row, for quick access to convenient controls. There's a larger trackpad and aluminium wristrest.
Apple Pencil Pro is also an all-new reveal. It takes the Apple Pencil stylus experience up a notch.
The Pro Pencil adds a new sensor into the barrel for new interactions - so you can squeeze the tip to bring up new tool palette, for example, with haptic feedback confirming. There's a gyroscope that allows you to roll the Pencil too, allowing for quick switches between nib sizes, for example.
Lose the Apple Pencil Pro and you can now locate it using Find My - a much-wanted feature that debuts here. The Pro pairs, charges and stores magnetically with the new M4 iPad Pro models and M2 iPad Air models.
Show me the money
After all that excitement just how much will the new iPad Pro models cost? With 256GB storage now the smallest, the iPad Pro M4 11-inch starts at $999, while the 13-inch starts at $1299.
Add the Magic Keyboard for $299/$349 (size dependent) and the Apple Pencil Pro at $129.
Pre-orders open today, with on-sale date next week. The 10th Gen iPad also gets more affordable, dropping to $349.
And that's a wrap
Annnd... we're done! In summary: new iPad Air 11-inch and 13-inch with M2; new iPad Pro 11-inch and 13-inch with M4; new Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard.
Given that WWDC is only a month away, it makes sense for Apple to get its latest chipset and iPad refresh out of the way so it can focus on new software announcements for the June conference.
