Signs are looking good for a Spring Apple event this year — specifically in March — where we will see iPads finally get updated, alongside a new MacBook Air.
If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that there hasn’t been a single new tablet to come out of Cupertino during the whole of 2023. With this and a drop off in iPad sales throughout last year, it makes sense that the company is planning to make a big splash sooner rather than later. That includes beefing up the iPad Pro with M3 and an OLED display, and potentially launching a larger version of the iPad Air.
As for predicting a date for this happening, let’s go into specifics of what happens when an Apple event happens, because there is a definite pattern. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman doens't point to an actual event, but he says the new iPads and MacBook Air will launch in late March. If there is a keynote, it will probably happen on a Tuesday, pre-orders for announced devices would open on Friday and people will begin receiving them from the following Friday.
Given rumors are pointing to a late March launch (not announcement), I’m thinking of a potential keynote on March 19, followed by a full release on March 29. But only Apple knows at this point, so I could be wrong! But aside of being a betting man, let’s take a look at what may be announced.
M3 MacBook Air
The M3 MacBook Air is an inevitability at this point, but the big question is “when?” Well, we just got our answer, as Gurman reported a late March launch — bringing the entire MacBook lineage back up to date with the 3nm chipset.
Design-wise, we’re not expecting any changes whatsoever. We love the flat, utilitarian frame of the M2 Air, so why change it? One thing we’re 50/50 on, however, is whether it will be both the 13- and 15-inch Air.
So far, rumors have focused on the smaller model, but personally, I think it’d be a little weird to not upgrade both models. That doesn’t seem like a very Apple decision.
M2 iPad Air
Currently, the iPad Air continues to rock the M1, but Apple looks set to refresh it at the March event. No larger internal changes (apart from the bump to M2) and no dramatic design differences…except for one.
You see, the Cupertino crew has been messing around with offering its devices in big screen variants for a while now — most notably the iPhone 15 Plus and 15-inch MacBook Air. In a couple of months, we may see this thinking applied to the Air, as reports have suggested we will see a larger 12.9-inch version of this mid-range tablet.
This would be great for those who want to get the big screen tablet experience without dropping serious coin for an OLED iPad Pro.
M3 iPad Pro OLED
If the rumors are true, the M3 iPad Pro will most likely be the biggest announcement of the whole Apple March event. And no, this is not because of the new chip inside — it’s actually being overshadowed by a tasty display upgrade.
Rather than relying on mini-LED technology, leaks are pointing towards this being the first big-screen device from Apple to make the leap to OLED. This will mean big improvements in color reproduction, alongside a “crisper and brighter” image according to Gurman. This is something we see across OLED screens of devices we review, and would be huge for creatives.
On top of that, the display size of the larger option is set to go up by a small 0.1 inches, and an early report suggested MagSafe may be finally coming to an iPad, thanks to a new glass body.
Anything else?
As for any potential surprises, I wouldn’t hold my breath. This looks to be the full slate of products you can expect to see. If there were going to be any other quick announcements, the furthest I’d go is maybe a potential sighting of more devices transitioning to USB-C — such as the AirPods, AirPods Max or peripherals like the Magic Mouse. We could use an AirPods Max 2, but there may not be much new other than the new port.
Besides that, this looks set to be a relatively straightforward refresh of the MacBook Air, alongside a big refresh of the iPad Pro and Air. That’s going to be more than enough big announcements to sink your teeth into.
