We're now just a matter of days away from what will surely be an event that sees Apple unveil multiple new iPads. The rumors have been pretty consistent — two new OLED iPad Pro tablets in 11-inch and 12.9-inch sizes as well as a refreshed 11-inch iPad Air 6 to be joined by an all-new 12.9-inch version. And as May 7 gets closer, the rumors continue.
The latest rumor suggested that Apple's May 7 event wouldn't come and go without a mention of the current buzzword of the year. We've been hearing so much about Apple's plans for AI that it's difficult to know where fact ends and fiction begins. But it would appear that one report by CNBC might fall into the latter camp, albeit accidentally rather than the result of any malice.
CNBC had told us that Apple CEO Tim Cook intends to tease upcoming AI iPhone, iPad, and Mac features during the iPad event next week. But that, it appears, wasn't correct. And nor should it be — Apple should leave May 7 to hardware. With WWDC just around the corner, there's plenty of time for software news. And that's when the AI fun should really begin.
No AI for you ... yet
The original CNBC report originally explained that Cook had plenty to announce next week. "Cook also said Apple has 'big plans to announce' from an 'AI point of view' during its iPad event next week as well as at the company’s annual developer conference in June," but 9to5Mac notes that something went awry with CNBC's understanding.
The result? Cook never said that he would be ready to tease new iOS 18 AI features on May 7, which is actually good news. It never really made sense for Apple to mention anything that is effectively unrelated to what it's debuting. None of the AI upgrades are set to ship until September at the earliest, so why would they be teased next week? Instead, Apple would be much better served using the time to explain to customers what makes the new tablets — and new Apple Pencil 3 — so impressive. And ultimately, why they should rush out to buy them.
The one potential wrinkle here is the suggestion by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman that the new OLED iPad Pro could use an M4 chip, rather than the M3 we'd been expecting. The suspicion is that the M4 will have components specifically designed to enhance and accelerate AI features, something that seemingly won't come into play until September time at best.
It seems most likely that Apple will simply mention these innovations (if the M4 really does ship next week) and move on. Then, when iPadOS 18 is announced on June 10 it can spring the surprise that all new iPad owners can expect improved performance as a result of that shiny new silicon.
AI announcement or not, May 7 is set to be a big day. Apple didn't update any of its iPads last year, and this new OLED iPad Pro looks set to be a notable upgrade, M4 or not. And for those who want a big tablet without paying iPad Pro money, a 12.9-inch iPad Air seems just the ticket.
Now, we wait. May 7 can't come soon enough.
