Apple Air news live updates — iPad Air M3 launch, MacBook Air M4 imminent
Apple has something in the Air, and it looks like iPads and MacBooks
Goodbye, iPad Air M2 and iPad 11
If you go to Apple’s online store to check out the new iPad Air M3 and iPad 11, you’ll notice they’re the only iPads of their respective models available. In other words, Apple will eventually discontinue the iPad Air M2 and iPad 10.
This isn’t a problem, at least in terms of price. Both the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Airs start at $599 and $799, respectively, which is the same price as the previous models. The same applies to the iPad 11, which costs $349.
And while Apple may have discontinued the previous gen iPad Air and iPad, you can still buy them at retailers like Amazon. Better yet, vendors will (or already are) selling these slates at a reduced price. So, if you don’t need the latest iPads, then you could potentially save yourself a lot of money by getting the previous models instead.
Do you need one of the new iPads?
Now that Apple has announced the iPad Air M3 and base iPad, is it time for you to upgrade? As usual, it depends on your needs.
If you’re still using an older tablet, such as the iPad Air M1 or iPad 9, then upgrading to their respective latest models is worth considering. After all, the new devices should have better performance and battery life.
However, if you own the previous gen iPad Air M2 or iPad 10, then you might want to reconsider upgrading. The iPad Air M2 is still an excellent tablet for most people and should be viable for many more years. The same applies to the iPad 10.
That said, if you’re interested in Apple Intelligence (iPad Air M3) or want more storage (iPad 11), then these new Apple tablets could be right for you.
How powerful is the M4?
While the MacBook Air with the M4 has yet to be announced (we still think it's coming), Apple has already released devices with the M4 chip, giving us a good idea of what to expect regarding raw power.
We can look to our M4 MacBook Pro review to get a feel for the performance. While it's not a one-to-one comparison, Apple's more expensive laptop does point us in the right direction for the M4 MacBook Air's performance.
In Geekbench testing, the M4 MacBook Pro scored 3,807 on the single-core test and 15,114 on the multi-core one. Compared to the MacBook Pro M3's 3,163 single and 11,968 multi, this is a sizable improvement that will be noticeable for multitasking and overall performance.
The numbers could be slightly different on the M4 MacBook Air, but we know it'll be quite a bit faster than the model released in 2022 with the M2 chip.
In case you missed the iPhone 16e
This isn't the first Apple announcement to hit recently. The company took a similar press release tact to announce the new iPhone 16e, the latest budget-friendly phone.
We reviewed the iPhone 16e and said, "The most affordable iPhone is very good but comes with compromises."
This perfectly encapsulates our thoughts: "You'll pay more for the cheapest model in Apple's lineup, but the iPhone 16e is a marked upgrade over the iPhone SE 2022."
Will we have similar thoughts about the new iPad Air M3, or will the jump in processor generations amount to even more significant gains? We can offer educated opinions as soon as we get our hands on it, but I'm confident Apple will bring it.
What about the MacBook Air M4?
Most of the speculation leading into Apple's announcement was around the M4 MacBook Air. The leaks and rumors said Apple would reveal the new laptop and follow up with an iPad.
Instead, the Cupertino company announced a new iPad Air with an M3 chip and a base iPad with an A16 processor.
While not what we expected, it just builds more anticipation for the new MacBook, which we hope to be announced this week — perhaps as soon as tomorrow morning.
We expect the new MacBook Air to come with an M4 chip under the hood, which first debuted on the iPad Pro. Otherwise, the rumor mill has said not to expect massive changes, with Apple offering a 13 and 15-inch model with a familiar design.
If there's anything else announced (and who knows, Apple loves a nice surprise), we'll be here to report it immediately, so stay tuned.
Base iPad getting an upgrade
Tucked deep into its Newsroom post, Apple announced a nice upgrade to the base model iPad. The company offers double the starting storage and the A16 chip, which should improve performance.
Apple cites the "A16 chip provides a jump in performance for everyday tasks and experiences in iPadOS" as a significant benefit of this upgrade. The company says the A16 chip is nearly 30% faster than the previous-generation iPad.
Interestingly, Apple also called out Android tablets in its post. "A16 makes the updated iPad up to 6x faster than the best-selling Android tablet," said the company. The battle lines have clearly been drawn, and Apple is offering extra power at the same price.
The benefits of more storage are reasonably obvious. Apple's base model offers 128GB of space (up from 64GB), so you can keep more apps, photos and videos on your device without worrying about running out.
A keyboard that's Magic
While the main event of Apple's announcement is the iPad Air with M3, the company also showed off a new keyboard that could help the tablet feel even more like a laptop replacement.
The new Magic Keyboard for iPad Air offers a larger built-in trackpad and a 14-key function row, creating a more laptop-like experience.
Apple also touted its magnetic connection and Smart Connector, which immediately connects power and data without Bluetooth.
As you might expect from an Apple accessory, it's not cheap. The 11-inch iPad Air's keyboard costs $269, and the 13-inch model is $319. Still, if you're looking to use your iPad like a laptop, it could be a worthwhile investment (though with the price of the iPad Air and keyboard, you could buy a MacBook Air).
A new iPad Air
After letting hype build for a day around what Apple might announce with the "Air" moniker, the company took the wraps of a fresh Newsroom post revealing a new iPad Air with an M3 chip.
Apple says the "iPad Air with M3 empowers users to be productive and creative wherever they are, from aspiring creatives using demanding apps and working with large files, to travelers editing content on the go."
And the numbers appear to back up Apple's claim, with the new iPad offering an 8-core CPU. It says the M3 chip is up to 35 percent faster for multithreaded CPU performance than the iPad Air with M1, which is a sizable improvement.
Whether it's enough of an improvement to make it worth upgrading from an existing iPad Air will be discovered when we get our hands on one and review it, but the numbers sound promising.
Regarding pricing, the 11-inch iPad Air costs $599 for the Wi-Fi model and $749 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The 13-inch iPad Air costs $799 for the Wi-Fi model and $949 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.
