Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26.

When To Expect New iPads Feature 1
Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an official launch date. Instead, Apple could announce pre-order availability, with shipping dates to follow.

Separately, Chinese website IT Home claimed that March 26 will see Apple release new iPads. However, the outlet appears to have interpreted this as a launch date based on when several Amazon listings for third-party protective cases for the new iPads go live, rather than specific information from a trusted source.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple plans to release new iPad Pro and iPad Air models around the end of March or in April. That said, the well-connected reporter now seems to be leaning more towards the possibility of an April release.


Writing in the latest subscriber edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman said he wanted to clear up confusion about when he believed Apple would release new iPads (specifically new iPad Pro models).

Gurman reiterated that a new variant of iPadOS 17.4 designed for the updated models won't be complete until the end of March or even sometime in April. "Once the OS is finished, Apple needs to send it off to the factories to be installed on the new hardware. That process could last a couple weeks, probably taking us deeper into next month," he wrote.

Two new iPad Pro models are expected to feature a new M3 chip, OLED displays, a thinner enclosure, a landscape-oriented front camera, a redesigned camera bump, and possibly MagSafe wireless charging.

The two new iPad Air models are expected to feature Apple's M2 chip and a landscape-oriented front camera, including a first-ever 12.9-inch model.

Other announcements expected in the March-April window include a new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro with a larger trackpad, and a new Apple Pencil.

Gurman previously ruled out an Apple Event for the new iPads. Instead, he believes they will be announced in a press release on the Apple Newsroom website, like the new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models were earlier this month.

Related Roundups: iPad Pro, iPad Air
Related Forum: iPad

Top Rated Comments

Aiii83 Avatar
8 weeks ago
Was hoping for this week, but at least I can save myself the trouble of refreshing Newsroom twenty times a day. Looking forward to going back to 11-inch from 12.9 now that it finally gets the proper screen, I've used the (M1) 12.9-inch with pleasure, but I never fully got used to the size. Prefer the smaller form factor.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xmarcuswildx Avatar
8 weeks ago
Still holding out hope iPad mini is coming with these…
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sc00ba Avatar
8 weeks ago
"We've pushed the price up by $300 because we're such an altruistic company that believes in equal human rights and we think you're gonna love it!"

?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AlmightyKang Avatar
8 weeks ago
Gonna sell my M2 iPad Pro this weekend before it devalues.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
David1964 Avatar
8 weeks ago

Yeah I keep hearing that. I don’t see the reason to release an iPad mini along side an iPhone with a 7” screen.
There is a big difference between a 7” iPhone and 8.3” of the iPad mini though because of the aspect ratio.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
entropys Avatar
8 weeks ago
Darn it, hoping it was this week.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID Single Camera Hole

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Thursday May 9, 2024 9:00 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models concurrently, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
apple crush ad

Apple Apologizes for 'Crush' iPad Pro Ad, Won't Put It on TV

Friday May 10, 2024 8:32 am PDT by
When introducing the new M4 iPad Pro models, Apple showed a video of a hydraulic press crushing all manner of creative tools, including musical instruments, electronic equipment, arcade games, paint and brushes, computers, cameras, and more, with the aim of demonstrating how the iPad represents all of the tools condensed into a single device. The ad was a play on the popular hydraulic press...
magic keyboard 1

What’s New With the iPad Pro Magic Keyboard

Thursday May 9, 2024 1:44 pm PDT by
With the iPad Pro, Apple introduced an overhauled version of the Magic Keyboard to add new features that make using an iPad Pro feel more like using a Mac. If you’re thinking about buying one of the new iPad Pro models and don’t know if you should get a keyboard, this article walks through all of the new features. Design Apple hasn’t changed the underlying look of the Magic Keyboard, and...
iOS 17 All New Features Thumb

Apple Says iOS 17.5 Coming 'Soon' With These New Features for iPhones

Monday May 6, 2024 7:33 am PDT by
Apple today announced that iOS 17.5 will be released to the public "soon," following over a month of beta testing. While the software update is relatively minor, it does have a few new features and changes, as outlined in the list below. "The new Pride Radiance watch face and iPhone and iPad wallpapers will be available soon with watchOS 10.5, iOS 17.5, and iPadOS 17.5," said Apple, in its...
iPad Pro M4 Silver and Space Black Feature Purple

iPad Pro's M4 Chip Outperforms M3 by Up to 25%

Friday May 10, 2024 7:55 am PDT by
Benchmarks for the new M4 iPad Pro models have ">popped up on Geekbench, giving us an idea of how much faster Apple's second-generation 3-nanometer chips are compared to the M3, M2, and other prior-generation Apple silicon chips. The 10-core variant of the M4 chip earned an average single-core score of 3,695 and an average multi-core score of 14,550 across 10 benchmarks. When it comes to...