The revamped iPad Air debuted in May, but there’s already word that a replacement is on Apple’s drawing board for early next year.
Apple will apparently improve the performance of the Air, which will make deciding between it and the iPad Pro more challenging for tablet shoppers.
2025 iPad Air could get a speed boost
Apple makes a wide range of tablets. The base model is the iPad 10, then there are the iPad Air models as the midrange, and the iPad Pro models are the premium offering. Both the iPad Pro and iPad Air got refreshed this spring with faster processors and, in the case of the Air, its first 13-inch version.
But Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who has generally reliable sources inside Apple, reported on Tuesday that a new iPad Air can be expected “early next year.” If true, then the current 2024 version could be part of Apple’s product lineup for less than a year.
The revamp will bring “internal improvements,” according to the report. That’s usually code for a faster processor. The most recent version runs an Apple M2 chip —perhaps an M4 is on the way? If so, that would make the 2025 iPad Air as fast as the 2024 iPad Pro.
And the feature sets of the two tablet series are already close. Each has a 13-inch and an 11-inch variant. As it stands, the main differences are that the Pro series includes a 120Hz screen, Face ID, Thunderbolt and more speakers.
It’s possible Apple plans an iPad Pro with a faster, more efficient Apple M5 chip for release later in 2025, but the Bloomberg report says it’s not coming at the same time as the improved iPad Air. In the meantime, plenty of buyers are likely to opt for the cheaper new iPad Air over the Pro.
Just so there’s no confusion, a processor upgrade is not necessary for iPad Air to support the AI-powered features coming to iPadOS that have been dubbed Apple Intelligence. The 2024 version already supports these.
New Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad Air, too
Another difference between the iPad Pro and iPad Air series is also apparently on the chopping block. The new M4 iPad Pro can use a redesigned Apple Magic Keyboard. But the Air is supposedly getting its own version.
“Apple also is preparing an updated version of its Magic Keyboard accessory, codenamed R307 and R308, for both the 11-inch and 13-inch versions of the new Air,” Bloomberg said Tuesday. “These will bring some of the features of the iPad Pro keyboard down-market.”
The report mostly repeats an earlier leak, but it’s worth remembering.