New iPad Air Receives FCC Approval Ahead of Rumored October 23 Launch - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

New iPad Air Receives FCC Approval Ahead of Rumored October 23 Launch

by

Last month, Apple introduced a new iPad Air with a larger 10.9-inch edge-to-edge display, a faster A14 Bionic chip, and a USB-C port instead of Lightning. It is also the first Apple device to feature Touch ID built into the power button.

new ipad air 4 colors apple pencil
Apple says the new iPad Air will be available at some point in October, and ahead of the launch, cellular models of the device have now received the requisite FCC approval in the United States, as alerted to us by MyHealthyApple.com. Wi-Fi models received approval last month.

Apple has yet to provide a specific release date for the new iPad Air, but rumors suggest that the device could launch Friday, October 23, in which case orders could begin as soon as tomorrow. Pricing starts at $599 for Wi-Fi models, while cellular models start at $729, with 64GB and 256GB storage capacities available.

Related Roundup: iPad Air
Tag: FCC
Buyer's Guide: iPad Air (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

Apple Card iPhone 16 Pro Feature

Apple Card Promo to Offer Free AirPods Pro 3

Friday May 15, 2026 8:59 am PDT by
Starting as early as next week, customers who sign up for an Apple Card at Apple's retail stores in the U.S. will receive $249 cash back when they purchase AirPods Pro 3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The promotion has yet to be officially announced by Apple, so exact terms and conditions are not available at this time. AirPods Pro 3 are priced at $249 in the U.S., so customers who...
Read Full Article • 46 comments
Apple WWDC25 iOS 26 CarPlay Light mode 250609

Six Popular iPhone Apps Now Available on CarPlay

Thursday May 14, 2026 9:10 am PDT by
Apple's CarPlay system for accessing iPhone apps on a vehicle's dashboard screen has received six popular apps in recent weeks: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, Google Meet, WhatsApp, and the indie artist streaming platform Audiomack. Make sure you have the latest version of each app and they will automatically appear on CarPlay. ChatGPT Starting with iOS 26.4, CarPlay supports voice-based...
Read Full Article • 29 comments
ipad mini 7 blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Thursday May 14, 2026 5:08 am PDT by
According to the latest rumors, Apple is close to launching its next-generation iPad mini. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to information found in code...
Read Full Article • 87 comments

Top Rated Comments

G
ghanwani
73 months ago
I think it's weird that they got the approval after announcing the product.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
P
poematik13
73 months ago
Why did this thing take so long? lol
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
carrrrrlos Avatar
carrrrrlos
73 months ago
Actually super excited for this moreso than any other Apple product announcement this year.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
smithy12
73 months ago
Sorry I was referring to the post regarding the new iPhones

Completely agreed, but they would have missed the holiday quarter. More than likely, the hardware for the iPhone 12s was finalized very early this year, so the mask thing wasn't factored.

The pandemic destroyed a lot of people's disposable income. Asking for $1000 in February is a lot harder than in November when people are spending like crazy for the holidays anyway.

My wife was like "wtf, launching with no Touch ID when we're all going to be wearing masks through 2021? Fail Apple."

This model has Touch ID. It’s built into the power switch on the top of the iPad and not on the front of the unit.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EdT Avatar
EdT
73 months ago

I would imagine the Touch ID will be planned for 2021 model
This model has Touch ID. It’s built into the power switch on the top of the iPad and not on the front of the unit.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
G
ghanwani
73 months ago

Even if they had to wait a few extra months to launch to get it sorted, it would have been the right thing to do.
That would have been catastrophic for $AAPL.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments