The sixth-generation iPad Air should launch in October as the only iPad refresh of 2023, according to a plausible rumor shared on Chinese social media site Weibo.
"Only the iPad Air series should be updated this year," the post reads, with a subsequent clarification that the product refresh will take place in October, with "no mini and Pro this year." The information comes from an account with a proven track record for disclosing accurate information about Apple's plans.
On the latest episode of The MacRumors Show podcast, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that there is a new iPad Air with improved specifications in the works and the device is apparently "coming soonish," likely in October. The rumor was posted to Weibo prior to Gurman's most recent remarks.
Gurman believes that there will be a further Apple product launch in October, but expressed skepticism that an entire event will take place to introduce new devices. He said that it could be similar to the introduction of the M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro models earlier this year, which were announced via press release and a short video. Gurman claimed that October could see something "along those lines." "I'm not sure they have enough to drag people down to Cupertino to watch the video like they do for this [iPhone 15] launch," he added.
Apple last updated the iPad Air in March 2022 with the M1 chip, an upgraded 12-megapixel front camera with Center Stage support, a faster USB-C port, 5G support on cellular models, and new color options. Pricing starts at $599 in the U.S. for 64GB of storage. It is unclear what new features the next-generation iPad Air will offer, but possibilities include the M2 chip, a Thunderbolt port like the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil hover, and new color options.
