Apple Event for New iPads Still Considered 'Unlikely' Following Delays

Apple is "unlikely" to hold an event to announce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, according to sources cited by Taiwanese supply chain publication DigiTimes.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman already said Apple was not planning to hold an event for the new iPads, but he made this claim back in early March, before it was reported that the devices were postponed due to manufacturing delays. With the new iPads now expected to launch in early May, DigiTimes believes Apple is still not planning to hold an event.

Instead of an event, it is likely that Apple will announce the new iPads in a press release shared on its website, as it did for the MacBook Air models with the M3 chip in early March. Gurman believes Apple will announce the new iPads by the second week of May, barring any further delays due to production challenges.

Gurman said two factors contributing to the new iPads being delayed were Apple still finishing iPadOS software development for the new iPads, and advanced manufacturing techniques for the OLED displays that the devices will use.

A recap of the iPad-related products that Apple is expected to announce:

• Two new iPad Pro models with the M3 chip, OLED displays, a thinner enclosure, thinner bezels, a matte screen option, a landscape-oriented front camera, other design changes, and possibly MagSafe wireless charging.
• Two new iPad Air models with the M2 chip and a landscape-oriented front camera, including a first-ever 12.9-inch iPad Air.
• A new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro with an aluminum enclosure, larger trackpad, and other design tweaks.
• A new Apple Pencil, which may have a new "squeeze" gesture for certain actions and support visionOS eventually.

It has been nearly 18 months since Apple last released new iPads, so customers have been waiting a long time for updated models to launch. 2023 was the first year in which Apple did not release any new iPads in the device's history.