Here is the iPad Air and iPad Pro Availabilty for May 12th, 2024. There have been only a couple of changes since yesterday's posting. The 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air continue to be available for delivery on May 15th, except for the 128GB Wi-Fi Only Space Gray 11th inch iPad Air. The 11-inch iPad Pro with Nano-texture screen has slipped two weeks to be late June to early July.

Changes for Apple

iPad 11-inch Air

• 128GB - Wi-Fi Only - Space Gray has changed from Wed, May 15 to Jun 6 - Jun 13

iPad 11-inch Pro

• 512GB - Wi-Fi Only - Silver has changed from Wed, May 15 to May 23 - May 28
• 1TB - Wi-Fi Only - Silver has changed from May 23 - May 28 to Jun 6 - Jun 13

iPad 13-inch Pro

• 1TB - Wi-Fi Only - Space Black has changed from May 23 - May 28 to May 30 - Jun 6
• 1TB - Wi-Fi + Cellular - Space Black has changed from Jun 6 - Jun 13 to Jun 13 - Jun 20

iPad 11-inch Pro (Nano-texture)

• 2TB - Wi-Fi Only - Space Black has changed from Jun 13 - Jun 20 to Jun 27 - Jul 8
• 1TB - Wi-Fi Only - Silver has changed from Jun 13 - Jun 20 to Jun 27 - Jul 8
• 2TB - Wi-Fi Only - Silver has changed from Jun 13 - Jun 20 to Jun 27 - Jul 8

The most up to date availability can be viewed at https://waynedixon.com/availability/ipad.html.

iPad 11-inch Air

iPad 13-inch Air

iPad 11-inch Pro

iPad 13-inch Pro

iPad 11-inch Pro (Nano-texture)

iPad 13-inch Pro (Nano-texture)

Here is the iPad Air and iPad Pro Availabilty for May 10th, 2024. There have been only a couple of changes since yesterday's posting'. The 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air continue to be available for delivery on May 15th. The 512GB Space Black 11-inch iPad Pro has slipped to May 23rd to May 28th.

Changes for Apple

iPad 11-inch Pro

• 512GB - Wi-Fi Only - Space Black has changed from Wed, May 15 to May 23 - May 28
• 512GB - Wi-Fi + Cellular - Space Black has changed from May 22 - May 24 to May 30 - Jun 6
• 2TB - Wi-Fi + Cellular - Space Black has changed from Jun 5 - Jun 12 to Jun 13 - Jun 20

iPad 13-inch Pro

• 256GB - Wi-Fi Only - Silver has changed from May 22 - May 24 to May 30 - Jun 6

iPad 11-inch Air

iPad 13-inch Air

iPad 11-inch Pro

iPad 13-inch Pro

iPad 11-inch Pro (Nano-texture)

iPad 13-inch Pro (Nano-texture)

Here is the iPad Air and iPad Pro Availabilty for May 10th, 2024. There have been only a couple of changes since yesterday's posting'. The 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air continue to be available for delivery on May 15th.

Changes for Apple

iPad 11-inch Pro

• 1TB - Wi-Fi Only - Silver has changed from Wed, May 15 to May 22 - May 24
• 512GB - Wi-Fi + Cellular - Space Black has changed from May 20 - May 23 to May 22 - May 24

iPad 13-inch Pro

• 1TB - Wi-Fi Only - Space Black has changed from Wed, May 15 to May 22 - May 24
• 256GB - Wi-Fi Only - Silver has changed from Wed, May 15 to May 22 - May 24
• 1TB - Wi-Fi + Cellular - Space Black has changed from May 28 - Jun 4 to Jun 5 - Jun 12

The most up to date availability can be viewed at https://waynedixon.com/availability/ipad.html.

iPad 11-inch Air

iPad 13-inch Air

iPad 11-inch Pro

iPad 13-inch Pro

iPad 11-inch Pro (Nano-texture)

iPad 13-inch Pro (Nano-texture)

Here is the iPad Availabilty for May 9th, 2024. There have been even some changes from yesterday. The 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air continue to be available for delivery on May 15th.

A number of iPad Pros have slipped a week, including the 11-inch iPad Pro with Nano-texture display.

iPad 11-inch Pro

• 1TB - Wi-Fi Only - Space Black has changed from May 24 - Jun 3 to May 28 - Jun 4
• 256GB - Wi-Fi Only - Silver has changed from May 17 - May 22 to Jun 4 - Jun 11
• 512GB - Wi-Fi + Cellular - Space Black has changed from Wed, May 15 to May 20 - May 23

iPad 13-inch Pro

• 256GB - Wi-Fi Only - Space Black has changed from May 24 - Jun 3 to May 28 - Jun 4
• 1TB - Wi-Fi + Cellular - Space Black has changed from May 24 - Jun 3 to May 28 - Jun 4
• 2TB - Wi-Fi + Cellular - Space Black has changed from May 17 - May 22 to May 28 - Jun 4

iPad 11-inch Pro (Nano-texture)

• 1TB - Wi-Fi Only - Space Black has changed from Jun 17 - Jun 24 to Jun 25 - Jul 2
• 1TB - Wi-Fi + Cellular - Space Black has changed from Jun 17 - Jun 24 to Jun 25 - Jul 2
• 2TB - Wi-Fi + Cellular - Space Black has changed from Jun 17 - Jun 24 to Jun 25 - Jul 2
• 1TB - Wi-Fi + Cellular - Silver has changed from Jun 17 - Jun 24 to Jun 25 - Jul 2
• 2TB - Wi-Fi + Cellular - Silver has changed from Jun 17 - Jun 24 to Jun 25 - Jul 2

The most up to date availability can be viewed at https://waynedixon.com/availability/ipad.html.

iPad 11-inch Air

iPad 13-inch Air

iPad 11-inch Pro

iPad 13-inch Pro

iPad 11-inch Pro (Nano-texture)

iPad 13-inch Pro (Nano-texture)

If you have been following the site for a while you may be familiar with the fact that I post Device Availability for various Apple devices. Over the years this has been the iPhone, iPad, and AirTags, just to name a few. Apple's Let Loose event was yeesterday, and they announced new iPads. So, I will begin doing the iPad Availablity again. Previously, I have done different posts for each device type, but this time I am going to just post one for all of the iPads.

Here is the iPad Availabilty for May 8th, 2024. There have been even some changes from yesterday when the iPads were announced. The 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air are available for delivery on May 15th.

The Nano-texture iPads never had a May 15th delivery date, but they did have a late-May to early-June delivery range, but these are now anywhere from June 10th to June 24, depending on model. A number of the 11-inch and 13-inch models still have availability for May 15th.

The most up to date availability can be viewed at https://waynedixon.com/availability/ipad.html. ---

iPad 11-inch Air

iPad 13-inch Air

iPad 11-inch Pro

iPad 13-inch Pro

iPad 11-inch Pro (Nano-texture)

iPad 13-inch Pro (Nano-texture)

Apple held their "Let Loose" event today. The entire video was 38 minutes long but in those 38 minutes there was a lot of information and all of that information related to the iPad. Specifically, the iPad Air and the iPad Pro, but there was one other announcement related to the 10th generation iPad.

10th Generation iPad

The 10th Generation iPad now has a lower price of $349. This is down from $449. There have been no other changes. With this price drop, the 9th generation iPad is no longer sold from Apple. It is possible that it might still be available from third-party retailers, but I would not expect to purchase it directly from Apple.

Now, let us look at the iPad Air.

iPad Air

The first iPad covered in the event was the iPad Air. The biggest change 6th generation iPad Air is the size. In fact, it now comes in two sizes, an 11-inch and a 13-inch version. The iPad Air comes with an M2, an upgrade from the M1 in the previous generation. One of the other noticeable changes will be the placement of the FaceTime camera, it is now along the landscape edge of the iPad. This is a more natural position for the camera and it follows the 10th generation iPad in its placement.

If you use the iPad Air in landscape mode, you will get stereo sound with the new "Landscape Stereo Speakers", which can improve the sound quality.

There are now also some additional storage options. The options available are 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB options. If you do order you have four color options to choose from: Blue, Purple, Starlight, and Space Gray. The Blue and Purple options are new variations on the previous colors.

The 11-inch version starts at $599 for the 128GB Wi-Fi only model. The 13-inch starts at $799 for the 128GB model. The cellular versions are $200 more.

Both models are available to order today and will begin delivering next week.

Accessories

There are ways that you can customize your iPad Air and one of them might be a case. There are some options, including the Smart Folio, or even a Magic Keyboard. The Smart Folio is available in four colors, Light Violet, Charcoal Grey, Sage, and Denim. The 11-inch version is $79 while the 13-inch model is $99.

The Magic Keyboard comes in two colors, White and Black. The Magic Keyboard for the 11-inch iPad Air is the same as the previous version and supports all 11-inch devices and costs $299. The Magic Keyboard for the new 13-inch iPad Air is the same one that supported the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro. This comes in the same two colors, but costs $349.

iPad Pro

The main attraction for this event is the iPad Pro. The iPad Pro continues to come in two sizes, 11-inch and 13-inch. This mimics both the 6th generation iPad Air. The 13-inch is a new size but these two screen sizes are the actual sizes. The new screen sizes means that the resolution has changed to 2420 by 1668 for the 11-inch and 2752 by 2064 for the 13-inch model. This is a very minimal increase, but it is one none-the-less. The new size is actually due to one of the big changes to the iPad Pro, a new display. Specifically, the iPad Pro has an OLED display that Apple is calling "Tandem OLED".

The Tandem OLED display is actually two OLED panels that can light up the display as needed with up to 1000 nits of fullscreen brightness for SDR and XDR, and up to 1600 nits for peak HDR content. The OLED display will allow even deeper true black, more details in shadows and low light, and it should be more responsive for any content that is in motion.

With the OLED display there is an additional option, a Nano-texture display. Similar to the Studio Display, the nano crystals are embedded directly within the display. The Nano-texture display is a bit more than the standard display. More on pricing in a bit.

As rumored, the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro are powered not by the M3, but by the M4. The M4 is a 3-nanometer chip that utilizes the second-generation 3nm manufacturing process. This means that the M4 is able to increase its performance while using the same or less power. According to Apple, it is 50% faster than the M2. In fact, it has the same performance as the M2, just uses half the power.

With the increase of power you may expect the thermals to be impacted, but Apple has accounted for that. The iPad Pro has graphite sheets in the device to help with the thermals. Along with this, there is copper in the Apple Logo on the back to help dissipate the heat.

Both models of the iPad Pro are thinner than their previous versions. The 4th generation 11-inch iPad Pro has gone from 5.9mm to 5.3, a reduction of just about 10%. Meanwhile, the 7th generation 13-inch iPad Pro has gone from 6.4mm to 5.1mm. This is a significant reduction of 20.5%. This reduction means that the weight has also been reduced by 4.7% in the 11-inch iPad Pro from 466 grams to 444 grams. The 13-inch iPad Pro has had a much larger reduction in weight from 685 grams down to 582 grams, or a 15% reduction.

The last change to mention is the placement of the camera. Just like the 6th generation iPad Air and the 10th generation iPad, the camera on the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad is along the landscape edge.

While there are only two color options, Silver and Space Black, you do have some options when it comes to storage. In fact there are different storage sizes, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB options. The Nano-texture glass option is only available in the 1TB and 2TB options. There are some slight differences in the processor for the 256GB/512GB models as compared to the 1TB/2TB models. The 256GB/512GB models have a 9-core processor with 3 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores. The 1TB/2TB options have a 10-core processor with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores. It is not yet known how this difference will manifest in actual usage, if it will at all.

The one thing not covered yet is pricing. The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $999 for the 256GB Wi-Fi model, the 256GB Cellular model starts at $1199. The 13-inch 256GB Wi-Fi model is $1299 and the Cellular model is $1499. If you want the Nano-texture glass that will be an additional $100, but it is only available on the 1TB or 2TB option.

You can order either model today and it will begin delivering next week. As of this writing some models are already later in May or early June, with the Nano-texture models not shipping until mid-June.

The iPad Pro does have some new accessories.

Accessories

When the 3rd generation iPad Pro was introduced Apple also introduced a new accessory, the Magic Keyboard. The Magic Keyboard is great for having a keyboard with stand that you can use as a case with your iPad Pro. The new iPad Pros also bring a new Magic Keyboard. The new Magic Keyboard has some improvements over the previous version, in that there is a larger trackpad and an additional row of keys, dedicated function keys. This may seem like a small change, and in the grand scheme of things it might be, but having dedicated function keys will make things much easier.

You can get Magic Keyboards specifically designed for the 11-inch or 13-inch M4 iPad. Just like the previous models, there are two color options, white and black. The 11-inch version is $299 and the 13-inch model is $349, the same prices as before.

There is one last accessory to discuss, the Apple Pencil.

Apple Pencil

The 1st generation Apple Pencil was introduced in 2015 with the original iPad Pro. In 2018 it got a refresh with the 1st generation 11-inch iPad Pro and the 3rd generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro. At that time the 2nd generation Apple Pencil changed pairing, and charging, mechanism to be magnets along the landscape side of the iPad.

There is a new Apple Pencil that works only with the new 6th generation iPad Air and the 5th generation 11-inch iPad and 7th generation 13-inch iPad Pro, the Apple Pencil Pro. The Apple Pencil Pro takes what the second generation did and enhances it.

One of the new features is the addition of Find My, which means that if you cannot find your Apple Pencil you will be able to use the Find My network to locate it for you. Along with this, there is also a new gyroscope, which will allow precise control. Rotating the barrel also allows you to change the shape of the pen or brush tools.

The last feature on the Apple Pencil Pro is a new squeeze gesture. This will allow you to quickly bring up a tool palette to quickly switch between tools, line widths, or colors, without needing to lift up your finger and find the necessary button.

The Apple Pencil Pro is available to order now and it costs $129, which is the same as the 2nd generation Apple Pencil. The Apple Pencil Pro is only compatible with the latest devices. As a note, you can also use the Apple Pencil with USB-C with the new iPad Pros.

Closing Thoughts

The Let Loose event was short, but full of a bunch of information. The new iPad Air is a solid update that comes in two sizes, 11-inch and 13-inch models. The new iPad Airs come with an M2, new colors, and support for the Apple Pencil Pro. The iPad Air comes in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB and it starts at $599 for the 11-inch and $799 for the 13-inch model.

The new iPad Pros comes in two sizes, 11-inch and 13-inch models. The iPad Pros with an OLED display, M4, and come in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB options and in two colors, Silver and Space Black. The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $999 and the 13-inch iPad Pro starts at $1299.

All of the products are available to order today and delivery begins next week.

Sources: Apple Newsroom: iPad Pro
Apple Newsroom: iPad Air
Apple Newsroom: M4

With Apple's "Let Loose" event in just a few days, it is time to post my predictions for what we will see. This event is happening at a significantly different time than most other Apple events. This one is at 7 am Pacific Time. This differs in that a majority of Apple's events take place at 10 am Pacific Time. Even though this is a different time than most, this is not the first time that Apple has held an event at a strange hour. In fact, Apple's "Scary Fast" event held on October 30th, 2023 was also at a non-standard time, 5 p.m. Pacific Time. So this is not unprecedented, but still a different time.

It is expected that this event will focus on iPads, and the invitation bears this out. The invitation clearly shows a hand holding an Apple Pencil. In addition, Apple's CEO Tim Cook posted "Pencil us in", in reference to the event. Beyond all of these subtle hints, it is time for new iPads. The last iPads released were announced more than 18 months ago, on October 18th, 2022, and released on October 26th. This is the first time since its introduction in January of 2007, and release in April of the same year, that Apple has gone an entire calendar year without announcing new iPad models. With that information out of the way, let us get to what I suspect we will see.

If you would like you can skip to the recap of what I expect.

iPad

The current base model iPad, known as the 9th generation iPad, is the last iPad with a home button. A Home Button has been standard since the original iPad was introduced in 2010. With the release of the 2018 iPad Pro, Apple added Face ID and with the introduction of the 4th generation iPad Air in 2020 Apple began putting the Touch ID sensor in the top button, instead of having a dedicated button. With all of this, I suspect that the 9th generation will no longer be available from Apple, except for maybe education, and possibly only in certain regions.

The reason I suspect this is that while the 9th generation is popular, particularly amongst schools, I think Apple is keen on getting rid of the remaining home-button based iPad. Besides having the home button, it is the last iPad that still uses the lightning connector and the European Union has mandated that all smartphones, tablets, and digital cameras must have USB-C connectors by the end of 2024.

I think how this could handled one of two ways. Either they introduce a new model entirely that maintains the price point of the 9th generation iPad, or the current 10th generation has its price reduced to become the new base-model iPad.

The last possibility is that Apple does not update the 9th generation iPad yet, and instead waits until the iPhone event in the fall before updating the base model iPad.

One thing I could see Apple doing is a minor update to the 10th generation iPad to drop support for the 1st generation Apple Pencil and instead only support the Apple Pencil with USB-C.

iPad Air

The 5th generation iPad was introduced in just over 2 years ago, in March of 2022. That model has an M1. I suspect that it will be updated, most likely with an M2 processor. I am not sure what other changes Apple could make, besides colors, and possibly changing the orientation of camera to be in landscape orientation, similar to the 10th generation iPad.

There are rumors that the iPad Air may now come in two sizes, 10.9 and 12.9, similar to the iPad Pro. This does make sense to do and it would be inline with other devices, like the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air, and the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro.

iPad mini

The iPad mini is not a device that gets updated all that often. In fact, the 6th generation iPad mini was released in September of 2021. This means it has been 2.5 years since it was last updated. It is definitely time for a refresh. The iPad mini is an interesting device given that its screen is 8.3 inches, hence the "mini" moniker. But what makes the device even more interesting is that it has a better processor than the 10th generation iPad, an A15 in the mini versus A14 in the 10th generation iPad.

It would not surprise me to see the iPad mini get updated with an M1 or even an M2 processor. It is also entirely possible that the iPad mini will not be updated until later in the year.

iPad Pro

The iPad Pro is likely to be the star of the event. This is the device that has had the largest number of rumors and also the most anticipated set of upgrades. Apple has positioned the iPad Pro as the most technologically advanced iPad. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro currently has a mini-LED display, but it is anticipated that the new iPad Pros will have an OLED display.

The other big change is likely to come with the placement of the camera. As mentioned in the iPad (no moniker) section, I suspect that the iPad Pro will also have the camera placed along the long edge of the iPad. This would bring it in line with the 10th-generation iPad and more usable for those using video

While there has been no rumors of this, but I think Apple might take the opportunity to have the 12.9-inch iPad start at a higher price, similar to how the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at a higher price. The way that they did this was to have the higher-end model start with more base storage. I could see the same happening with the iPad Pro.

Colors

There is one thing that I would really like to see from the iPad Pro line and that is new colors. The original iPad Pro came in three, Silver, Space Gray, and Gold. The 9.7-inch iPad Pro came in one additional color, Pink. However, all other models have only come in two color options, Space Gray and Silver. I would like to see some new colors, preferably bright colors. Sure, keep the standards of Silver and Space Gray, but some new colors would be good, like maybe an Orange. People who opt for the iPad Pro do enjoy color options, and not just with the cases. I can understand not providing a lot of colors for the keyboard cases, but for the iPads would be a nice thing to have.

One thing not mentioned, thus far, is the chip that will power the iPad Pro.

Chips used in the iPads

With it being so long since Apple has released an iPad it is not easy to even begin to speculate how they might approach upgrades of the devices. It is reasonable to expect that each iPad model will see an upgrade to the next chip in its own line. For example, the 10th generation iPad has an A14 chip, so I would expect the upgraded version to have an A15. Similarly, the iPad Air currently has an M1, so I would expect this to be upgraded to an M2. The iPad Pro has an M2 now, so it would seem logical to have this upgraded to an M3, but that may not be the case.

There are rumors that none of the iPad will have an M3 chip, instead they will have an M4. This is borne out with model identifiers of iPad16,3, iPad16,4, iPad16,5, and iPad16,6. As explained by 9to5Mac, the 5th generation iPad Air and 5th generation iPad Pro had identifiers of iPad13,x, which both have M1 in them. This matched the Macs with an M1, which were all Mac13,x. Those devices with an M2 were iPad14,x and Mac14,x. From a 9to5Mac article:

According to the leaker, the new iPad Air will be powered by T8112, which is M2. However, the new iPad Pro has an unknown "T8132" chip. For instance, the M3 identifier is "T8122."

To add addition evidence, the manufacturing process used for the M3, M3 Pro, M3 Max, and A17 Pro was a one-off process that was significantly more expensive than the M2 line. So, it is possible that the line of iPads will have an entirely new chip, the M4.

Accessories

I expect that these new iPads will be accompanied by some new accessories. In particular, a new keyboard, and a new Apple Pencil.

Keyboards

Apple has long had accessories designed to go with the iPad. Currently Apple offers three different keyboard types for the iPads. These are the Smart Keyboard, Magic Keyboard Folio, and the Magic Keyboard. I expect that we will see updates to these that will work with the new iPads that are released. I suspect that these will be the same type of devices as the current iPads have.

Apple Pencil

The Apple Pencil was introduced with the iPad Pro in 2015. The first generation Apple Pencil allowed charging either via cable or directly in the lightning port on the iPad. This was not ideal, so when Apple introduced the 2nd generation Apple Pencil. The method of charging for the 2nd generation Apple Pencil changed to be charged directly from the side of the iPad. When you place the 2nd generation Apple Pencil on the iPad it also automatically pairs.

The rumors indicate that there will be a new 3rd generation Apple Pencil and that this one will work similar to the 2nd generation, but will also support a "squeeze" function, meaning that you can configure a function when you squeeze the Apple Pencil.

I think the 3rd generation Apple Pencil will replace the 2nd generation. However, it is also possible that the 3rd generation Apple Pencil will be more expensive than the 2nd generation, likely at $149.

My Predictions

1. New iPad Pros with OLED displays, same sizes of 11-inch and 12.9-inch.
2. New iPad Pros with storage starting 512GB, which will increase price.
3. New iPad Pros will have an M4.
4. New 11th generation iPad introduced.
5. 10th Generation iPad becomes the new "base" iPad.
6. 9th generation iPad is no longer in the line-up.
7. New iPad Air in two sizes, 10.9 and 12.9.
8. New Keyboards for the iPad Air and iPad Pro
9. New 3rd generation Apple Pencil with squeeze gesture

Sometime after the Let Loose event on May 7th, I will provide a recap of what Apple actually announces at the event.