Back in December 2023, Bloomberg"s Mark Gurman, who is normally a pretty accurate source for upcoming products from Apple, reported that the company had plans to launch new iPad Pro and iPad Air tablet devices sometime in March 2024.
However, with March now almost over, it appears that those release date plans have changed. Today, Bloomberg and Gurman are now stating the new iPad models won"t launch until sometime in early May 2024. Gurman added that Apple"s parts suppliers "have ramped up production" to get the new iPad models out by that time frame.
Previous unconfirmed reports have claimed the new iPad Pro models will be sold in 11-inch and 13-inch versions and will include Apple"s in-house M3 processor. The biggest change for these tablets is that the Pro models will have OLED displays for the first time, which should offer a better display experience for owners.
The launch of the new iPad Air models will reportedly include one with the current model"s 10.9-inch display along with a new version with a larger 12.9-inch screen. We should also expect to see new accessories like a keyboard and a new Apple Pencil to launch at the same time.
The report says that the delay in the new iPad launches was due to two factors. One was that the new screens, such as the OLED displays for the upcoming iPad Pro models, needed some more time due to "complex new manufacturing techniques". The other issue was that Apple reportedly needed more time to finish the software for the new tablets.
The last version of the iPad Air was launched over two years ago on March 8, 2022. The current version of the iPad Pro launched in October 2022. It"s been that long since any new iPad versions have been released, and that may be part of the reason why sales in that division have taken a downturn in recent Apple financial results.