Sketchy Rumor Claims AirPods 2, AirPower and New iPads to Launch on March 29

Apple plans to hold a product event in the second half of March where it will officially announce second-generation AirPods, the AirPower wireless charging pad, a new affordable iPad and the so-called "iPad mini 5", according to the latest rumor.

airpods airpower low cost ipad
The claim comes courtesy of Greek tech news site iphonehellas.gr [Google Translate], which says it has received "exclusive information" from "a reliable source through Apple's production chain in China" that pre-orders for the AirPods 2, ‌AirPower‌, and new iPads will start on Friday, March 22 with shipping and in-store sales to begin a week later on Friday, 29 March.

In a separate post to Slashleaks, the same author of the iPhoneHellas rumor claims the Apple special event will take place sometime between March 11 and March 20.

Apple has held a number of special events in March in recent years, with the last one taking place in 2018 on March 29, when it announced a low-cost ‌iPad‌ 9.7-inch with Apple Pencil support. The earliest Apple event in the month of March took place way back in 2011 on March 2, so there's plenty of room for maneuver.

iPhoneHellas goes back several years and has occasionally offered correct information on iOS releases ahead of their launch, although that's not necessarily any indicator of the accuracy of this latest rumor, so at this point we'd advise taking it with at least a pinch of salt.

Rumors have long suggested Apple is planning to introduce second-generation AirPods with an improved wireless chip that will enable voice-activated "Hey Siri" functionality. A recent rumor from DigiTimes suggests the second-generation AirPods will appear in early 2019 and could also include "health monitoring" features, but there are no concrete details on just what functions might be included.

‌AirPower‌ is a charging mat designed to charge Qi-based iPhones, the Apple Watch, and the AirPods, using a specially designed and as-of-yet unreleased wireless compatible AirPods Charging Case.

Apple announced ‌AirPower‌ in September 2017 and said at the time that it would launch sometime in 2018, but the end of 2018 came and went, and Apple has given no further official info on when the ‌AirPower‌ will debut.

A recent rumor from Apple's supply chain in China has suggested the manufacturing issues have been solved. ‌AirPower‌ was said to have entered mass production in late January, with Apple planning to release it sometime soon.

Though the ‌iPad mini‌ hasn't been updated since September 2015, rumors have suggested an "‌iPad mini‌ 5" is in the works and could come during the first half of 2019. Apple in January registered seven new iPad models with the Eurasian Economic Commission, and at least some of these are believed to be the ‌iPad mini‌. The others may be a new version of the low-cost 9.7-inch ‌iPad‌.

Related Roundups: iPad mini, iPad, AirPods 3
Related Forums: iPad, AirPods

Top Rated Comments

arkitect Avatar
67 months ago
One more thing?

iPhone SE 2

Yeah, yeah, I can live in hope…
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
doc james Avatar
67 months ago
What is AirPower?
One of the 4 horseman of the apocalypse....
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Mac Daz Avatar
67 months ago
Only interested in new iMacs
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Otaviano Avatar
67 months ago
I'm totally ready for new AirPods. I've used my daily since purchasing them (back when they were first released) and the battery is starting to show their age.

New AirPods with wireless charging on the case, Hey Siri integration, and available in black. I would pick them up on day one.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OzyOly Avatar
67 months ago
I'd buy the new AirPods on release day. I want wireless charging.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Porco Avatar
67 months ago
I want a sketchy rumour about the Pencil...

I’ll be interested to see what the new iPads are like.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18 Will Finally Bring This Android Feature to iPhone

Monday March 25, 2024 6:42 am PDT by
iOS 18 will allow iPhone users to place app icons anywhere on the Home Screen grid, according to sources familiar with development of the software update. This basic feature has long been available on Android smartphones. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, our sources said that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18....