MacRumors

The calendar has once again turned over to the first of April, and that means that April Fools' Day pranks will be running rampant online for the next day or so. With that in mind, as you browse the internet today you should be very wary of everything you read, particularly regarding any stories or announcements by major brands.

As a point of comparison, last year companies teased their customers with tennis shoes that had smartphone features (T-Mobile), socks that could control your TV (Roku), and beer that made you fluent in another language (Duolingo). This year you can expect the usual companies to join in on the pranks, potentially including Google, Netflix, T-Mobile, and more.

April 1, 2019 is also the 43rd anniversary of Apple, founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne on April 1, 1976. Apple products and services are usually targets of April Fools' Day pranks, but the company itself doesn't typically go all out for the event, besides a few humorous jokes sometimes added to Siri.

Check out the highlights from this year's April Fools' Day hoaxes in the list below.

T-Mobile Phone BoothE

T-Mobile is again fighting one of the so-called pain points of the wireless industry with the launch of the Phone BoothE, a completely sound-proof and high-tech phone booth that lets T-Mobile customers escape from noisy areas to make their phone calls. Inside the Phone BoothE you can charge your devices, connect to a smart screen called "Magenta Pages" to mirror your smartphone display, and adjust the lighting to take great selfies.

“It’s 2019 and people are walking around with a finger in their ear, trying to have a conversation! The T-Mobile Phone BoothE solves this problem,” said John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile.

“The whole point of having a mobile phone is so you can converse on the go, but there are certain conversations that call for privacy. This is a major evolution in how we think about mobility – now the busiest street corner can be your cellular sanctuary.”

Although this is an April Fools' Day joke, T-Mobile has actually built the Phone BoothE and deployed them in select locations around New York City, Seattle, and Washington, DC, where anyone will be able to use them. The company on Monday also revealed the T-Mobile Phone BoothE Mobile EditionE, which is more in line with a straightforward April Fools' Day hoax, as it's "literally a magenta cardboard box with a hole in it."

It's not unprecedented for T-Mobile to follow through on its April Fools' Day prank with a real product. Last year, the company rebooted the T-Mobile Sidekick in the form of a shoe that could make calls and communicate with nearby Sidekicks with "toe tap" technology. Of course, the version T-Mobile actually sold to customers for $65 was just a basic lookalike shoe that lacked any connected features.

HyperDrive Ultimate Ultimate Hub

Hyper has revealed a new USB-C hub for users frustrated with the lack of port diversity on modern Apple notebooks, which goes above and beyond any USB hub ever built and includes 40 total ports. This hub features 9 USB-A ports, 9 USB-C ports, 2 microSD ports, 2 SD ports, one audio jack, one HDMI port, and one Ethernet port.

That's not all, because the HyperDrive Ultimate Ultimate Hub also features a 3.5" floppy disk drive, a built-in airline-safe battery, a 2-in-1 speaker and space heater, one VGA port, and much more. Hyper says that the hub is regularly offered at a price of $9,999.99, but for a limited time it's on sale for $99.99.

Nanoleaf Light Panes

Nanoleaf, the company behind the HomeKit-connected Aurora wall panels, has announced its latest lighting product: the Nanoleaf Light Panes. The solar-powered Light Panes use the company's SunSync technology and LOYW (Look Out Your Window) software architecture to provide a hyper-realistic representation of the sun's glow based on your location, resulting in a high-tech version of a basic window.

The Light Panes are modular and come in squares, hexagons, and triangles, which the company says will fit into any home decor. The new product also has a companion accessory called the Nanoleaf Curtain, which lets you customize colors, brightness levels, and provides real-time scheduling. Nanoleaf says the Light Panes are launching in winter 2019 and will be priced at $299.99.

Duolingo Push

Duolingo is addressing a problem for subscribers this month with a new push notification update called Duolingo Push. Instead of sending basic iOS push notifications that users can easily ignore, the company has a new premium feature that causes its owl mascot, Duo, to show up wherever you are in an effort to encourage you to complete your language lesson for the day.

Duo reminders include "Disappointed Duo" at $100/month, "Passive Aggressive Duo" at $50/month, and "Encouraging Duo" at $25/month. The company says that with any of these tiers, Duo is guaranteed to show up anywhere you're located, be it at work, at the gym, or at home.

Shutterstock's Brick-and-Mortar Library

Shutterstock has revealed plans to build its first brick-and-mortar stock image library to house all of the content that you can find on the company's traditional website. This includes over 250 million volumes of imagery, a full floor that will showcase over 14 million reels of film, and a listening bay where visitors can enjoy over 20,000 songs, all of which will include Shutterstock's well-known visual and audio watermarks.

Shutterstock says image collections that you can browse at the library include "Happy Millenials Holding Sparklers," "Tube Sock Vectors: An Anthology," and "Portraits of Disgruntled Ostriches." The library will be run by a group of AI robots called Cyanotypes, and construction on the Brooklyn location is expected to begin in 2020. The tagline for the Shutterstock physical library is: "Because sometimes innovation means moving backwards."

Microsoft Bans April Fools' Day Pranks

In a bit of counter-programming, Microsoft this year has completely banned its employees from taking part in any public-facing April Fools' Day stunts that can be connected to the company.

In a letter circulated inside Microsoft and seen by The Verge, Microsoft marketing chief Chris Capossela explained the strategy:

Hey everyone,

It’s that time of year when tech companies try to show their creativity with April Fools’ Day stunts. Sometimes the outcomes are amusing and sometimes they’re not. Either way, data tells us these stunts have limited positive impact and can actually result in unwanted news cycles.

Considering the headwinds the tech industry is facing today, I’m asking all teams at Microsoft to not do any public-facing April Fools’ Day stunts. I appreciate that people may have devoted time and resources to these activities, but I believe we have more to lose than gain by attempting to be funny on this one day.

Please forward to your teams and internal partners to ensure people are aware of the ask to stand down on external April Fools’ Day activities.

It appears that Microsoft is hoping to lead the way in changing the tide of April Fools' Day pranks within the tech industry, but as of this year many of the usual suspects have still performed their expected pranks.

Parody Apple Ad: "The Sound Gardener"

Filmmakers Ryan Westra and Ben Fischinger have created a cute faux Apple ad called "The Sound Gardener," which reveals the behind-the-scenes process that Apple goes through to produce AirPods at one of its ultra-secret facilities.

LEGO "Find my Brick" iOS App

LEGO has taken inspiration from Apple's Find my iPhone app with its April Fools' Day joke this year, dubbed "Find my Brick." With the app, you can select the brick style and color you're looking for and use your iPhone's camera to automatically find it, even among a giant pile of bricks.

Other Pranks, Jokes, and Hoaxes

• Monoprice's "Monolith Cassette Series" - An all new boombox, cassette player, and recorder.
• Discord deletes light theme - Because so many users often ask for dark mode support, Discord has gone the extra mile and deleted its light theme completely.
• Tech21's "Pure Clearest" iPhone Case - A case so clear it's practically invisible (Use code FOOLS15 to get 15 percent off any Pure Clear case through April 8).
• Penguin Random House's "Quickie Books" - Ultra-truncated versions of your favorite books.
• Online Labels' "Offline Labels" - A complete company rebranding that's going back to the pre-online shopping era to sell labels.
• Google Maps' Game of Snake - Play a geographical version of the classic game Snake.
• Google Files' "Screen Cleaner" - Keep your phone clean inside and out with the new update to the Files app.
• Google Assistant speaks Tulipish - Google's AI helper can now translate between the language of tulips ("Tulipish") and a dozen human languages.
• Spotify's "Discocover Weekly" Playlist - Your usual Discover Weekly playlist now has a disco-themed makeover.
• JBL's upgraded "PartyBox 300" - A Bluetooth speaker with "avocaudio" technology that only millennials can hear.
• Jabra's "Ear Buddy" Headphones - The world's first shared headphones extend over your head and your friend's head for dual-listening sessions.
• Final Fantasy's smart speaker "Omega" - A new AI smart assistant with a sinister side.
• Roku's "Press Paws" Remote - A remote that even your pet can control.
• Twelve South's "BookBook Bento" - Keep your MacBook and sushi safe and secure in one place.

We'll update this post in the event that any other noteworthy April Fools' Day announcements appear online.

Gerard Williams III, lead designer of Apple's custom iOS chips from A7 to A12X, has departed the company, according to CNET. While no indication of a change has been made on his LinkedIn profile, it does offer a glimpse into his design prowess.

Williams' presence goes back even further into Apple device history, as he served as the technical lead for the Cortex-A8 design, ARM's first superscalar core design and the heart of the iPhone 3GS. His role evidently grew over the years, with CPU architecture responsibilities eventually evolving into ownership of the entire system on chip (SoC), which houses CPU, graphics, image processing, secure enclave, motion, and AI cores.

A look at his patent portfolio shows he was a key force behind Apple's foray into mixed CPU core clusters starting with the A10 Fusion chip, and transitioning into full heterogeneous cores with the A11 Bionic. His body of work also includes an emphasis on cache, memory, and energy efficiency. These have become key differentiating features as seen in performance benchmarking from sites such as AnandTech.

He came to Apple with a splash, as the A7 was Apple's first 64-bit CPU core. This design arrived on the market over a full year before competitors like Qualcomm and Samsung could respond and largely cemented the technical prowess of the SoC team Apple had created.

If confirmed, his departure would follow the more well-known CPU architect Jim Keller, who was part of Apple's acquisition of PA Semi. More recently, Apple's SoC team lost its lead Manu Gulati, whose vacated role was assumed by Williams. Apple has had some success at retaining key technical executives, however, as the recent rumors of SVP of Hardware Technologies Johnny Srouji's candidacy for Intel CEO fizzled out. Apple also managed to keep Bob Mansfield despite having announced his retirement.

As for potential destinations, Intel has become the number one destination for high-profile technical leads, as they have lured many key AMD executives, as well as former Apple lead Jim Keller. Intel has been absorbing members of the press as well as it seeks to reclaim its technical leadership in the industry, taking on long-tenured PC Perspective writers, including editor-in-chief Ryan Shrout.

Apple last week surprised us with a brand new iPad in the iPad Air family and a new iPad mini 5, both of which are outfitted with Apple's latest chip technology.

Both the ‌iPad mini‌ 5 and the ‌iPad Air‌ 3 began shipping out to customers, and, as of today, are available in stores. We picked up both tablets to give MacRumors readers a look at Apple's new middle-tier iPads.

The ‌iPad Air‌ is using the same design as the 10.5-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, while the ‌iPad mini‌ 5 uses the same design as the previous-generation ‌iPad mini‌ 4. Both tablets feature thick top and bottom bezels, with the bottom bezel housing a Touch ID Home button for biometric authentication purposes.

In comparison, the ‌iPad Pro‌ has much slimmer bezels thanks to the removal of ‌Touch ID‌ in favor of Face ID, while the $329 ‌iPad‌ has the same general design but a body that's not as slim.

When it comes to the screen, both of these tablets are using a laminated Retina display that supports wide color for vivid, true to life images and True Tone for adjusting the white balance to match the ambient lighting in the room. It's a better display than the non-laminated display on Apple's cheapest ‌iPad‌, but lacks the ProMotion technology used in the ‌iPad Pro‌ for a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz.

The ‌iPad Air‌ and the ‌iPad mini‌ support the original Apple Pencil, so for the first time, Apple's entire ‌iPad‌ lineup works with either the original ‌Apple Pencil‌ or the ‌Apple Pencil‌ 2.

Inside, the ‌iPad Air‌ and the ‌iPad mini‌ are using the A12 Bionic chip, which is the same chip that's in the 2018 iPhone lineup. The $329 ‌iPad‌ is still using an A10 Fusion chip from the iPhone 7 era, while the ‌iPad Pro‌ models use a faster A12X chip.

Functionally, both the ‌iPad Air‌ 3 and the ‌iPad mini‌ 5 are the same tablet with the same specs, with the only difference between the two being screen size and Smart Keyboard compatibility. The ‌iPad Air‌ has a Smart Connector that can be used with a Smart Keyboard, which costs $159. There's no ‌Smart Keyboard‌ for ‌iPad mini‌ because it lacks a ‌Smart Connector‌.

The two iPads have mediocre 8-megapixel rear cameras, the same camera that's in the $329 ‌iPad‌, but the 7-megapixel front-facing camera is the same camera (minus ‌Face ID‌ technology) used in the ‌iPad Pro‌. It's odd to have front and rear cameras that are nearly on par, but it makes sense if you think of the ‌iPad‌ as a FaceTiming device more so than a photography device.

Both of these iPads offer significant performance improvements over their predecessors. The ‌iPad mini‌ 5 is a good deal faster than the ‌iPad mini‌ 4, and the ‌iPad Air‌ is faster than the 10.5-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ (though it lacks the same ProMotion technology). It's also leagues faster than any previous ‌iPad Air‌ model as that was a line that was last refreshed in 2014 before being revived in 2019.

You can get the ‌iPad mini‌ for $399 for 64GB of storage, and 256GB is available for $549. The ‌iPad Air‌ starts at $499 for 64GB of storage, with 256GB available for $649. Cellular models are available too, for an extra $130 over each base price.

What do you think of the new ‌iPad mini‌ and the new ‌iPad Air‌? Have you purchased one or are you planning to get one? Let us know in the comments.

Apple today canceled AirPower, the charging mat that it first announced in 2017, because of an inability to meet its high standards for hardware, reports TechCrunch.

‌AirPower‌ was designed to charge the Apple Watch, iPhone, and AirPods all at once, but after Apple announced the device in 2017, there were persistent rumors of difficulties and no product ever launched. Apple says work on the product has been canceled entirely because the company has been unable to achieve what it was aiming for with the ‌AirPower‌.

"After much effort, we've concluded ‌AirPower‌ will not achieve our high standards and we have cancelled the project. We apologize to those customers who were looking forward to this launch. We continue to believe that the future is wireless and are committed to push the wireless experience forward," said Dan Riccio, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering in a statement provided to TechCrunch.

‌AirPower‌ was introduced in September 2017 alongside the iPhone X, and at the time, Apple said it would launch in 2018. 2018 came and went with no sign of ‌AirPower‌ and no word from Apple on when it would materialize.

There were, however, continual rumors of production, engineering, and manufacturing difficulties. Rumors suggested that there were problems with heat management, inter-device communication, and interference because Apple wanted to design a charging device where you could put an iPhone, Apple Watch, or AirPods anywhere on the mat to charge.

This required layering multiple charging coils, resulting in a device that ran too hot, which turned out to be an engineering issue Apple couldn't solve.

‌AirPower‌ was supposed to work with the Wireless Charging Case for the AirPods that was released last week, and it was also meant to charge Apple Watch Series 3 and 4 models and all iPhones that support Qi-based wireless charging. With Apple having released the AirPods Charging Case just recently, there was speculation that an ‌AirPower‌ launch was imminent.

The cancelation of ‌AirPower‌ comes as a shock as there have been continual signs that the product was still in the works. ‌AirPower‌ mentions were still included on the newly launched AirPods Charging Case, and Apple recently secured a trademark for the ‌AirPower‌ name. There have also been ongoing rumors of a spring launch, so it appears that Apple worked for months on ‌AirPower‌ solutions before ultimately deciding to nix the project.

Ending work on a project that was already announced and shown off is unprecedented in Apple's recent history.

Apple-owned Texture has announced that it will be shutting down on May 28, 2019, pointing customers towards Apple News+.

Texture is a subscription-based magazine service that Apple acquired last year to serve as the foundation of its own Apple News+ magazine and newspaper subscription service launched earlier this week.

As noted by TechCrunch, this news is unfortunate for Texture subscribers who use Android, as ‌Apple News‌+ is only available on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. ‌Apple News‌+ costs $9.99 per month in the United States, the same price as Texture, and is also available for $12.99 per month in Canada.

In March 2026, Apple updated the iPad Pro with the M4 chip and a few other upgrades, With the ‌iPad Pro‌ having been updated in October 2025 and the base iPad updated in March 2025, the iPad mini is currently the oldest model in the lineup.

In this guide, we're taking a look at how the various models compare to help potential buyers choose which one is right for them.

Which iPad Is Right for You?

If price is your biggest consideration, you'll want to look at the standard 11th-generation ‌iPad‌, knowing that it contains some older technologies and limitations but is still plenty good enough for many users, especially given its recent update. If you're looking for portability, check out the ‌iPad mini‌, and if you want a mid-sized ‌iPad‌ with more to offer than the entry-level ‌iPad‌, check out the iPad Air, which is available in two sizes.

What about the ‌iPad Pro‌? Apple's high-end iPads are in a class of their own, and it shows in their higher prices. Unless you're a pro-level user or price is no object, you'll probably want to look to cheaper options, but the ‌iPad Pro‌ models deliver cutting-edge technology for those who need it.

With that quick overview out of the way, let's take a look at what each model has to offer.

iPad Models

11-inch iPad

Apple's 11th-generation version of the ‌iPad‌ has an 11-inch display and the A16 chip, and it starts at $349 for the Wi-Fi only model. This is the cheapest ‌iPad‌ currently sold by Apple, and it offers a good mix of features, although it does not support Apple Intelligence features given its lower-end specs.

Apple gave the ‌iPad‌ an entirely updated design with the 10th-generation model in 2022 and that carries over to the 2025 model, ditching the Home button and adopting the slim bezel design of the ‌iPad Air‌ and ‌iPad Pro‌. It does still have Touch ID, but it's been moved to the power button on the top edge of the device. It also features USB-C instead of Lightning, and it has an improved 12MP Wide rear-facing camera.

This is still on the low end of the ‌iPad‌ family lineup, however, so you won't get support for the Apple Pencil 2 (only the first-generation model or the USB-C model). Thankfully, Apple saw fit to boost storage options with the latest model, and it now starts at 128GB with the ability to upgrade to 256GB or, for the first time in an entry-level ‌iPad‌, 512GB.

Key specifications include:

• An 11-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone
• Side button with ‌Touch ID‌
• A16 chip
• 12MP Wide back camera and 12MP Landscape Ultra Wide front camera
• First-generation ‌Apple Pencil‌ and ‌Apple Pencil‌ with USB-C compatibility
• Magic Keyboard Folio compatibility
• USB-C port
• Available in Blue, Pink, Silver, and Yellow

iPad mini

Next up is the ‌iPad mini‌, which was updated in October 2024 and starts at $499 for Wi-Fi only models. Apple similarly doubled the base storage to 128GB with this update, offering a better value for buyers at the low end, while also offering up to 512GB of storage at the high end.

With a display size of 8.3 inches, you can't quite call it pocketable, but the ‌iPad mini‌ is definitely great for having something small on the go that still offers a much larger screen size than even Apple's largest iPhones.

Looking beyond the display size, this is a capable device using an A17 Pro chip to deliver support for ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features, so it's a fairly speedy tablet. You'll get an improved display compared to the entry-level ‌iPad‌, a 12-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, and support for the most advanced ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro.

Key specifications include:

• Fully laminated 8.3‑inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone
• ‌Touch ID‌ in the power button
• A17 Pro chip with 5-core graphics and 16-core Neural Engine
• 12MP Wide back camera with Smart HDR 4 and 4K video
• 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with Smart HDR 4 and 1080p HD video
• Landscape stereo-speaker audio
• ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro and ‌Apple Pencil‌ (USB-C) compatibility
• Bluetooth keyboard compatibility
• 10Gbps USB-C port
• Available in Space Gray, Blue, Purple, and Starlight

iPad Air

Moving toward the higher end of the ‌iPad‌ family is the ‌iPad Air‌, which was updated with the M4 chip in March 2026. As of 2024, the ‌iPad Air‌ is available in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes, with the smaller model starting at $599 for Wi-Fi only connectivity and the larger model starting at $799. The ‌iPad Air‌ is the perfect mid-tier option that offers many of the same features as the top-of-the-line ‌iPad Pro‌ but at a lower price point, and it's a great option for many users.

Apple also offers a Magic Keyboard accessory specifically for the ‌iPad Air‌, delivering much of the same experience as the version for the ‌iPad Pro‌ with a cantilever design, function keys and, a large trackpad, but stripped down a bit to hit a lower price point.

Key specifications of the ‌iPad Air‌ include:

• Fully laminated 11‑inch or 13-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone
• ‌Touch ID‌ in the power button
• M4 chip
• 12MP Wide rear camera with Smart HDR 4 for photos and 4K video at up to 60 fps
• Landscape 12MP FaceTime HD front camera with Smart HDR 4
• ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro and ‌Apple Pencil‌ with USB-C compatibility
• Magic Keyboard and Bluetooth keyboard compatibility
• USB-C port
• Available in Space Gray, Blue, Purple, and Starlight

iPad Pro

If you're looking for true portable workstation power, then the last two iPads in the lineup, the ‌iPad Pro‌ models, could be what you're interested in. These tablets were updated in October 2025 with the M5 chip, Apple's custom N1 networking chip for Wi-Fi 7 support, and faster storage. Cellular models also received Apple's custom C1X modem, delivering up to 50% faster cellular data performance. Pricing starts at $999 for the 11-inch model and $1,299 for the 13-inch model.

While coming in at the same two sizes as the ‌iPad Air‌, the ‌iPad Pro‌ models are a step up in almost every way, from the crisp OLED displays with 120Hz ProMotion technology for smoother display responsiveness and a USB-C connector with Thunderbolt support to a more powerful M5 chip, Face ID, and a maximum of 2TB of storage.

The ‌iPad Pro‌ is overkill for most users, but if you're a pro-level user or just want the latest technology, the ‌iPad Pro‌ has a lot to offer.

Key specifications of the two ‌iPad Pro‌ models include:

• 11‑inch or 13-inch Ultra Retina XDR OLED display
• ‌Face ID‌
• M5 chip
• 12MP Wide rear camera
• Smart HDR 4 for photos, 4K video at up to 60 fps
• Landscape 12MP TrueDepth front camera with Center Stage, Portrait mode, Portrait Lighting, and Smart HDR 4
• Four-speaker audio
• 5G connectivity
• ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro and ‌Apple Pencil‌ with USB-C compatibility
• Magic Keyboard and Bluetooth keyboard compatibility
• Thunderbolt / USB 4 connector
• Available in Silver and Space Black

Customization Options

Now that we've looked at the base specs of each of ‌iPad‌ models, it's time to think about various options like storage, cellular connectivity, and AppleCare+.

Storage: There are several storage options for each ‌iPad‌, so think about how much you might need. For the 11th-generation ‌iPad‌, Apple is offering three storage options: 128GB for $349, 256GB for $449, and an all-new 512GB version for $649. The ‌iPad mini‌ also comes in three storage options: 128GB for $499, 256GB for $599, and 512GB for $799.

The two ‌iPad Air‌ models are available in four storage capacity options, with the entry-level 128GB models priced at $599 for the 11-inch version and $799 for the 13-inch version. On both display sizes, 256GB is available for an additional $100, 512GB is available for an additional $300 over the base model, and 1TB is available for an additional $500 over the base model.

Lastly, the ‌iPad Pro‌ offers the highest storage capacity options, with the base models of both sizes starting at 256GB. Those base models start at $999 for 11-inch and $1,299 for 13-inch, with additional storage options including 512GB ($200 upgrade from base), 1TB ($600 upgrade from base), and 2TB ($1,000 upgrade from base).

Power-heavy users should always look to the higher-capacity ‌iPad‌ models to ensure they don't have to worry about constantly deleting apps and other files for storage space. Otherwise, Apple's iCloud is a great way to offload files and lets you opt for a cheaper ‌iPad‌ with less storage.

Unless you're storing a large local music library, downloading lots of video for offline playback, have a ton of huge apps, or doing pro-level work requiring lots of large files, mainstream users can usually get away with the lowest-tier storage options, particularly now that all models start with at least 64GB and more expensive models start much higher than that.

Display: Apple is offering a nano-texture display option on an ‌iPad‌, but only on the ‌iPad Pro‌ and only on the higher-end 1TB and 2TB storage capacity options. This $100 upgrade is intended for users with high-end color-managed workflows or who use their devices in demanding ambient lighting environments such as outdoors. Think real estate agents and home inspectors, but there are plenty of other use cases where the reduced glare could be beneficial.

Cellular Connectivity: If you need to ensure that you can use your ‌iPad‌ at any time, including when you're not near a Wi-Fi connection, you can opt for a Wi-Fi + Cellular option to ensure you're always connected.

Cellular support adds $150–$200 onto the price of all corresponding Wi-Fi ‌iPad‌ models, depending on which ‌iPad‌ and which storage capacity. You'll also have to sign up for a data plan for an additional cost with a supported carrier, like AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon in the United States.

All told, it's not a cheap upgrade, and many users prefer using their phone as a hotspot to deliver connectivity to a Wi-Fi ‌iPad‌ while on the go. But if your phone plan doesn't allow for hotspot usage or you just want the convenience of having your ‌iPad‌ connected directly to a cellular network at all times, the option is there.

All current ‌iPad‌ models support sub-6GHz 5G with data speeds that will be plenty fast for most users, but lacking support for the fastest mmWave 5G technology available in some urban areas.

AppleCare+: New iPads come with one year of hardware repair coverage through Apple's limited warranty policy, as well as up to 90 days of complimentary support. But if you want more coverage, Apple offers optional ‌AppleCare‌+ packages priced at $34.99/year for the ‌iPad‌ and ‌iPad mini‌, $39.99/year for the 11-inch ‌iPad Air‌, $49.99/year for the 13-inch ‌iPad Air‌, $74.99/year for the 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, and $84.99/year for the 13-inch ‌iPad Pro‌. Monthly pricing options at 10% of the annual rates are also available.

‌AppleCare‌+ extends your ‌iPad‌'s coverage for as long as you continue to subscribe and adds unlimited incidents of accidental damage coverage, subject to a service fee of $29 for screen damage and $99 for other types of accidental damage. Prices vary elsewhere.

‌iPad‌ ‌AppleCare‌+ plans also cover accidental damage to the ‌Apple Pencil‌ and Apple-branded ‌iPad‌ keyboard accessories with a $29 fee plus tax per incident. ‌AppleCare‌+ provides 24/7 priority access to support advisors via online chat or phone.

Apple charges high fees for accidental damage to a new ‌iPad‌ without ‌AppleCare‌+, so as with most forms of insurance, the plan can pay for itself if ever used. ‌AppleCare‌+ must be added within 60 days of purchasing a device.

Accessories

Each ‌iPad‌ has a plethora of accessories to choose from for protection, style, or usability, many of which Apple creates and sells itself on Apple.com and in Apple retail stores.

Apple Pencil: The ‌Apple Pencil‌ is a stylus most popular with artists but also used by others, providing a comfortable and streamlined way to interact with the tablet. The second-generation ‌Apple Pencil‌ introduced sleek design changes, magnetic charging on the ‌iPad mini‌, ‌iPad Air‌, and ‌iPad Pro‌, and gesture controls, none of which are available on the original ‌Apple Pencil‌. A USB-C ‌Apple Pencil‌ introduced in late 2023 complicated the situation even further, and then the ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro expanded the family to four in 2024 with advanced features like squeeze and barrel roll gestures, haptic feedback, and Find My support.

It might be unclear which iPads support which ‌Apple Pencil‌ models, so check out our list below. In short, the latest ‌iPad Pro‌ and ‌iPad Air‌ models can use the ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro and the ‌iPad mini‌ uses the second-generation ‌Apple Pencil‌, while older ‌iPad‌ models with Lightning ports work with the first-generation ‌Apple Pencil‌. The USB-C ‌Apple Pencil‌ is the cheapest and most flexible model, supporting a mix of recent devices.

• First-Generation Apple Pencil ($99): 9.7-inch ‌iPad‌ (2018), 10.2-inch ‌iPad‌ (2019, 2020, and 2021), 10th-generation ‌iPad‌ (2022), ‌iPad‌ (A16: 2025), 5th-generation ‌iPad mini‌ (2019), 3rd-generation ‌iPad Air‌ (2019), 9.7-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ (2016), 10.5-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ (2017), 1st- and 2nd-generation 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ (2015 and 2017)
• Second-Generation Apple Pencil ($129): 6th-generation ‌iPad mini‌ (2021), 4th-generation ‌iPad Air‌ (2020), 5th-generation ‌iPad Air‌ (2022), 11-inch and 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ (2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022)
• USB-C Apple Pencil ($69): 10th-generation ‌iPad‌ (2022), ‌iPad‌ (A16: 2025), 6th-generation ‌iPad mini‌ (2021), 7th-generation ‌iPad mini‌ (2024), 4th-generation ‌iPad Air‌ (2020), 5th-generation ‌iPad Air‌ (2022), 11-inch and 13-inch ‌iPad Air‌ (M2: 2024. M3: 2025, and M4: 2026), 11-inch and 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ (2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022), 11-inch and 13-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ (M4: 2024 and M5: 2025)
• Apple Pencil Pro ($129): 7th-generation ‌iPad mini‌ (2024), 11-inch and 13-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ (M4: 2024 and M5: 2025), 11-inch and 13-inch ‌iPad Air‌ (‌M2‌: 2024, M3: 2025, and M4: 2026)

In the end, if you're only looking to purchase an ‌iPad‌ as a convenient app-browsing, email-checking, or ‌FaceTime‌ device, you don't need an ‌Apple Pencil‌. But if you're an artist or other creative with a penchant for drawing or taking digital handwritten notes, Apple's stylus is definitely an enhancement to the ‌iPad‌ experience.

For a more in-depth look at the differences between the four Apple Pencils, check out our comparison.

Cases: Apple sells Smart Folio cases for all of its iPads, priced depending on the size of the device. You'll pay $59 for an ‌iPad mini‌ Smart Folio, $79 for an ‌iPad‌ (A16) or 11-inch ‌iPad Air‌ or ‌iPad Pro‌ Smart Folio, and $99 for a 13-inch ‌iPad Air‌ or ‌iPad Pro‌ Smart Folio.

These cases magnetically attach to your ‌iPad‌, offering a degree of protection while also allowing you to place the tablet in numerous angled positions. The Smart Folio cases protect both the front and rear of the tablet.

Keyboards: If you're looking to do a lot of work on an ‌iPad Air‌ or ‌iPad Pro‌, Apple has several models of the Magic Keyboard that include a trackpad, USB-C port with passthrough charging, and more. They certainly aren't cheap, priced at $269 or $299 for 11-inch versions and $319 or $349 for 13-inch versions, but for pro-level users, it's a serious upgrade to the ‌iPad‌ experience.

Note that there are separate Magic Keyboard models for the latest ‌iPad Pro‌ and ‌iPad Air‌ models, with the ‌iPad Pro‌ models featuring backlit keys, haptic feedback on the trackpad, and aluminum palm rests.

The 11th-generation ‌iPad‌ (A16) also has its own Magic Keyboard Folio, priced at $249 and available in White. It has a built-in trackpad, a 14-key function row, and a two-piece design with a detachable keyboard and protective back panel that both attach magnetically to the ‌iPad‌.

These Apple-made cases are compatible with iPads that have a Smart Keyboard connector, which is a special port that magnetically attaches the keyboard to the side or rear of the ‌iPad‌.

Otherwise, you can also look into popular ‌iPad‌ keyboard manufacturers like Logitech and Belkin, all of which sell Bluetooth keyboards that connect to iPads wirelessly. Keyboard cases are more expensive than your average case due to the added input use, but if you really plan on doing a lot of work and writing on your ‌iPad‌, the two-in-one keyboard/protection combo is the way to go. The hardware keyboards give a much better typing experience and free up screen space on your ‌iPad‌ by getting rid of the software keyboard.

Cables: With the discontinuation of the 9th-generation ‌iPad‌ in May 2024, Apple has completed the transition of its ‌iPad‌ lineup from Lightning to USB-C, simplifying cable purchases.

All iPads come with their required cables in the box, but if you don't have many around the house it's always a good idea to stock up on more. Apple sells individual cables, but you can always shop around on Amazon for cheap and reliable brands like Anker.

So... Which iPad Should You Buy?

Overall, Apple's iPad Air is a perfect all-encompassing tablet that should hit the checkmarks for many buyers and is available in two sizes to suit. It has many of the most important features of the ‌iPad Pro‌ but starts at $400 less.

If you're on a bit more of a budget or looking for a relatively cheap tablet for a kid, the 11th-generation iPad (A16) saves you an additional $250 compared to the ‌iPad Air‌ while giving you a similar form factor and the same display size as the smaller ‌iPad Air‌, but with a few compromises. At $349 or even cheaper on sale, it's hard to beat if you're a less-demanding user. Just keep in mind that it won't support current and upcoming ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features.

If you're someone who has preferred the small form factor of the iPad mini over the years, Apple's latest small-sized tablet is a prime candidate for those looking for an e-reader that can perform other tasks while not taking up a huge amount of space. The ‌iPad mini‌ doesn't have a ‌Smart Keyboard‌ connector like the ‌iPad Air‌ or a ‌Smart Keyboard‌ case of its own, but since the ‌iPad mini‌ isn't exactly a workstation device, that's not a bad trade-off (plus, you can still connect it to a Bluetooth keyboard if you want).

For $100 less than the ‌iPad Air‌ at $499 (128GB Wi-Fi), the ‌iPad mini‌ still gives you a nice laminated display with True Tone and antireflective coating, ‌Touch ID‌ in the power button, ‌Apple Intelligence‌ and ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro support, and solid cameras.

And, of course, on the other end of the spectrum are the power users. If you're willing to spend the money to spec out an 11-inch or 13-inch iPad Pro, you'll get a super reliable mobile workstation with 10-hour battery life in a compact package. If you travel frequently for work, or just like setting up at a coffee shop during the day, the ‌iPad Pro‌ has a chance to become your MacBook replacement with a Magic Keyboard.

Apple today activated in-store pickup for its new iPad mini and iPad Air models in the United States, Canada, Australia, and select other countries.

This feature enables customers to purchase a new iPad on Apple.com and pick it up at a nearby Apple Store at a designated time. The tool can also be used to monitor inventory of the new iPads at Apple Stores based on zip or postal code, with both models currently available for pickup today at many locations.

To view in-store inventory, head to the iPad mini or iPad Air product pages, choose a color and other options, and select "see availability in other stores." To place an order for in-store pickup, proceed with the checkout process as usual and it will be presented as an option along with standard delivery.

The new iPad mini and iPad Air are very similar. Both tablets feature Apple's recent A12 Bionic chip, Retina displays with True Tone, first-generation Apple Pencil support, 64GB or 256GB storage, Touch ID, up to 10 hours of battery life, an 8-megapixel rear camera, two speakers, and optional Gigabit-class LTE.

The new ‌iPad mini‌'s only notable differences versus the new 10.5-inch ‌iPad Air‌ are its smaller 7.9-inch screen and lack of Smart Keyboard compatibility. The new ‌iPad mini‌ also has a lower starting price of $399 versus $499 for the new ‌iPad Air‌.

Apple is currently quoting an April 15-17 delivery estimate for standard ship-to-home orders, so in-store pickup looks to be a quicker option.

The new AirPods are also available for Apple Store pickup.

iFixit today shared a teardown of the second-generation AirPods, providing a closer look at the H1 chip with Bluetooth 5.0 and the same 93 milliwatt hour battery in each of the AirPods in line with the original pair.

Many of these details were already known, but the teardown still provides an interesting look at the internal differences compared to the first-generation AirPods. More photos and tech specs are available over on iFixit's website.

Serial phone leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer (@OnLeaks) has shared another alleged leak of Apple's next-generation iPhone, presumably scheduled to launch around September this year.

Hemmerstoffer says the chassis leak supports his claim that at least one version of the next iPhone will feature a rear triple-lens camera system in a triangular configuration, based on information he has sourced previously.

Rumors about triple lenses in an iPhone began as far back as May 2018, while well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the same thing in October.

In January, Hemmerstoffer released renderings of the supposed iPhone 2019 model, with a similar unusual-looking patch on the rear for three lenses, a flash, and a mic.

A few days later, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is planning on introducing a triple-lens camera system in at least one of the iPhones coming in 2019, while Bloomberg seemingly confirmed the rumor later the same month.

At any rate, a triple-lens rear camera would allow for a larger field of view, a wider zoom range, improved low light performance, and it would capture more pixels. Hemmerstoffer has previously claimed that one rear camera will be 10 megapixels, while a second will come in at 14 megapixels. The details of the third sensor are apparently unknown.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is also working on a feature that would use the extra pixel data afforded by three lenses to provide tools for automatically repairing a photo or a video to fit in a subject that "may have accidentally been cut off from the initial shot."

Early rumors suggested Apple would introduce 3D depth sensing technology for the rear-facing camera, but those plans are believed to have been delayed until 2020.