iPad Air 6 Rumored to Launch in October as Only iPad Refresh of 2023

The sixth-generation iPad Air should launch in October as the only iPad refresh of 2023, according to a plausible rumor shared on Chinese social media site Weibo.

ipad air 5 colors
"Only the ‌iPad Air‌ series should be updated this year," the post reads, with a subsequent clarification that the product refresh will take place in October, with "no mini and Pro this year." The information comes from an account with a proven track record for disclosing accurate information about Apple's plans.

On the latest episode of The MacRumors Show podcast, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that there is a new iPad Air with improved specifications in the works and the device is apparently "coming soonish," likely in October. The rumor was posted to Weibo prior to Gurman's most recent remarks.

Gurman believes that there will be a further Apple product launch in October, but expressed skepticism that an entire event will take place to introduce new devices. He said that it could be similar to the introduction of the M2 Pro and ‌M2‌ Max MacBook Pro models earlier this year, which were announced via press release and a short video. Gurman claimed that October could see something "along those lines." "I'm not sure they have enough to drag people down to Cupertino to watch the video like they do for this [iPhone 15] launch," he added.

Apple last updated the ‌iPad Air‌ in March 2022 with the M1 chip, an upgraded 12-megapixel front camera with Center Stage support, a faster USB-C port, 5G support on cellular models, and new color options. Pricing starts at $599 in the U.S. for 64GB of storage. It is unclear what new features the next-generation ‌iPad Air‌ will offer, but possibilities include the ‌M2‌ chip, a Thunderbolt port like the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil hover, and new color options.

Related Roundups: iPad Air , iPad Pro, iPad mini
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Deliver Next-Level Battery Life

Friday February 6, 2026 5:14 am PST by
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker. Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...

Top Rated Comments

klasma Avatar
32 months ago

With the standard iPad moving to iPad Air design (no bezels), what is now the point of iPad Air?
Significantly better screen (AR coating, P3 color, fully laminated), double the RAM, significantly higher CPU and GPU performance, Pencil 2 support.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
abatabia Avatar
32 months ago
The M1 is already overkill for the air. The M2 won’t add too much, and I can’t see them changing the design.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Force332 Avatar
32 months ago
My only question is will it move the FaceTime camera to the landscape orientation like the 10th generation iPad? My guess is no. I suspect that since the Air and Pro share the same design, that change will first happen on the Pro line before it trickles down to the Air. The iPad line as a whole I think will continue to be overly complex and confusing for at least the near future.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ItsASpider Avatar
32 months ago

Dynamic island and thunderbolt please
Why would you ever want anything that is a notch ore punchhole in a tablet?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DFZD Avatar
32 months ago
I don't know if Air anymore serves a purpose other than as a price gap filler.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
32 months ago
this seems like an update for nothing more than principal like what could it possibly do better that the Air 5 with the limitation set my iPadOS itself can’t do
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)