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 Pro, iPad mini, iPad Air
Related Forum: iPad

Top Rated Comments

klasma Avatar
3 weeks 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
3 weeks 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
3 weeks 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
3 weeks 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
3 weeks 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
3 weeks 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)

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