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 mini, iPad Pro, iPad Air
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Mechanical Aperture

Tuesday July 23, 2024 9:32 am PDT by
Apple is planning to release at least one iPhone 17 model next year with mechanical aperture, according to a report published today by The Information. The mechanical system would allow users to adjust the size of the iPhone 17's aperture, which refers to the opening of the camera lens through which light enters. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android...

Top Rated Comments

klasma Avatar
12 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
12 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
12 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
12 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
12 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
12 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)