Kuo: Larger 12.9-inch iPad Air Coming Early 2024 Amid Lineup Refresh

Apple will add a new larger 12.9-inch iPad Air to an entirely refreshed iPad lineup coming next year, with two ‌iPad Air‌ models taking priority in Apple's launch roadmap, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

iPad Air 12
In his latest outlook, Kuo predicts that Apple will compensate for this year's lack of movement in its ‌iPad‌ lineup by updating all existing models, starting with a refreshed 10.9-inch and new 12.9-inch ‌iPad Air‌ with new chips scheduled for mass production in the first quarter of 2024.

Kuo says the previously rumored all-new 12.9-inch ‌iPad Air‌ will have an LCD screen that lacks the mini-LED technology of Apple's current iPad Pro models, but will benefit from the same oxide backplane. This will offer better display performance than the current 10.9-inch ‌iPad Air‌ that uses an a-Si backplane.

Next in line for release are the OLED ‌iPad Pro‌ models that have been rumored for some time. Apple will launch a new 11-inch and 13-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ with a redesigned chassis and new M3 chip in the second quarter.

Kuo believes that last on Apple's 2024 production roadmap are a new iPad mini, and an 11th-generation ‌iPad‌ – a new version of Apple's most affordable tablet. This will see the discontinuation of Apple's 9th-generation ‌iPad‌ currently still offered alongside the 10th-generation model in Apple's lineup.

Kuo believes these changes will see only modest gains in ‌iPad‌ shipments compared to this year, and predicts around 52-54 million units in 2024 compared to 2023. Such an increase remains way off Apple's peak of 63 million iPads shipped in 2022 during the pandemic.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently also suggested Apple will update its entire ‌iPad‌ lineup throughout 2024, but his timeline prediction is slightly different to Kuo and does not mention a new larger ‌iPad Air‌.

Gurman previously reported that the low-end to mid-range iPads could be updated as early as March 2024, while he expects new 11-inch and 13-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ models with the M3 chip and OLED displays to launch in the first half of 2024. The next ‌iPad Air‌ and ‌iPad mini‌ are likely to be equipped with M2 and A16 Bionic chips, respectively.

Related Roundups: iPad, iPad Air , iPad Pro, iPad mini
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Top Rated Comments

Mac Fly (film) Avatar
21 months ago
Remove 10th and 9th gen iPads from sale (keeping the 9th around only as cheap education bulk buy and hidden from regular consumers); rename iPad Air to “iPad”, keeping the processor, display and camera non-Pro. Give iPad Pro SD Card (for photographers) and MagSafe 3 in addition to its thunderbolt 4 port. It’s not complicated but Apple insists on making the lineup so.

iPad mini, iPad, iPad Pro (with additional ports; pro chip; pro cameras; pro display, and larger screen size option)

All should support Apple Pencil 2 and charge it magnetically. USB-C Pencil and Pencil 1 should be discontinued. Apple execs should be slapped.
Score: 45 Votes (Like | Disagree)
darngooddesign Avatar
21 months ago
'iPad Air Plus' just rolls off the tongue smoothly. ?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gudi Avatar
21 months ago

Sounds like no one’s buying the pro models and air is unsurprisingly more popular.
Why do you need to mention unsurprising facts of life? Did anyone expect the most expensive iPad to be the most popular one! It's not a failure only because it didn't exceed the sales numbers of the Air. And maybe it did sell exceptionally well. We don't have sales numbers for individual models, do we?

Mini LED has been an utter failure of a tech, Apple knew it was a terrible stopgap and that’s why the 11” Pro never got it.
Another wild assumption made plausible by creative storytelling.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mrkevinfinnerty Avatar
21 months ago
This is the problem with the iPad lineup, not enough models. This sixteenth model should fix that.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bokito Avatar
21 months ago
Apple’s iPad lineup is already confusing enough. The current 10th gen iPad is actually an iPad Air SE (if Apple would stick to iPhone naming conventions). If Apple were to update all models and even introduce a new one, they sure should axe something. With the MacBook Air/Pro Apple currently holds the sweet spot and doesn’t have too many options. With the iPad they definitely have too many options. Maintaining all those iPad models costs effort they can put elsewhere.

For me personally I just want an iPad with big fat ugly bezels, so I’m stuck with the 9th gen iPad. Why, you would ask? Comfort, just want to lay my thumbs on the bezels and not hold them against the side or get interrupted because they suddenly hit the screen.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
darngooddesign Avatar
21 months ago

I’m trying to remember and I sell the damned things. Uh…it could be the M2 Air 13 was initially $1499 CAN and now it’s $1449, but I ‘m not sure when that happened. Wait, it could be when they introduced the M2 MBA 15 at $1749.
At launch in CA
13" M2Air - $1500
14" M2-ProPro was $2000

Now
13" M2Air - $1450
15" M2Air - $1750
14" M2ProPro - $2000

So apple still dropped the 13"s CA price to fit the 15", but not as much as they did in the US. To make up for it you get universal healthcare. :D
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)