Apple Could Launch M4 iPad Air This Spring, Skipping M3 Chip Entirely
Apple may choose to refresh its iPad Air models in the spring with an M4 chip, skipping the M3 generation for the lineup entirely, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has suggested.
Apple released the M2 iPad Air in 11-inch and 13-inch screen sizes in May of last year, and the going assumption, backed by rumors, was that Apple would refresh the iPad Air this year with an M3 chip upgrade.
However, writing in his Power On newsletter over the weekend, Gurman said he "wouldn't be terribly surprised" if Apple opts for the M4 chip instead. From the report:
The new iPad Airs — code-named J607, J608, J637 and J638 — will be more about specification upgrades than design changes. The current version, introduced last year, has the M2 chip. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if the 2025 models get bumped up to the M4, matching the iPad Pro. That would mean the Pro has less of an edge over the Air, but that shouldn't be too shocking. Most Macs rely on the same chip family, and iPads could do the same.
Gurman's claim runs counter to previous rumors that indicated Apple plans to keep the iPad Air one step behind the iPad Pro in terms of processor generations. However, Apple surprised many when it announced M4 iPad Pro models in May 2024. Those devices were expected to feature the M3 chip right up until the last minute of their unveiling but skipped the generation entirely, and there's no hard and fast rule that says the company won't do the same thing for the iPad Air.
No design changes are expected for the next-generation iPad Air, but it could include Apple's upcoming custom 5G modem, which will also be introduced in the iPhone SE, low-cost iPad, and iPhone 17 Air in 2025.
Apple is also developing a new version of the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Air. It isn't expected to have an aluminum top case like the iPad Pro, but it could have a function row of keys and some other features from the iPad Pro Magic Keyboard.
Popular Stories
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon.
Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week.
iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you.
Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21.
There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports.
In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products.
Here's what's supposedly coming:
An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28.
The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below.
Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. iOS 26.2 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation iPhone SE.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
Apple is working on a smart home hub that will rely heavily on the more capable version of Siri that's coming next year. We've heard quite a bit about the hub over the last two years, but a recent iOS 26 code leak provides additional insight into what we can expect and confirms rumored features.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Macworld claims to have access to an ...
Apple's next-generation Studio Display is expected to arrive early next year, and a new report allegedly provides a couple more details on the external monitor's capabilities.
According to internal Apple code seen by Macworld, the new external display will feature a variable refresh rate capable of up to 120Hz – aka ProMotion – as well as support for HDR content. The current Studio...
