Apple releases special event date and hint at supersized 12.9-inch iPad Air plus more
The last iPad release was in October 2022, over 540 days ago, in fact. Understandably, there is a degree of pent-up excitement in the run-up to the special keynote Apple event on May 7.
Enthusiasts can attend the livestreamed event on apple.com or on the Apple TV app at 7am Pacific, 10am Eastern, and 3pm UK.
Remaining characteristically mysterious about the contents of this announcement, eagle-eyed consumers must once again look for clues in the invitation graphics.
A hand twirls a pen against a rainbow-hued abstract Apple logo including the colors green, yellow, red, blue, purple, and pink, leading some – including Forbes – to believe that this may indicate new iPad colors.
Apple Pencil
My colleague reported back in early March that Apple was likely to release another Apple Pencil this spring, and many speculators believe that this accessory is almost certainly going to accompany, you guessed it, another iPad. According to various reports this alleged Pencil might include a squeeze action to activate certain functions.
iPad Pro updates
It would appear that Apple inadvertently let slip some of their iPad updates earlier this month when they released the code of the iPadOS 17.5 beta to developers. Website 9to5Mac seemingly discovered new display firmware for four new iPad Pro models: iPad16,3, iPad16,4, iPad16,5, and iPad16,6.
Based on their analysis these are the identifiers of the potential release of the next generation iPad Pro. The firmware suggests that these iPads will come with OLED screens.
iPad Air
The update is also rumored to include the launch of the larger 12.9-inch iPad Air after accessory retailers ESR began selling cases on Amazon designed for a larger sized Air.
This larger iPad Air might be a direct rival to the heavier iPad Pro of the same size, increasing ease of use by reducing weight. Some analysts have also suggested that the iPad Air might come with a mini-LED display delivering brightness and visual quality to rival OLED, or at least close to it. This might be of particular interest to photographers looking for the iPad Pro screen sizes for image editing but reluctant to pay the price for other features of less use.
The leaked schematics hint to some sources including the Hindustan Times at a redesigned camera bump for the new iPad Air models. Rumor has it that a vertically-oriented camera could be on its way with new camera features and possibly even a flash, suggesting Apple is committed to improving the device's photographic capabilities.
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