Apple Announces iPad-Focused Event on May 7

Apple has just announced a special event on May 7 where the company is expected to announce new iPads. The tagline for the event is “Let Loose”, with an artistic version of the Apple logo showing a hand holding an Apple spencil over a splash of color.

With Apple releasing no new tablets in 2023, the updates to the iPad lineup are expected to be quite significant. Previous reports suggested that the new iPad Pro models could come with an OLED display for the first time. The Pro tablets are also expected to be upgraded with Apple’s new M3 chip, and the company could also introduce new Magic Keyboard and Pencil accessories.

After Apple launched a 15-inch version of its redesigned MacBook Air in 2023, the company is also expected to launch a bigger iPad Air with a 12.9-inch display. The latest iPad Air released back in 2022 came with an M1 chip, and the new models will likely use Apple’s M2 chips, which is already being used in the current iPad Pro models.

It remains to be seen if Apple will also refresh its iPad Mini and entry-level iPad. The latter was the first iPad model to come with a front-facing camera on the landscape edge, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the new iPad Air and iPad Pro adopt this change as well for consistency.

As iPad sales have been slowing down in recent years, it will be interesting to see if Apple can make the iPad interesting again. iPadOS still leaves a lot to be desired on the productivity front, and in recent years, we may have seen a bit more innovation in the Google camp with a Pixel tablet that can automatically switch to a hands-free Hub mode when docked.