On May 7, Apple will host a product announcement event at 9 am ET. Labeled "Let loose," we expect it will focus on new iPads and iPad accessories.
We won't be liveblogging the stream, but you can expect some news coverage as it happens. Below, we'll go over our educated guesses about why Apple might be doing this.
Why hold an event now?
It's unusual for Apple to host an event shortly before WWDC. New products debut at that event all the time, so if it's just a faster chip and a nicer screen for the iPad Pro and iPad Air, why not wait until June?
We're not completely sure what the answer is, but we can make educated guesses.
Apple has been criticized by commentators over the past few weeks for three things. First, iPads have not been selling well. Second: While the Vision Pro introduced a new product category that may grow over time, its initial launch didn't sell that well. Lastly, Apple is perceived by many as way, way behind on generative AI tech, which is already transforming other companies. There have also been rumors that Microsoft might announce a new silicon that will be fiercely competitive with Apple Silicon for AI tasks, and Microsoft's chips could be announced at a planned event between May 7 and the start of WWDC.
AdvertisementGiven all that, our best guess is that Apple wants to focus its messaging—and the time window for that messaging—on the right targets without muddying the message by trying to address everything at once.
Talking about the iPad's challenges while also preempting Microsoft with a new chip announcement could be Apple's focus for this event. Getting those things out of the way now would allow WWDC and its new operating system announcements to focus heavily on AI, which is the bigger question the company is looking to answer.
What new iPads might look like
Given that an Apple Pencil is in the event's promotional image—a much more explicit hint than Apple usually provides—there's no question iPads will be a focus.
As is often the case these days, we have a plethora of leaks, supply chain reports, and, of course, insider reporting at sites like Bloomberg and The Information to give us a rough idea of what to expect from Apple's new hardware.
iPad Pro
It's likely that the star of the show will be a significant redesign of the iPad Pro for the 11-inch and 12.9-inch sizes.
Both are rumored to get OLED displays, a huge step up over the LCD display in the current 11-inch iPad Pro. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro has a MiniLED display, which competes directly with OLED in the consumer TV space, so it won't be as big a leap for that device, but we can still expect better contrast and richer colors.
The tablets are expected to get a new chassis design that is a little bit thinner and lighter, partly because that's just one of the many advantages made possible by the switch to OLED.
There will also be a new chip. Historically, Apple has introduced its new M-series chips in the Mac first and the iPad second, which would suggest the iPad Pro will get the M3 chip that's already been on the market for a bit. However, some reports have suggested that Apple will break that tradition and introduce the M4 at this event to preempt Microsoft's competing announcement and to lay the groundwork for AI features to be discussed at WWDC.
We don't know which will be the case; we'll just have to wait and see. But in any case, there is some bad news: Bloomberg and some supply chain analysts have speculated that the price could increase a bit because OLED displays are more expensive, among other reasons.
Other iPads and accessories
Apple has sometimes introduced new iPad Air models alongside the iPad Pro, and that looks like a possibility again. Bloomberg and other sources have reported that Apple will introduce a new 12.9-inch iPad Air model, and both tablets will probably get new chips, too.
When we've reviewed the iPad Pro and iPad Air, we've often pointed out that it can be hard to justify spending more for the Pro when the Air offers so close to the same experience. Apple could use this cycle to differentiate them further. For example, I wouldn't expect the Air to include OLED displays, even in the 12.9-inch model. And if Apple introduces the M4 for the iPad Pro, it's possible the Air will only get a bump to the M3.
AdvertisementFurther, Apple is expected to introduce a new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro, and the rumor is that the Air might not support it.
Given the splash image for this event, it seems likely we'll see a new generation of the Apple Pencil, which is arguably due for a refresh. We don't know much about what that will look like other than an X leak suggesting the Pencil will have swappable tips to simulate the differences between drawing with a pencil, a pen, or other tools.
Silicon and laying the groundwork for AI
As we said, we wouldn't normally expect a big chip announcement right before WWDC. But given how much is weighing on Apple's plans for iOS 18 (which will be revealed at WWDC) and the timing of Microsoft's event, it wouldn't be crazy to imagine Apple will focus part of this event on the new M4 chip.
Nothing is known about what the M4 might look like. Up to this point, new iterations of the M-series chips have offered 10–30 percent CPU and GPU performance boosts and sometimes larger NPU jumps.
With all this speculation about Apple's plans for generative AI, though, we could see some extra focus on exactly how these chips are architected to facilitate that.
iOS and iPadOS 17.5 availability
The timing is right to roll out iOS 17.5, which has been in beta testing for a while. It's not a major update so far, but Apple could surprise us with some new additions that haven't been in the beta yet—specifically ones related to the new hardware. And if nothing else, we'd expect to see a release date for iPadOS 17.5 announced during or shortly after the event.
It's always possible there will be more than what we've outlined above. We'll just have to wait until Tuesday to find out what else, if anything, Apple has planned.
