All articles tagged with #ipad air
After Apple raised prices on devices like the iPad Air and MacBook Pro, observers argue the company must offer noticeable upgrades (e.g., improved displays or deeper design changes) to justify the higher cost, or risk eroding demand as used devices become more attractive; otherwise some products might even be downgraded to offset the price jump.
Rumors suggest the iPad Air will get a major redesign in 2027, moving to OLED displays with a cost-efficient single-stack LTPS approach, possibly borrowing styling from the iPad mini and adding features like water resistance and a vibration-based speaker system, all alongside a rumored M5 chip as part of a broader OLED rollout across Apple’s line.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple plans an OLED display upgrade for the iPad Mini as soon as October, a major refresh that’s expected to come with a price bump after Apple raised prices across its lineup due to RAM shortages; Gurman also expects an eventual OLED upgrade for the iPad Air and a minor to moderate refresh for the base iPad next year, with iPad Pro and Apple Pencil updates possibly arriving in spring.
Best Buy's Fourth of July sale cuts up to $400 off cellular M3 iPad Air models, with prices starting at $499 for the 128GB 11‑inch version and up to $1,049 for the 1TB 13‑inch model, often placing the M3 near Wi‑Fi prices and well below the corresponding M4 models. The main difference is the M4’s faster chip and updated wireless tech, but the M3 offers strong value across multiple storage options, especially for cellular variants.
Best Buy’s annual Fourth of July sale runs through July 5 with broad discounts on Apple devices (including 11-inch M3 iPad Air models and M5 MacBook Air configurations), AirTag bundles, Beats accessories, and a wide lineup of TVs, monitors, and audio gear. No membership is required to view the deals; highlights include AirTag 4‑pack for $89, 11-inch M3 iPad Air and 13-inch/15-inch MacBook Air discounts, and significant savings on Samsung The Frame TVs and LG OLED/LED displays.
Verge notes that after price increases, the 11-inch iPad Air with the M3 (128GB, Wi‑Fi + 5G) is just $499 at Best Buy, a strong under-$500 deal that outpaces the base iPad and is close to the newer M4 Air in performance for far less money, thanks to the M3’s power, Apple Pencil Pro support, hover capability, and a laminated display, with iPadOS 27 coming later this year.
ET News reports Samsung Display will begin mass-producing OLED panels by late 2026 or January 2027 for Apple's upcoming iPad Air, signaling a switch from LCD to OLED for the entry-level tablet. The OLED iPad Air would reportedly use single-stack LTPS panels and may not include ProMotion, unlike the iPad Pro lineup; the release is expected in early 2027, following earlier OLED plans rumored for the iPad mini.
The iPad Air M4, packing the same M4 chip found in the iPad Pro, is billed as Apple’s best overall tablet thanks to its performance, but it sticks with the same 11‑inch display and still omits Face ID, highlighting both its strength and a few lingering drawbacks.
The iPad Air M4 adds an M4 chip, a C1X cellular modem, and an N1 for Wi‑Fi 7/Bluetooth 6/Thread, delivering roughly 20–25% faster CPU and 10–15% faster GPU versus the M3 Air; the upgrade is noticeable but not transformative, Pro models remain the better choice for power users, and the $599 price with 128GB base storage is a caveat—upgrade if you’re on older iPads, otherwise you can likely skip this year’s bump.
Apple's M4 iPad Air sticks to the familiar design but adds a notable under-the-hood upgrade: the M4 chip, 12GB of unified memory (up from 8GB), and a modest boost in CPU (about 20–30%) and GPU (around 15%) performance. For everyday use it won't feel dramatically different, but creators using heavy apps like Pixelmator Pro or Final Cut Pro will benefit from faster handling of large files, making the iPad Air feel noticeably snappier even though the hardware look remains the same.
Apple’s new MacBook Neo is a $599 13‑inch laptop that runs macOS, has a real keyboard and trackpad, two USB‑C ports, and long battery life, making it a more practical computer than the iPad Air at a similar price; the piece argues this shifts Apple’s focus toward affordable laptops and leaves the iPad Air’s tablet‑only experience looking less compelling.
Apple kicked off its March event with a refreshed iPad Air, followed by new MacBook Air and Pro models powered by the M5 chip, and hints of a low-cost MacBook, with in-person press demos in London, New York, and Shanghai.
A tech columnist argues Apple has boosted its high-end iPads (iPad Pro with M5 and iPad Air with M4) while the entry-level iPad sticks with an aging A16 chip, delaying access to Apple Intelligence and suggesting a price-forward strategy that leaves the most affordable model behind as AI features roll out and the product lineup shifts.
Geekbench results for the 13-inch M4 iPad Air (Wi‑Fi + Cellular) show about a 17.3% improvement in single‑core and 7.9% in multi‑core CPU performance over the M3 iPad Air, with scores around 3438/3714 (test pairs) and 12885/12296 (multi, averaged to 3576 single‑core and 12591 multi‑core). The M4 iPad Air uses an 8‑core CPU (3 performance + 5 efficiency) and a 9‑core GPU, and while it outpaces the M3, it trails the M4 iPad Pro, which posts 3704 single‑core and 13805 multi‑core. The new model is available for pre‑order at 6:15 a.m. PT tomorrow, with a March 11 launch.
Apple's iPad Air uses an M4 chip that is not the same as the iPad Pro's M4, with eight CPU cores (three performance, five efficiency) and nine GPU cores — fewer than the Pro's variants that use nine or ten CPU cores and ten GPU cores depending on storage. The Air also has 12GB unified memory, placing it between Pro RAM tiers. In short, the Air's M4 is a downgraded variant produced by chip binning, so it won't match Pro (or M5) speeds in multi-core and Metal tasks, though single-core performance should be similar.