Apple unveils iPad Air M3 alongside updated Magic Keyboard and base $349 iPad

Why it matters: It's not moreover been 24 hours since CEO Tim Cook teased that Apple was astir to unveil caller "Air" products this week, but Cupertino has already pulled backmost nan curtain. Surprisingly, it's not a caller faster MacBook Air arsenic astir expected, but a caller iPad Air packing nan M3 chip. There's besides been an pembaruan to nan Magic Keyboard and nan guidelines iPad.

Apple claims nan caller M3 iPad Air is doubly arsenic accelerated arsenic nan older M1 model, and 3.5 times faster than nan A14 Bionic version. Compared to nan astir caller iPad Air pinch nan M2 chip, which launched little than a twelvemonth ago, nan M3 exemplary is expected to beryllium ~20% faster.

As pinch nan existent iPad Air, this newer M3 tablet will travel successful some 11-inch and 13-inch sizes, each while keeping nan aforesaid prices of $599 and $799, respectively. Storage capacities stay betwixt 128GB and 1TB, and artillery life besides stays nan same, arsenic do nan Space Gray, Starlight, Blue, and Purple colour options.

Beyond nan SoC upgrade, location doesn't look to beryllium immoderate different awesome changes. The 12MP beforehand and rear cameras, Touch ID powerfulness button, USB-C port, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3 are each still there.

That intends nan 60Hz show is unchanged. In my comparison betwixt nan 2024 iPad Air and a 2017 iPad Pro, which has a 120Hz refresh rate, I recovered that nan noticeable quality betwixt nan 2 screens was nan only constituent of nan iPad Air I didn't like.

Apple besides announced a caller Magic Keyboard accessory. Priced astatine $269 for nan 11-inch iPad and $319 for nan 13-inch exemplary – some $30 cheaper than nan erstwhile versions – it comes pinch a caller 14-key usability statement that allows for easy entree to features for illustration surface brightness and measurement controls, arsenic good arsenic a larger trackpad.

The keyboard is besides lighter and thinner, though it does deficiency nan backlighting and haptic feedback recovered successful nan iPad Pro Magic Keyboard.

Apple has besides updated nan guidelines iPad. The starting retention is being doubled to 128GB and it comes pinch nan A16 spot alternatively of nan A14 recovered successful nan erstwhile model, which intends there's nary support for Apple Intelligence. The starting value remains nan aforesaid astatine $349.

Pre-orders for nan iPad Air and updated iPad commencement today. They will statesman arriving for customers and successful Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers starting March 12.