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While the iPad Air seems like a lock to get an update today, it’s not the only iPad in Apple’s lineup that we could be getting a new version of. There is a chance that the iPad Pro sees an update, though this one feels less likely than the iPad Air does.
The main argument for Apple updating the iPad Pro today is that Apple always seems to have a new version of the high-end tablet ready in the spring. After all, last year’s spring event included an iPad Pro as part of the proceedings.
Whether it shows up today or later this year, analysts expect the next 11-inch iPad Pro to adopt the mini-LED screen Apple added to the 12.9-inch model last year (pictured above). Additionally, there’s the possibility that Apple could turn to the new M2 silicon to power its Pro tablets.
Truth be told, we haven’t heard many rumors about the iPad Pro in the buildup to the Peek Performance event, so it could be possible that Apple holds off on an announcement, keeping its iPad Pro powder dry until June’s Worldwide Developer Conference.
One other rumor around the iPad Air 5 is that it will get an OLED display, but this now seems unlikely.
Though a report from DigiTimes claimed Apple was working on a 10.9-inch tablet with an OLED screen — which would tally with the Air — subsequent reports from The Elec and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo instead say that won’t happen “due to costs and performance not meeting the company’s expectations.” So while we’ll watch with interest, we’d be surprised if Apple unveiled an OLED-sporting iPad Air 5 today.
So let’s say the iPad Air 5 does launch today — what upgrades do we expect it to have? After all, the last model arrived less than 18 months ago, and in our iPad Air (2020) review we described it as “one of the best tablets ever.”
Well, a new chipset seems like a given. We had thought it might get Apple’s A15 Bionic — along with 5G connectivity. However, a last-minute leak from sources speaking to 9to5Mac has instead tipped the iPad Air 5 to come with Apple’s M1 chip.
If true, that’s absolutely huge news, as the M1 offers 50% faster performance than the A15 and could also have a huge (and positive) impact on battery life. Fingers crossed for this one.
There’s certainly good reason to think the iPad Air 5 will be revealed today. Back in February, trusted Apple watcher Mark Gurman tipped the new tablet to arrive at an event on March 8. The fact that Apple subsequently announced its Peek Performance event for that exact day gives a lot of credibility to the details in Gurman’s report.
And there are plenty of other rumors that back it up — for instance leaker Evan Blass shared an image (above) from an unnamed Asian mobile carrier, reportedly of a product page for the new device.
Let’s move away from phones and talk about a different category — namely tablets. Or rather, as this is Apple, iPads.
The most likely new entry in Apple’s iPad range is the iPad Air 5. We hadn’t necessarily expected it to arrive this month, given that the iPad Air 2020 made its debut in October of that year, but there are plenty of rumors that we will see the new model today. Plus, the 3rd-gen iPad Air did launch in March 2019, so there is a precedent for it to be revealed today.
A price drop would be big news for the iPhone SE 3, and the fact that it should get an upgrade to 5G plus the A15 Bionic chip is also welcome.
However, the rumors suggest the iPhone SE 3 will stick with an outdated design that’s based on the iPhone 8 — and one Tom’s Guide editor is pretty unhappy about that.
Sticking with the iPhone SE 3, one of the key questions we want answering is how much it will cost. The current iPhone SE will set you back $399, making it a cheap phone compared to flagships and indeed compared to rivals such as the $449 Google Pixel 5a.
But at least one analyst thinks Apple could go cheaper still, offering the iPhone SE 3 (2022) for as little as $300. That would be huge news if true — so we’ll be listening out for the price announcement just as eagerly as we will the spec details.
One phone we very much expect to see revealed at today’s Apple event is the iPhone SE 3 (2022). There have been so many rumors about it that we can be pretty sure about lots of details — but there are still a few questions to answer.
The most recent predictions come from the respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who tweeted about the phone’s storage and colors a few days. Kuo says the iPhone SE 3 (2022) will come in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB version, and white, black and red.
He also says the design will be similar to that of the existing iPhone SE — which doesn’t surprise us at all.
So let’s delve into some of the specifics around what could be released at today’s Apple event. We’ll start with smartphones.
If you think back to the Apple event from the spring of 2021, you’ll recall that Apple just didn’t release new products then — it also updated some of its existing devices. Specifically, Apple introduced a purple iPhone 12 model a year ago, updating the iPhone lineup it had rolled out in the fall.
Could history repeat itself in 2022? Some Apple observers think so, with the possibility of a dark green iPhone 13 joining Apple’s phone lineup being dangled as a potential announcement today. That claim and the above renders come from Luke Miani, who also thinks a purple iPad Air is on tap for today.
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♬ FEEL THE GROOVE – Queens Road, Fabian Graetz
So what can we expect to see today? Lots! We’ve got a list of the likely candidates above, but for another perspective on today’s Apple event, senior writer Kate Kozuch prepared a quick TikTok summary of all the potential products Apple could show off.
(Like what you see? Go to the Tom’s Guide channel on TikTok and click that follow button.)
Good morning and welcome to Tom’s Guide’s live blog for today’s Peek Performance Apple event. Marc McLaren here in the U.K. kicking things off, with various staffers taking over as the day goes on.
Follow it live with us here for all of the latest news and speculation in the run-up to the event, and of course for all of the announcements as they happen from 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 6 p.m. GMT.