Apple finally unveiled its new product after stirring up excitement for the M4 MacBook Air, but it wasn't the product reveal many were hoping for.
Apple shared a press release this morning unveiling the 2025 iPad Air, now powered by an M3 chip. It sports the same design as the previous generation with the same starting prices of $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for the 13-inch model. While the iPad Air M3 might not look different, it comes with a few nice upgrades, especially if you're currently using an older iPad.
The M3 chip offers the best graphics performance yet on the iPad, enough to run the handful of AAA games available on iPadOS. That graphics performance also comes in handy for anyone who uses their iPad for art, design, or video editing. According to Apple, the M3 chip delivers up to 40% faster graphics performance than the M1 chip.
It probably isn't a huge boost compared to the iPad Air M2 (which launched less than a year ago), but if you're considering upgrading an older iPad with an A-series chip, you'll definitely notice the difference.
Along with a chip upgrade, Apple also launched a new accessory for the iPad Air M3, a redesigned Magic Keyboard. It borrows the design from the new iPad Pro Magic Keyboard Apple launched last year, featuring a larger trackpad, an improved hinge, and a function row. The iPad Air version of this keyboard costs $30 less, but only comes in white.
The iPad Air M3 is available for pre-order starting today.
Apple quietly launches base iPad 11 alongside iPad Air M3
The iPad Air M3 wasn't the only device Apple announced today, although you'd be forgiven for missing the second announcement. Apple quietly unveiled an updated base iPad at the end of its press release for the iPad Air M3.
The base iPad 11 now features twice as much base storage, an 11-inch display (rather than 10.9-inch), and an A16 chip, the processor Apple used in the iPhone 15. It has the same starting price of $349 as the previous generation and comes in the same colors (blue, yellow, red, and silver).
While those upgrades are nice, it's worth noting that the base iPad is still not compatible with Apple Intelligence. It would need at least the A16 Pro chip to run Apple's on-device AI features, so it looks like the base iPad is getting left out of that for now. Additionally, the base iPad is still only compatible with the Magic Keyboard Folio, the Apple Pencil 1st generation, and the Apple Pencil USB-C (no floating Magic Keyboard or Apple Pencil Pro).
The iPad 11 is available for pre-order starting today.
Where's the MacBook Air M4?
On Monday, Apple CEO Tim Cook shared a post on X that appeared to be a teaser for the highly-anticipated MacBook Air M4. So, many Apple fans may be disappointed that today's product launch wasn't a MacBook, but a pair of iPads.
It's only Tuesday, though. There's still a good chance Apple could launch the MacBook Air M4 this week. It's not uncommon for Apple to use smaller product launches to build up excitement for a bigger announcement, which could certainly be the case here. Plus, the MacBook Air is due for an update. Apple announced the MacBook Air M3 exactly one year ago today on March 4, 2024.
So, it probably won't be much longer before Apple unveils the MacBook Air M4. Even so, it is a bit frustrating seeing the iPad Air get an update after less than a year while the MacBook Air will now be left waiting over a year.
We'll be keeping our eyes peeled for more news and updates on the MacBook Air M4, so stay tuned for more details.
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