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Meta’s massive OS announcement is more exciting than a Meta Quest 4 reveal, and VR will never be the same again

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Meta has announced that its Meta Horizon OS will no longer be exclusive to its Quest headsets (such as the incredible Meta Quest 3), and this might be the most important news we’ll see in the XR space this decade.

It’s an announcement I’ve been expecting for years – for reasons I’ll outline below – but the short version is Meta has started to turn its Horizon OS into the Windows of the spatial computing era; it’s even complete with a rival Apple OS (the Apple Vision Pro’s VisionOS) and a dash of irony given one of the first three non-Quest systems will be Xbox branded (Xbox is Microsoft’s gaming department for those not in the know).

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Gurman: No iPad Announcement Planned for March 26

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Earlier this week, leaker “Instant Digital” on Chinese blogging site Weibo claimed that Apple will be making an iPad-related announcement next Tuesday, March 26, suggesting a potential press release introduction ahead of pre-orders and a launch date. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman has now weighed in, however, to say that this claim is “not true.”

When To Expect New iPads Feature 1
While disputing a March 26 announcement, Gurman has not shared any specific claims of his own regarding an announcement or launch date for the new iPad Pro and iPad Air models that are in the works, recently pointing to a general time frame of “around the end of March or in April.”

Gurman offered a bit more color on the timing in the most recent edition of his Power On newsletter, saying that the “variant of iPadOS 17.4” that will ship on the new iPad models won’t be ready until at least late this month, with it potentially taking “a couple weeks” to get the software installed on the initial shipments. That timing, Gurman says, will likely take things “deeper into next month” for a launch of the new iPads although an announcement could happen a bit sooner.

Alongside revamped ‌iPad Pro‌ models with OLED displays, Apple’s M3 chip, and additional enhancements, we’re also expecting updated ‌iPad Air‌ models including a new 12.9-inch size option. Apple is reportedly planning to introduce a new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro and a new Apple Pencil.

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New iPad Air Now Shipping From China Ahead of Announcement

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The next-generation iPad Air is now reportedly shipping to the United States and other countries in preparation for launch.

iPad Air 5
The rumor comes from the leaker known as “Instant Digital,” who claims that manufacturers in China are now shipping the 2024 iPad Air in two sizes to overseas locations. “Everything is ready” for launch, the Weibo user says.

The sixth-generation ‌iPad Air‌ is rumored to feature the M2 chip, a redesigned rear camera, and specification upgrades like Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E. Most significantly, the ‌iPad Air‌ is expected to come in two sizes for the first time, just like the Apple Watch, iPad Pro, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro. One of the size options will be the same as the previous two generations at 10.9-inches, while the new addition to the lineup will apparently mirror the ‌iPad Pro‌’s 12.9-inch model.

Recent reports coming out of Asia suggest that Apple will announce new iPad models on Tuesday, March 26. According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple plans to release new ‌iPad Air‌ and ‌iPad Pro‌ models around the end of March or in April. The latest indications suggest that the new ‌iPad Pro‌ are now more likely to see a launch in April.

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2024 iPad Pro: Key Rumors to Be Aware of Ahead of Announcement

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Apple’s next-generation iPad Pro models are expected to be announced in a matter of weeks, so what can customers expect from the highly anticipated new machines?

M3 iPad Feature 3
The 2022 ‌iPad Pro‌ was a minor update that added the M2 chip, Apple Pencil hover, and specification upgrades like Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. The ‌iPad Pro‌ as a whole has generally only seen relatively small updates in recent years, but rumors indicate that the next-generation ‌‌iPad Pro‌‌ will be the first major update to the product since 2018, introducing “fundamental changes.” Below are some of the most important rumors about the new machines to be aware of as we approach their announcement.

Revamped, Thinner Design

The ‌iPad Pro‌ has retained the same design through four successive generations since 2018. Multiple reports suggest that the biggest design change coming to the new models will be a substantial reduction in thickness, reducing from 5.9 mm to 5.1mm and 6.4mm to 5.0 mm, respectively.

13 inch ipad pro 2024

CAD renders indicate that there will be no other major design changes, but there have been vague reports about the device potentially featuring a landscape front-facing camera like the 10th-generation iPad, a much more natural placement for video calls when using a Magic Keyboard. Rumors dating back to 2021 have suggested that a relocated front-facing camera is headed to the ‌iPad Pro‌. Such a change would likely also require changes to the location or charging system of the ‌Apple Pencil‌, since the wireless charging components for the accessory are currently located where the camera would move to.

Earlier rumors suggested that a glass back could come to a future ‌iPad Pro‌ model, which would be a major design change for the device, but it is no longer clear if this is still a possibility.

M3 Chip for Improved Performance

The next-generation ‌iPad Pro‌ is widely expected to feature Apple’s M3 chip to deliver improved performance and efficiency.

m3 feature black
The M3 is based on the A17 Pro chip, which is manufactured using TSMC’s 3nm fabrication process. In benchmark tests, the M3 outperforms the ‌‌‌M2‌‌‌ by about 17% in single-core tasks and approximately 21% in multi-core tasks. A tentpole feature of the M3 is a completely redesigned GPU with hardware-accelerated ray-tracing, leading to dramatically improved graphics capabilities. In GPU performance, measured by Metal benchmarks, the M3 exhibits a notable improvement of around 15% over the ‌‌‌M2‌‌‌.

4TB Storage Option

Apple will offer next year’s OLED iPad Pro models with a 4TB storage option, a rumor coming out of Asia claimed. Since 2021, the ‌iPad Pro‌ has been available with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB of storage.

If Apple increases the maximum storage of its forthcoming ‌OLED ‌iPad‌ Pro‌ models to 4TB, it would likely also increase the base storage to 256GB to maintain five capacity categories, making all seventh-generation models capable of recording ProRes in 4K at 30fps.

It is also worth noting that ‌iPad Pro‌ RAM is variable based on storage capacity, so ‌iPad Pro‌ models with 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage come with 8GB of RAM, while ‌iPad Pro‌ models with 1TB or 2TB of storage feature 16GB of RAM. Whether that means a 4TB ‌iPad Pro‌ would feature 24GB or 32GB of RAM is unknown, but not improbable.

OLED Display Technology

OLED display technology is perhaps the most anticipated upgrade coming to the next-generation ‌iPad Pro‌ models. The current 11-inch model features an LCD display, while the 12.9-inch model has a mini-LED display.

iPad Pro OLED Feature 2
Apple already uses OLED displays on the Apple Watch and iPhone, but has yet to bring the technology to larger devices. OLED displays use less power, sport greater color accuracy, and provide much better and more consistent contrast than LCD displays. As a significant upgrade, the change will likely be very prominent in the Apple’s marketing materials for the next-generation ‌iPad Pro‌.

Bigger Screens and Slimmer Bezels?

The new ‌iPad Pro‌ models are also rumored to get display size increases from 11- to 11.1-inches and 12.9- to 13-inches, facilitated by slimmer borders around the screen.

ipad pro m1 feature
This would allow the footprint of the devices to remain the same while increasing display size. The slight increases are unlikely to add any meaningful functionality to the device, but they would provide a more modern “all-screen” appearance. However, display analyst Ross Young has since cast doubt on this rumor as it may simply be a misinterpretation of screen size rounding.

Higher Prices

The more advanced OLED display technology in the next-generation models is expected to drive up the iPad Pro’s price, with current estimates starting at $1,500 and $1,800 for the 11-inch and 13-inch models, respectively. Pricing on the current 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ starts at $799, while the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ starts at $1,099. Models with cellular connectivity are available for an additional $200 over the base price for each storage tier.

More recent reports suggest that the price hikes may have been overstated and they may not exceed a $160 increase, but it does look like higher prices are on the way.

Improved Cameras

The ‌iPad Pro‌ has had the same 12-megapixel main rear camera with a ƒ/1.8 aperture since 2017. The 12-megapixel ultra wide camera with an ƒ/2.4 aperture and brighter True Tone flash have also remained the same since its introduction on the 2021 ‌iPad Pro‌. Camera upgrades are rumored for other future iPad models with related hardware such as the seventh-generation iPad mini, so it follows that similar improvements are on the way for the ‌iPad Pro‌.

Since 2021, the ‌iPad Pro‌ has also featured a 12-megapixel front-facing camera with an ƒ/2.4 aperture. With 2022’s iPhone 14 models, Apple introduced an upgraded 12-megapixel front-facing camera with an ƒ/1.9 aperture and autofocus. It seems plausible that this hardware could be ready to trickle down to the ‌iPad Pro‌ in its next incarnation.

The current ‌iPad‌ Pros support Smart HDR 4, so an upgrade to Smart HDR 5 is likely. The Photonic Engine and other iPhone-only photography and videography features could also make their way to the next ‌iPad Pro‌.

MagSafe Wireless Charging

In 2022, it was reported that Apple was testing a new iPad Pro with a glass back to enable wireless charging capabilities.

iPad Pro Magsafe Feature
A subsequent report suggested that Apple may have ultimately scrapped the glass back design after testing due to concerns over breakability. Citing sources familiar with Apple’s design plans, the report claimed that Apple has developed ‌iPad Pro‌ prototypes with a larger Apple logo made of glass, which would still allow for wireless charging. One of the prototypes was said to feature MagSafe with stronger magnets than on the ‌iPhone‌ to prevent accidental damage, and it was also said to support faster wireless charging speeds compared to ‌MagSafe‌ on the ‌iPhone‌.

There is no guarantee that the ‌iPad Pro‌ with a glass back or Apple logo will ever be released, but rumors do seem to agree that Apple has extensively explored some kind of wireless charging solution for the ‌iPad Pro‌. In December, MacRumors obtained information suggesting that the new ‌iPad Pro‌ models might include support for ‌MagSafe‌ charging, and this now appears to be Apple’s chosen wireless charging technology for the device

Apple is also rumored to be working on reverse wireless charging for the ‌‌iPad Pro‌‌, which would allow users to charge their iPhones, AirPods, and other accessories by laying them on the back of the ‌‌iPad‌‌. Apple has filed multiple patents related to this feature.

Redesigned Magic Keyboard for ‘Laptop’ Experience

According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple is planning a complete revamp of its Magic Keyboard accessory for the ‌iPad Pro‌ that makes the device more laptop-like.

m1 ipad pro magic keyboards
The updated version of the Magic Keyboard for ‌iPad‌ will offer a larger trackpad, addressing criticisms of the current model, and “makes the ‌iPad Pro‌ look even more like a laptop than the current setup.” The area around the keyboard itself will apparently be made of aluminum, resembling the top case of MacBooks, to provide a sturdier structure.

The exterior shell of the keyboard will retain the silicone cover material used on the current model and a single USB-C port. Gurman mused that the redesign using more premium materials could lead Apple to raise the accessory’s $299 price point.

The Weibo leaker known as “Instant Digital” claims that the next-generation Magic Keyboard will also be 100% carbon neutral thanks to its redesign and use of different materials. Last year, Apple unveiled its first carbon neutral products: The aluminum Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch SE when paired with a new Sport Loop, as well as the Apple Watch Ultra 2 when paired with a new Trail Loop or Alpine Loop. The company plans for all of its products to be carbon neutral by 2030.

New Apple Pencil

A new ‌Apple Pencil‌ is now actively rumored to arrive alongside the next-generation ‌iPad Pro‌ models. The current, second-generation ‌Apple Pencil‌ is now well over five years old.

Apple Pencil on iPad Close
In March 2021, the leaker known as “Mr. White” shared an image purporting to depict a next-generation Apple Pencil prototype that featured a shorter design, glossy finish, and a larger, deeper tip. Apple was believed to have worked on a smaller Apple Pencil designed for the ‌iPad mini‌, as well as a $49 model for the iPhone, but both products never emerged and are said to have been canceled entirely.

Multiple rumors suggested that the third-generation will include range of interchangeable magnetic tips to emulate different drawing styles. There have also been report about color-sampling capabilities, but little else is known about what the new accessory could offer later this month.

No Apple Event, But Announcement Any Day Now

Reports from a wide range of sources are consistent that the new ‌iPad Pro‌ models will be announced in March. While it was initially speculated that Apple would host an event to introduce the new models, the company is no longer expected to hold a traditional event for the announcements. Instead, Apple is reportedly planning to announce new products on its website with a “series of online videos and marketing campaigns.”

Last week, Apple announced the new MacBook Air models featuring the M3 chip, so this rumor now seems to be true. As a result, Apple is highly likely to reveal the new ‌iPad‌ Pros via a press release on its website during a morning in the next few weeks, likely on a Monday or Tuesday, followed by launch on a following Friday. The new ‌iPad Pro‌ models may launch toward the end of the month or in April, according to Bloomberg‘s ‌Mark Gurman‌, but they could appear as soon as tomorrow.

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