Apple Event on May 7: iPads Likely - CNET

Apple hasn't had a new iPad in years, but the wait should be over in a few weeks.

An invite for a virtual Apple event appeared in my inbox this morning, scheduled for May 7 at 7 a.m. PT (10 a.m. ET). The invite, which says "Let Loose," shows a hand holding an Apple Pencil. Considering the iPad is the only device that uses the Apple Pencil, that doesn't leave much to the imagination.

Apple's been expected to release new OLED-screened iPad Pros with newly designed Pencils and Magic Keyboard cases. New iPad Airs are also expected, including a larger-screened 12.9-inch model. Apple's iPad Air lineup tends to be slightly redesigned versions of previous-model iPad Pros, so just look to the M2 iPad Pro lineup for a sense of what the next Airs could be. These would be the first new iPads since the iPad Pro M2 model arrived in late 2022.

Apple's virtual invite shows a Pencil in hand.

Budget iPads aren't expected to be on tap here: Both the entry-level iPad and iPad Mini may not get updated until sometime in the fall. In the meantime, Apple will likely push new creative uses for these higher-end iPads, and justify what could end up being a significantly higher price for the revamped OLED-screened models. The Pro modes are also expected to have M3 processors, and all the iPads should finally have front cameras centered on the landscape edge for better-framed video chats when docked with a keyboard, like the 10th-gen iPad has (and all MacBooks).

There are two open-ended questions I have: Will iPads and Pencils become more hooked-in to the Apple Vision Pro? And will iPads become more of a Mac replacement than they currently are? The answer to both is probably no for now, but with Apple's software-focused WWDC conference only a month afterwards, it's an interesting time to release new pro hardware.