Apple Announces New M3-powered IPad Air

It turns out that ‘something’ was a new iPad Air.

When Tim Cook teased ‘something’s in the air’ earlier this week, most of the industry waited for his Fruit Company to announce new M4-powered MacBook Air models. It seemed like all signs were pointing in that direction, considering usually-correct Apple psychic Mark Gurman said so and the M3 MacBook Air launched around this time last year.

Clearing the Air

Well, Apple just proved it’s still got a trick or two up its sleeve and threw everyone a curveball by announcing the ‘new’ iPad Air. We say ‘new’ because it doesn’t ship with the company’s newest M4 chip but rather the M3 chip which launched in late 2023. Still, we guess it is technically still new because an M3 iPad Air didn’t exist until now.

Along with the M3 chip inside the new iPad Air – which Apple says is faster than its slower chips (duh) – Apple has also given its Air tablets Apple Intelligence, though that set of features still has a way to go.

It will be available in two sizes, 11in and 13in, and comes with the choice of four colours: space gray, blue, purple, and starlight. You’ll also be able to purchase Apple’s latest Magic Keyboard which features a larger trackpad and an extra row of function keys for additional money, of course.

If Apple’s previous few launches are anything to go by, then South Africans won’t have to wait long before they can get their hands on the new device. In the US, preorders opened today, 4 March with shipping starting from 12 March. The smaller 11in model starts at $600 (~R11,150) while the larger 13in model starts at $800 (~R14,862). As usual, expect them to be higher in South Africa, especially if you want more storage, a Wi-Fi + cellular option, or that new Magic Keyboard – $270 (~R5,016) for the 11in model and $320 (~R5,945) for the 13in model.