New iPad Pro and iPad Air on track for launch in the second week of May, we're told

There have been so many rumors of the 2024 launch of a new OLED iPad Pro and a refreshed iPad Air in recent months that, at this point, there is little doubt that such a launch is in the cards. We still don't know exactly when this will happen however, but as we get closer to the launch the window is starting to shrink. Now, a new report claims that we can expect the tablets in the second week of May.

That's according to a new report by Bloomgerg's Mark Gurman who, writing in the weekly Power On newsletter, says that the week of May 6 is likely to be the one that sees a new tablet launch.

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Apple famously didn't launch any new tablets throughout the entire of 2023 which was the first time that had happened in the entire history of the iPad lineup. That hiatus is going to come to an end soon, however, with Gurman having said for some time that a May window was the most likely.

As for what the new tablets will offer, there's plenty to look forward to. The iPad Pro is expected to sport a whole new OLED display, offering improved blacks and contrast as well as better color reproduction. On the inside, the new tablet is expected to use the latest M3 chip just like Apple's iMac and MacBook Pro. It isn't known what other changes we can expect in terms of RAM or storage, however. Both 11- and 12.9-inch versions are expected to be updated.

In terms of the iPad Air, Apple is expected to refresh the current 11-inch model and launch a whole new 12.9-inch tablet to go with it. Both tablets are expected to use new M2 chips, upgrades over the previous M1, while no other major changes are expected - although it's possible there could still be a surprise lurking.

Apple isn't expected to bring any big design changes to this round of iPad Pro and iPad Air tablets, but one possible tweak has started to leak. According to some reports, Apple will move the FaceTime selfie camera from the top of the display to the side for the first time, just like the 10th-gen iPad. Such a move will make for an improved video calling experience when the tablets are in a landscape orientation, like when connected to a keyboard.

Apple is also expected to launch a refreshed Apple Magic Keyboard as well as a new Apple Pencil alongside the new tablets.