The iPad Air and MacBook Air are also harder to come by: New models on the way?
In addition to the iPhone SE 4, new Macs & iPads could also be coming onto the market soon. At least that is what we can conclude from Apple's own availability.
iPad Air M2 and MacBook Air M3: Successor on the way?
(Image: Apple)
The fact that a fourth-generation iPhone SE may be released this week – today or tomorrow – is considered a foregone conclusion among well-known Apple rumor mongers. However, two other Apple products could also be announced relatively quickly. These are a new iPad Air with a faster processor and a MacBook Air with M4 instead of M3.
A look into the channel
Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, who also believes that the SE 4 will be unveiled in the coming days, writes in his weekend newsletter that he has heard from the retail channel that stocks of the current models –, i.e. iPad Air M2 in 11 and 13 inches and MacBook Air M3 in 13 and 15 inches –, have fallen. "Apple plans to launch a MacBook Air with the faster M4 chip, new entry-level iPads and updated iPad Air models in the first half of 2025. The inventory of current iPad Air and MacBook Air in Apple retail stores has already dwindled," says the author, who has good contacts at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino.
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A look at the Apple Online Store shows that the availability of the iPad Air M2 has indeed deteriorated. Devices that are normally available immediately now take eight to nine days to be delivered. However, the tablets are still in stock in the retail stores. In the case of the MacBook Air M3, at least individual model variants, such as those with more RAM, will not be available for another 10 days, and some of them are not even available in Apple's retail stores. This is unusual because the hardware should actually be available so late in the product cycle without any problems. The MacBook Air M3 was launched in March 2024, the iPad Air M2 in May 2024.
SoC issues with the new models
It is still unclear exactly how Apple will equip the revised models. The MacBook Air is likely to simply switch from SoC M3 to M4 without any form factor changes – At least there have been no rumors about this. For the iPad Air, Apple could either use the M3 or switch directly to the M4. Although this would be user-friendly, the company would then have to upgrade to the M5 for the iPad Pro in order to maintain the gap, which would probably take a few more months.
Details on a standard 11th generation iPad have not yet been finalized. This should have at least an A17 SoC in order to be ready for Apple Intelligence – along with at least 8 GB of memory. The device could be released together with the Air. Here too, an availability date is still unclear. No Apple keynote is reportedly planned for the iPhone SE 4, only an introduction via press release with information on the website.
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