Apple is due to release new iPad Air and iPad mini as soon as this October. While it’s unclear if Cupertino will be holding a keynote to introduce the new tablets or if it’s planning to announce them via press releases, there’s one issue I hope Apple finally addresses in this update.
Rumors so far suggest that the company won’t give these tablets a huge upgrade, and will mainly update internal specs, such as the A16 Bionic for the iPad mini and the M2 processor for the iPad Air. A broader update is expected for 2026 with an OLED display upgrade. That said, you shouldn’t expect anything fancy, such as a 120Hz refresh rate, higher USB-C data transfer speeds, or even a redesign.
Personally, I don’t think Apple even needed to upgrade these devices with a faster processor. The A15 Bionic and the M1 chips are still ridiculously fast and powerful for what iPadOS is capable of. But there’s one thing the company urgently needs to address, and I know it’s been bugging many iPad users.
Aside from the iPad Pro, which offers several storage capacities, all other iPad models come with 64GB or 256GB of storage, which is insufficient for anyone in 2023. Even if you use the iPad for reading news and social media, I know you have probably struggled to update your base-model tablet to iPadOS 17.
Moreover, I’m sure you can’t download TV shows and movies with a higher resolution when you’re traveling because 64GB isn’t enough. Truth be told, not even 256GB is enough sometimes.
That said, I hope Apple improves storage capacity by bringing these new iPad models at 128GB, followed by 256GB and 512GB options.
In addition, I also wish the next iPad Air follows the iPad 10 and adds the front-facing camera to landscape mode instead of portrait, as most people use the tablet in that position. Since it also integrates with the Magic Keyboard, I think this change would slightly improve video calling experiences.
BGR will keep a closer look at these upcoming tablets, and we’ll let you know once they’re available to users.
