Apple recently announced that it will hold a “special event” spring new product launch event at 10 pm on May 7, Taiwan time. It is expected that the iPad series will be the protagonist this time. In addition to the iPad Pro, the highly anticipated iPad Air . It has been nearly 800 days since the last iPad Air was launched in March 2022. In addition to hardware upgrades, this time it will also bring new products such as the large-sized 12.9-inch iPad Air. This time I will help you Organize the key points about the new iPad Air.
iPad Air is about to be launched. In addition to launching the 12.9-inch iPad Air for the first time, there are also these important updates about “it”
Apple will hold an “Apple Special Event” new product launch event on the evening of May 7. In addition to the iPad Pro, there is also expected to be a new iPad Air. This is likely to be one of the biggest updates in the history of the iPad Air series, and a 12.9-inch model will be launched for the first time. Large screen model. In addition to the larger screen size, the new iPad Air also has these updated highlights.
New appearance design, added 12.9-inch large screen version
The iPad Air 4 launched by Apple in 2020 has a 10.9-inch screen and a flat middle frame design similar to the iPad Pro. The subsequent iPad Air in 2022 will also adopt the same appearance. This year, in addition to continuing to use the same design language and following the same plan for the iPad Pro series lineup, Apple will offer two sizes of iPad Air for the first time, launching a 12.9-inch large-screen version.
According to the CAD diagram of the new iPad Air released by 91mobiles, the new iPad Air model will use a redesigned main camera. Compared with the current iPad Air 4 or iPad Air 5, which only has a circular lens bulge, the new iPad Air may use The oval-shaped raised main camera design is also rumored to be integrated with a flash, which is also reminiscent of the iPhone X from many years ago. The current rear main cameras of iPad Air 4 and iPad Air 5 do not have a camera flash.
According to the official Amazon store page of third-party accessories brand ESR, multiple protective cases for iPad Air 13 have been put on the shelves, which also indirectly predicts the upcoming launch of this product.
The ESR official website has also listed a total of four models of the 2024 versions of iPad Air 11, iPad Air 13, iPad Pro 11 and iPad Pro 13.
iPad Air still has an LCD panel, not mini-LED
Ross Young, CEO of DSCC and a well-known analyst, previously revealed that the 12.9-inch iPad Air is expected to be equipped with a mini-LED panel instead of LCD. But in the past few days, he revised his previous predictions and mentioned that due to the high cost of mini-LED, Apple may use LCD panels across the board for the iPad Air. Considering that the users of iPad Air are mostly budget-conscious and student groups, if the iPad Air 13 is equipped with a mini-LED panel at a higher cost, the price of the iPad Air will inevitably increase, and the appeal will be significantly reduced. In comparison, Apple is more likely to continue to install Mini-LED on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
Horizontal front-facing video camera
The iPad 10, which was previously launched in 2022, was the first to design the front video lens on the long side of the screen. The horizontal lens position is more convenient for FaceTime calls, participating in video conferences, or recording selfies. In addition, it supports the “people centering” function, and the camera It will automatically adjust to keep the character in the middle of the screen. This year Apple will also use a horizontal front lens for the new iPad Air. This also means that when the iPad Air is used in landscape mode or used with the Smart Keyboard, the position of the person in the video will be more centered.
Below is a diagram of the iPad Air 13 protective case officially released by ESR. You can see that the front video lens is designed horizontally.
iPad Air doesn’t have the new Smart Keyboard
Although there have been rumors in the past that Apple plans to launch a new Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro, this does not include the iPad Air model. According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, the new Smart Keyboard will be exclusively available on the iPad Pro. However, in the iPad Air series, even if it includes 10.9-inch and 12.9-inch sizes, it will be shared with the currently launched Smart Keyboard.
Apple Pencil 3 may only support the new generation iPad Pro
According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, Apple plans to launch a new Apple Pencil 3 in May. Compared with the Apple Pencil, which has not been significantly updated in five years, the new features of the new Apple Pencil are also highly anticipated. In addition to the rumors that it will adopt a shorter appearance, it is also rumored that it will support magnetic pen tips, support searching, and it is even rumored that it may support the introduction of color sampling function. However, Apple Pencil 3 is likely to only support the new generation iPad Pro.
Compared with the current Apple Pencil 2, which only supports two-finger touch gestures and supports quick tool switching in some applications, the surface of the pen body does not support a pressure sensor. Only the pressure of the pen tip can trigger the brush pressure. The iPadOS 17.5 system code has a new “squeeze” gesture function for Apple Pencil. This function is rumored to be triggered by pressing the surface of the Apple Pencil 3 body. The gesture supports customization and quick switching of different functions, such as adding signatures, stickers, and text fields. position or shape, etc.
From ESR’s official iPad Air product promotion pictures on the amazon store, it is also mentioned that it supports Apple Pencil 2 and Apple Pencil (USB-C), but it does not disclose whether it supports Apple Pencil 3.
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Tags: iPad Air launched addition launch #12.9inch iPad Air key updates
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