Apple is holding its first event of 2022 Tuesday (here’s how you can watch it live on March 8) , and rumors point to a …
Apple is holding its first event of 2022 Tuesday (here’s how you can watch it live on March 8), and rumors point to a new iPad making an appearance with a 5G iPhone SE 3 and a Mac computer (or two). It’s exciting to speculate what Apple may have in store, but if we don’t get any iPad upgrades this week, we may have to wait for Apple to unveil them in the fall. Apple made a slew of changes to its iPads last year, from giving the iPad Mini an overhaul to outfitting the iPad Pro with 5G and an M1 chip. This year’s iPads may not be a radical change from the 2021 versions, according to reports and rumors so far. But one overlooked iPad model could finally see an update: the iPad Air, which was one of our favorite iPads from 2020 but got no update at all in 2021. Apple updates its tablets twice a year, or at least that’s how it’s worked over the past couple of years. The iPad Pro arrived in the spring, while the basic iPad, iPad Mini and iPad Air updates arrived in the fall. That cycle could shift again this year — it’s always hard to tell with Apple. But this should help your shopping plans a bit. In the meantime, here are some guidelines for choosing between the current iPads. Reports suggest the Air, which has always functioned like a budget version of the iPad Pro, could see updates yet again. The Air should finally get optional 5G like the Pro and Mini, although keep in mind that the Pro’s 5G bands were more extensive than the Mini’s. Could the Air get an M1 chip as well, or would it get something more like the iPhone 13’s A15 processor, which is also in the 2021 iPad Mini? The A15 seems more likely, especially if the aim for the Air is to be more affordable.
