Apple’s next product event happens on May 7, and it’s probably iPads

 

Apple is going to announce some new things on Tuesday, May 7, at 10 am Eastern, according to an invitation the company sent out to members of the press (and posted to its website) this morning.

 

The name Apple has given the event (“Let Loose”) doesn’t tell us much about what the company might announce, but the art does: It’s a hand holding an Apple Pencil, which almost certainly means the event will be iPad-focused.

 

Apple has reportedly been on the cusp of releasing new iPads since late March, and the rumor mill has already delivered most of the key details. The headliner is likely to be a pair of new iPad Pros with M3 chips, OLED displays, slightly larger screens, and refined designs. Riding shotgun will be a refreshed 10.9-inch iPad Air with an M2 chip, plus a brand-new 12.9-inch Air meant to give large-screened iPad fans an option that doesn’t cost as much as the iPad Pro.

 

Reports also indicate that the new iPads will come with updated Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard accessories. We could see updates for Apple’s other iPads—the 9th-gen iPad and iPad mini are over 2 years old, and the 10th-gen iPad came out in late 2022—but current rumors suggest that this event will only focus on the high-end models.

 

It’s not uncommon for Apple to hold spring product events, though they typically happen in March or April. This May event is happening barely a month before Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June, where the company is expected to announce next-generation operating systems with a focus on generative AI-powered features. Apple announced new MacBook Airs in March, but it did so via press release without holding any kind of event.

 

The new iPads would be Apple’s first in well over a year—the company didn’t announce a single new tablet through the entirety of 2023, the first year without an iPad since the original tablet was announced back in 2010.

 

Apple could also announce other non-iPad products at the event. Desktop Macs like the Mac Mini and Mac Studio could all use an M3 update, though rumors suggest that Apple could skip straight from the M2 to the M4 for the Mini in particular.