Apple’s newly updated iPad Air and base iPad have arrived. But there’s not a lot to get excited about.
The Base iPad Is Missing a Big Feature
First up, the iPad Air now features a faster M3 chip. Apple says it’s almost twice as fast as the iPad Air with an M1 chip and up to 3.5 times as fast as the older iPad Air with A14 Bionic.
Beyond that, there are no other changes to the tablet, like cameras or additional features. The 11-inch model starts at $599 with the 13-inch version beginning at $799. Those are the same prices as the last generation of tablet.
Along with the updated iPad Air, Apple also released a revamped Magic Keyboard. It features a larger trackpad and 14-key function row for quick access to controls like screen brightness and volume. It is available for $269 for the 11-inch model and $319 for the 13-inch version.
The base iPad has also been improved, just a bit. Apple has upgraded it to an A16 chip, which Apple says is almost 30 percent faster than the previous version.
While that’s nice, there is a big omission in the update—Apple Intelligence support. That’s definitely surprising as Apple is strongly pushing the set of AI-powered features. That tablet is available starting at $349. But it now features 128GB of storage, double the amount available in the previous model.
All the new devices can be pre-ordered starting today with shipments officially arriving next week on Wednesday, March 12.
Updated Hardware Won’t Fix Apple’s iPad Problem
Faster chips are always great to have on Apple’s iPad. But the two updated tablets aren’t exactly Earth-shattering.
The base iPad update is especially confusing. I’m happy to see double the storage of the previous version, but the lack of Apple Intelligence is puzzling, to say the least. While many of the Apple Intelligence features have been underwhelming so far, Apple is putting vast amounts of resources into improving it.
And while the hardware has always been top-notch, Apple has never been able to make iPadOS take advantage of that speed and power. I’m still using my iPad Pro that I bought in 2018 as a secondary device while I get the vast majority of my work done on a MacBook Air and iPhone. And I don’t see that changing any time soon.
