We think the sixth-generation iPad Air will probably break at some point this year, and there’s another big hint that supports this, with leaked schematics for the larger 12.9-inch size reportedly in the pipeline.
These schedules are coming true 91mobiles (through 9to5Mac), which reportedly show CAD renderings of the iPad Air 6. The images were obtained through “industry sources” so there is no guarantee that this will indeed be the final design.
The biggest change is of course the jump in maximum screen size, from 10.9 inches on the fifth-generation iPad Air 2022 to 12.9 inches this time around – although the understanding seems to be that both sizes will be available in the next version.
There also appears to be a slight new design in terms of the rear camera. The current iPad Air has a very simple camera bump around a single lens, but these diagrams show a bump around both the lens and the flash.
(Exclusive) 12.9-inch iPad Air design revealed in new CAD renders https://t.co/Yp8OdG9d9rJanuary 20, 2024
Updates on the way
As with previous models of the Apple iPad Air tablet, we still have the Touch ID button on the edge of the device, and the usual USB-C port and power and volume buttons are also visible on this one leaked CAD renderings.
While 91mobiles is referring to the tablet being powered by Apple’s M2 chip, other sources have suggested that the very latest M3 chip will be used instead. Either way, this will be a powerful device when it eventually arrives.
With the new 12.9-inch size, the iPad Air will be even less distinctive from the more expensive iPad Pro models, which are currently available in 11-inch and 12.9-inch versions. It is expected that these tablets will also be updated this year.
The year 2023 was notable for Apple because it was the first year since the launch of the original iPad that no new Apple tablets were released. As we wrote before, that will likely all change in 2024, with updates expected for almost every model.