New iPads and Apple Pencil tipped for May 6 release

Predictions about the release date of the new iPad Air, the OLED iPad Pro, the updated Magic Keyboard and yet another Apple Pencil model have so far proved to be as accurate as a long-range weather forecast: they were coming in March, and then late March, and then early April... and they're still not here. But a new report says that they are absolutely, positively, most definitely coming in May 2024 – most likely on 6th May.

That's according to Bloomberg's resident Apple-watcher Mark Gurman, who says in his Power On newsletter that "I'm told the launch will probably happen the week of May 6". That "probably" refers to the day rather than the month: Gurman is confident that May is definitely going to be iPad month.

What to expect from the iPad launch in May 2024

The biggest news here is the long-anticipated OLED iPad Pro, which is a massive upgrade to a design that's stayed the same since 2018. The good news is that the new displays look "amazing", Gurman says – but the bad is that the prices are likely to go up, although by how much we don't yet know.

We're also expecting to see a newly updated and more MacBook-like Magic Keyboard, a new Apple Pencil, and the debut of a new size for the iPad Air: 12.9 inches. And according to Gurman, Apple is also working on updates to its entry-level iPad and the iPad mini too. However, those two definitely aren't coming next month: they're currently scheduled for the end of 2024 at the absolute earliest. 

The entry-level iPad isn't expected to be a big deal – it's likely to be a cut-price version of the iPad (10th Generation) that launched two years ago – and according to Gurman the iPad mini update "won't include much more than a processor upgrade."

It looks like the biggest potential iPad design change, the move to folding displays, is off the menu for the foreseeable future: Gurman reports that the folding iPad that we've heard multiple rumours about isn't anywhere close to production, with Apple engineers apparently encountering difficulties in getting a crease-free display when folded flat. For now, the most exciting iPad in 2024 is likely to be next month's OLED iPad Pro.