Apple’s tablet roadmap for 2024 centers on strengthening the Air lineup, with the Air model positioned as the priority for Apple’s year. This outlook comes from a trusted industry insider and analyst at TF International Securities, Ming-Chi Kuo, as reported by MacRumors. The core takeaway is that the iPad Air will spearhead Apple’s tablet refresh in 2024, signaling a focused push to upgrade the flagship line before other iPad families receive updates.
Kuo asserts that the primary tablet release for 2024 will be a completely redesigned iPad Air featuring a larger 12.9-inch display. While the new Air is expected to retain the IPS panel technology, it will benefit from an oxide back panel akin to the iPad Pro. This combination is anticipated to yield improved brightness, color accuracy, and overall screen performance compared with the current 10.9-inch iPad Air, presenting a more premium visual experience for media, design work, and productivity tasks.
Following the release of the new iPad Air, Apple is projected to refresh the iPad Pro line with 11-inch and 13-inch models. These updates are expected to bring a revamped case design and a transition to OLED display technology, enhancing contrast and power efficiency. In addition, the Pro models are anticipated to incorporate Apple’s M3 chip, already introduced to Mac systems in 2023, signaling a stronger cross-device performance continuity across Apple’s ecosystem.
Kuo’s commentary on the iPad mini and the base iPad is more restrained. He has limited information about these models, with insiders suggesting that the launch of the base 11th-generation iPad could coincide with the discontinuation of the 9th-generation iPad from sale. This hints at a strategic consolidation of the lower-end iPad lineup as Apple concentrates on higher-end experiences across the Pro and Air categories.
Market timing discussed by Kuo places the debut of the new iPad Air in the first half of 2024, followed by the Pro upgrades in the latter half of the year. At this time, there is no clear schedule shared for the iPad mini or the basic 11th-generation iPad, leaving these lines with uncertain launch timelines as Apple reallocates development resources toward its premium segments.
In other tech industry chatter, there is a note that insiders previously clarified the exact design direction for Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra, underscoring how high-stakes product design discussions often ripple across major players in the mobile and tablet spaces. This broader context helps frame consumer expectations for premium devices in 2024, where the emphasis is on display quality, processing power, and seamless integration within Apple’s broader hardware and software ecosystem, including iPadOS, accessories, and cloud services.