Apple’s Midrange iPad Gets an M4 Chip Bump, Arriving March 11

If you’re shopping for a midrange iPad, Apple has an update to the Air that just arrived. And it makes the high-end iPad Pro released last fall maybe feel a little less necessary. The new iPad Air is available for preorder on Wednesday, March 4, arriving on March 11.

The iPad Air’s chip update to an M4 chip is hardly surprising, but it does mean that the iPad Air gets a little better for the same price. The M3 model released last year was my favorite more-affordable alternative to the better but pricier iPad Pro. It’s the same price as before ($599 for the 11-inch, $799 for the 13-inch), and still only has 128GB of storage for that price.

There are a few other internal upgrades inside, though: Apple’s C1X modem is now inside the cellular models, and the N1 chip has Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Threads support.

If you deeply desire a gorgeous-displayed OLED iPad with the highest performance at a steep price, go for the Pro. Or, look for a previous M4 iPad Pro on sale. But for me, until iPads can truly become full Macs at the touch of a button, there’s no reason for a high-end iPad at all.

I still think the least expensive entry-level iPad is a good choice for many, but it looks like that one’s not getting an update today after all, despite reports. That’s a shame, since that iPad’s the only one that still doesn’t have Apple Intelligence compatibility. The Air’s update seems like an indication that Apple’s trying to push people right now to buy a step-up model instead.