• Apple has pulled cover on its next iteration of the iPad Air, now with M3 chipset.
• The M3 chipset is the star of the show because otherwise we’re seeing the same iPad as the M2 version.
• There’s more performance power available, but does it make that much of a difference when considering price?

We’ve been expecting a new iPad Air from Apple since the launch of the iPhone 16e in February, and while the new iPad was thought to be revealed alongside the new iPhone, Apple has instead decided to give each new device some breathing room.

Powered by the M3 chipset, the new iPad Air delivers stronger performance which Apple says is “nearly 2x faster” than the M1 version from 2022, and it has the company’s new Magic Keyboard that gives a more laptop-like experience.

There are two new versions of the iPad Air, both coming with the stronger M3 chipsets. These are the 11-inch and the larger 13-inch models.

According to an announcement from Apple, the chipset “offers a number of improvements over M1 and previous-generation models.” Compared to the M1-powered iPad Air, the M3 chip offers 35 percent faster CPU workflows, and faster graphics processing through its 9-core GPU (up to 40 percent.)

This translates to slightly better performance when gaming and when using apps, especially apps that consume more RAM. You may notice that it is faster than the previous generation but we’re not sure 35 – 40 percent improvements are all that mind-blowing.

Especially as there is zero mention of how the M3 version does compared to the M2 version. If it’s only 35 percent more powerful than than 2022 edition, the difference from the previous iteration is likely negligible.

However the M3 chip does allow for more innovative technologies compared to the M2 which is worth considering. “iPad Air for the first time with support for dynamic caching, along with hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing,” Apple explains.

The M3 chip also includes a faster “neural engine” alongside a stronger CPU and GPU, which of course allows faster AI-based workloads, at least per Apple. As Apple Intelligence is now fully available in South Africa, users who believe this is important will find it easier to use the new Siri and ChatGPT’s features on the M3 ipad Air

Who needs a laptop with the new Magic Keyboard

Apple has seen fit to bring a more laptop-like functionality through a new magnetically adjusted Magic Keyboard, which comes separate to the iPad for more than $200 or about ~R4000.

This upgraded keyboard now has a larger trackpad, a 14-key function row to adjust screen brightness and volume and a magnetic attachment that can lift the iPad up as if it were a screen, allowing a better working experience which we think would be great for students.

It connects to the iPad through a smart connector without the need for Bluetooth.

Brand new iPad Air – pricing and availability

According to Apple, the new iPad Air can be pre-ordered from 4th March in the US and “29 countries and regions” worldwide, starting at $349 (~R6 428.26) for the base version with 128GB of storage and WiFi only connectivity.

Configurations get the most expensive with 512GB of storage space and WiFi and Cellular connectivity for R499 (~R9 191.06). Added to this the new Magic Keyboard if you want, starting at $269 for the 11-inch iPad Air and $319 for the 13-inch version. However these prices will likely balloon when counting for importing fees, as the base M2 version of the iPad Air is retailing for minimum R14 000 in South Africa.

We have contacted iStore South Africa about when South Africans can expect the new device to become available locally, as well as the pricing. Overall, it seems the new iPad Air offers stronger performance, but not that much, while the new Magic Keyboard balloons the end-price significantly.

Meanwhile all the new improvements for Apple Intelligence will likely be available for the previous M2 version of the iPad Air as well. If you really want the brand’s latest tech, then maybe the M3 iPad Air is for you, but otherwise we recommend the cheaper, older M2 version which is only a little bit less powerful and then buy the Magic Keyboard separately.