New iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini, and iPad: all Apple tablets expected at Let Loose and beyond

Apple hasn’t launched a new tablet in 18 months – the longest it has gone between releasing a new model since the introduction of the category. The company is expected to announce two new models during the May 7 “Let Loose” event and the rest of the lineup might get refreshed before the end of the year.Bloomberg has revealed all the products that Apple will likely announce on May 7. In addition to 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros with OLED displays, thinner body, and the M4 chip and M2-iPad Air models in 10.9-inch and 12.9-inch sizes, Apple will also launch new accessories.

As can be gleaned by Apple’s logo for the Let Loose event, a new Apple Pencil will be one of the highlights of the day. The updated digital pen is rumored to feature haptic feedback. Users can expect to feel the stylus vibrate when performing tasks and it’s also possible that a squeeze will prompt it to perform certain actions. Apple is also rumored to announce a more durable aluminum Magic Keyboard during the 30 minutes online event.

Apple may also tease new AI capabilities for the iPad Pro during the event but the features will be formally introduced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June alongside iPadOS 18.

iPad sales fell 17 percent during the last quarter and Apple is hoping that the new models will pump some life into them. This desire is also reflected in the timing of the event, which will start at 7 a.m. Pacific time, three hours earlier than usual. This earlier starting time will ensure that the event will not coincide with sleeping hours for people in Asia.

The report says that Apple is working on a cheaper version of the 10th-generation iPad that might replace the ninth-generation iPad. This model is unlikely to arrive before the end of the year.

A new iPad mini with a faster chip is also in the works but it’s also not expected to arrive before the end of the year at the earliest.

As for other product categories, new low-end AirPods might be launched alongside new iPhones in the fall, and Macs with the M4 chip might be unveiled later this year.