iPad Air gets M4 processor at the same $999 price

Apple is on a run of product news this week after a tease last week from CEO Tim Cook.  Firstly, the iPhone 17e, now the iPad Air, though this one is even more incremental than the iPhone.

iPad Air, probably the pick of the bunch in the range for keen-eyed users, gets a performance and connectivity boost – the kind that will have it change at the factory without a single worker even knowing it’s a different mode.

Same look, same colours, just a few different chips inside.

Nothing to shrug at if your iPad is due an upgrade; the M4 chip makes the iPad Air some 30 percent faster than the M3 version, and the new Apple C1X offers better and faster connectivity.

Curiously, the iPad Air gets WiFi 7, something the iPhone 17e didn’t get.  The tablet also gets the latest Bluetooth (6) connectivity too.

And, it also starts at the same price as its predecessor- $999 for the 11-inch and $1,349 for the 13-inch.

Both go on pre-sale March 5 and are available March 11.

“iPad Air gives users more ways than ever to be creative and productive, offering powerful performance and incredible versatility to help them turn their ideas into reality,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With its blazing performance thanks to M4, incredible AI capabilities, and game-changing iPadOS 26 features, there’s never been a better time to choose or upgrade to iPad Air.”