ITHome has highlighted several third-party protective cases listings for 12.9-inch iPad Air and Pro 2024 models—the Amazon product pages state that these accessories "will be on the shelves on March 26." The publication believes that this date could align with an official Apple unveiling—Mark Gurman, a Bloomberg reporter, predicted a planned announcement "around the end of March or April" in a recent "Power On" newsletter. MacRumors has tracked relevant activity on Weibo—based on claims made by Instant Digital (a well known Chinese leaker) they reckon that a possible March 26 presentation could be used to introduce: "pre-order availability, with shipping dates to follow."

We last heard about the rumored 2024 lineup of iPad Pro and Air models sporting some "revised physical dimensions." It was speculated that an upgrade to OLED panels has granted slimmer profiles—these possess fewer layers when compared to custom mini-LED parts on current generation premium tablets. LG is reported to be contracted for mass manufacturing of upcoming 13-inch iPad OLED tech, while Samsung (allegedly) takes care of 11-inch panels. With the launch of their M3 chipset-equipped MacBook Air 2024 range out of the way, Apple can concentrate on its next wave of new generation portable products.