March 4 (Reuters) – Apple (AAPL.O) introduced upgraded versions of its iPad Air on Tuesday, equipping the mid-tier tablet with its powerful M3 chip and AI-driven capabilities to encourage customer upgrades.
The refreshed lineup starts at $599 for the 11-inch model, while the 13-inch variant is priced at $799. Pre-orders begin Tuesday, with deliveries scheduled to start on March 12.
Apple has been integrating more advanced chips into its devices to enhance AI functionalities, such as enabling ChatGPT for user queries. The move is part of its strategy to stay competitive with rivals like Samsung (005930.KS) and Huawei, both of which are rapidly incorporating AI into their products.
Last month, Apple introduced the iPhone 16e, a budget-friendly smartphone priced at around $600. This launch aimed to make Apple Intelligence more accessible to mid-range phone buyers, particularly in key markets like India.
Apple Intelligence offers AI-powered features, including ChatGPT-assisted email composition, messaging, and photo editing. While these capabilities were absent from the initial iPhone 16 series launch in September 2023, Apple has since been gradually expanding AI features across different languages and regions.
The previous iPad Air lineup, introduced in May 2023, featured the M2 chip, with the 11-inch model priced similarly to the latest release. Alongside the new iPad Air, Apple announced an upgraded entry-level iPad featuring double the base storage and an A16 chip. However, this model will not support Apple Intelligence.
Apple’s iPad sales totaled $8.09 billion in the holiday quarter, surpassing analyst expectations of $7.32 billion, according to LSEG data. More than half of those sales were attributed to first-time iPad buyers, the company reported.