Apple event announced: New iPads and Vision Pro updates expected at major live launch
Apple has launched a new “special event”, with updates to the iPad and more expected.
The company invited the world to watch the launch on 7 May, at 7am local pacific time. It is the first such launch event of 2024.
The invitation includes the words “let loose” and a picture that seemed to include a hand holding the iPad’s stylus.
Apple has long been rumoured to be working on new updates to the iPad. The tablet line-up did not receive a single update last year, leading to much speculation on when new versions might be released.
The company might also use the opportunity to announce news on the Vision Pro. Apple’s augmented reality headset was announced last year and launched in the US earlier this year – but it has said relatively little about it since, including staying quiet on any information about whether it might be released in other countries.
The invitation did not give any explicit indication of what would happen during the event.
Apple will stream the launch as a live video around the world, but it will be accompanied by an event in London, which may explain the unusually early launch. The company has almost held its launches at its home in California, and holding it in the UK represents a break with tradition.
While Apple has had launches elsewhere in the past – it launched MacBooks and iPads in Brooklyn at an event in 2018, for instance – it is thought to be the first time that Apple has done so outside of the US.
Apple opened new offices in London’s Battersea Power Station last year. When Tim Cook, its chief executive, visited before they opened, he said the offices were “tribute to this incredible city and a reflection of our commitment to Apple’s future in the UK”.
In September last year, Apple said that it now supports more than 550,000 jobs across the UK, and that it has the largest developer community in Europe. “Whether it’s enriching the lives of our customers, helping support incredible developers, working closely with suppliers, or opening our stunning new UK headquarters, we are deeply committed to creating jobs and harnessing creativity throughout the country,” Mr Cook said then.
