Liveblog—All the news from Apple’s “Spring Loaded” event (Tuesday, 4/20 at 1p ET)

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The event invitation that went out to members of the press and Apple's partners.
Enlarge / The event invitation that went out to members of the press and Apple’s partners.

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At 10am Pacific time (1pm Eastern) on Tuesday, April 20, Apple will host its first live product launch event since the company’s three-event gauntlet late last year. Tim Cook and co. are expected to put much of the focus on the iPad lineup—but other announcements, like Apple Silicon Macs, are also possible.

As longtime Ars Technica readers expect, we’ll be liveblogging the event and publishing stories about the new announcements as everything unfolds.

If there’s one thing people are confident of going into this event, it’s the fact that Apple will announce new iPad Pro models. Leaks and rumors have claimed that the new iPad Pro will look quite similar to its immediate predecessor but that it will have a faster chip, improved cameras, and (at least in the larger 12.9-inch model) a Mini LED display.

Apple may also be ready to release a new version of the Apple Pencil peripheral; if so, it would be the third iteration of the product. While we don’t expect Macs to be the event’s main focus, Apple may introduce a low-end iMac with the M1 chip, or perhaps other Apple Silicon-equipped Macs.

Other possibilities include an updated Apple TV 4K, the long-delayed Tile competitor (probably called AirTags), or new audio products like a screen-equipped HomePod speaker or a new version of Apple’s wildly popular AirPods wireless earbuds.

It’s also likely that Apple will use the stage this event provides to make the case for its upcoming privacy changes like App Tracking Transparency, which has drawn intense ire from some app developers and advertisers as well as threats of antitrust lawsuits from rivals like Facebook.

Bookmark this page and plan on returning here at 1pm EST on April 20 to see all the latest updates.

https://arstechnica.com/?p=1758016