Apple has revealed new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, here's all you need to know
At Apple's May 7th "Let Loose" event, Apple unveiled several new products: a new iPad Air and a iPad Pro with significant upgrades designed to enhance performance and user experience. These are the key takeaways from the event !
The first of these new hardware releases is the 6th generation iPad Air which was last updated 2 years ago and in need of a refresh. The new iPad Air now features a powerful M2 chip and a larger 13-inch display option. The iPad Air 2024, starting at $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for the 13-inch, provides a more affordable yet powerful option. It boasts a 50% speed increase over the iPad Air with M1 chip, and a threefold improvement over the A14 Bionic model. Enhanced AI capabilities, a new landscape 12MP Ultra Wide front camera, and improved audio with double the bass in the 13-inch model round out its impressive feature set. It also supports both the new Apple Pencil Pro and the older Magic Keyboard.
The second major release is the 7th generation iPad Pro. The iPad Pro now boasts a cutting-edge tandem OLED display for superior visuals, an ultra-fast M4 chip, and an updated Magic Keyboard. The iPad Pro is now Apple's thinnest device at 5.1mm, yet it does not compromise on power with its new M4 chip. It is available in both 11-inch and 13-inch models, starting at $999 and $1,299 respectively. The new Ultra Retina XDR display utilizes tandem OLED technology to deliver unprecedented brightness and more detailed imagery, achieving up to 1,000 nits for standard dynamic range content and 1,600 nits for high dynamic range content.
The M4 chip, which was announced for the first time at this event, was built using a 3-nanometer process technology, and promises up to four times the performance of its predecessor in professional applications such as Octane, while consuming significantly less power. Moreover, it includes Apple's most advanced Neural Engine, capable of executing 38 trillion operations per second, which enhances AI-driven tasks dramatically.
Other notable features include a new landscape-oriented 12MP camera for more natural video calls, support for the innovative Apple Pencil Pro with squeeze gestures and haptic feedback, and a redesigned Magic Keyboard that is thinner and lighter yet includes more user-friendly features such as a function row and a larger trackpad.
This event was somewhat a taster for what is to come at this years WWDC in June, where important software updates to iPadOS and a much anticipated reveal of Apple's own AI are expected. Stay tuned for over coverage of that event next month and let us know what you are most excited to see ?