Apple Introduces New iPad Pro, M4 Chip, and More

Apple‘s latest virtual showcase focused on all the new updates to the iPad and related accessories.

The event, titled “Let Loose” started off with Apple CEO Tim Cook giving a brief recap on how the Apple Vision Pro and latest Macbook Air products were received. Cook then passed the presentation on to John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering.

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 05: Apple CEO Tim Cook stands next to the new Apple Vision Pro headset is displayed during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference on June 05, 2023 in Cupertino, California. Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked off the annual WWDC23 developer conference with the announcement of the new Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

iPad Air

For the first time, the iPad Air will be available in two sizes: 11-inch and 13-inch. Both will sport the Apple Silicon M2 chip, bringing a faster CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine to the product.

Both sizes also have moved the front-facing camera to the landscape side and has a Center Stage feature that uses machine learning to keep faces front and center. The landscape stereo speakers also have Spatial Audio that doubles the bass. These updates are surely more user-friendly and will make video calls much smoother and intuitive.

Available in blue, purple, Starlight, Space Gray, the base storage amount for the Air has doubled to 128GB and is also available to order in 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB. The 11-inch iPad Air costs $599 and the 13-inch version costs $799. Both are open for per-order right now and will be available next week.

iPad Pro

Then, after a quick transition through a secret library entrance, Apple focuses on the iPad Pro. The iPad Pro comes in two sizes, 11-inch and 13-inch. Ternus claims that the new iPad Pro is the thinnest product Apple, even thinner than the iPod Nano! The 11-inch iPad Pro is 0.98 inches thick and the 13-inch iPad Pro is 1.28 inches.

The base storage space has also increased to 256 GB with additional 512 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB storage sizes. The 11-inch iPad Pro costs $999 and the 13-inch version costs $1299.

The first of many features highlight, both sizes will have the new Ultra Retina XDR display with “tandem OLED technology” where two OLED panels combine the light from both to deliver fullscreen brightness. However, no need to worry about glare from this devices, as there is also a new nano-texture glass. It gives a sort of matte effect on the screen, “scattering ambient light for reduced glare.”

The biggest reveal from this iPad showcase is also a reveal of the new M4 Apple silicon chip. The iPad Pro will be running on the M4, actually skipping M3. The M4 is extremely powerful: four times faster and half the power of the M2. This iPad Pro won’t slow down when using AI features, especially the ones added into the cameras and production programs like Final Cut Pro or Logic Pro.

Accessories

Of course, major updates to product hardware means key accessories must be updated as well. The new Magic Keyboard and Smart Folio is thinner and lighter with an aluminum palm rest and larger trackpad. The 11-inch Keyboard costs $299 and the 13-inch costs $349.

The new Apple Pencil, named the Apple Pencil Pro, has many more cool features added to keep up with the advancements added to the iPad Pro. There’s a new sensor and gyroscope in the barrel of the pen that make the user experience much more natural. There’s a squeeze trigger that can bring up a tool palette, there’s haptic touch features, and now can be added to your Find My devices. The Apple Pencil Pro costs only $129.

The iPad mini got a shout out at the end, as the product was last updated in September 2021. Every product is on open for pre-order right now and available everywhere next week.