Apple’s 2024 iPad event has left enthusiasts in awe with its groundbreaking announcements, unveiling a stellar lineup that pushes the boundaries of technology. From the powerful iPad Pro to the sleek iPad Air, here’s everything you need to know about the latest innovations.
Discover everything announced at the Apple iPad Event 2024! Apple unveiled a groundbreaking lineup of iPads, featuring the world’s most advanced display on the new iPad Pro powered by the next-generation M4 chip.
Entry-Level iPad
Kicking off the lineup is the entry-level iPad, designed to cater to a wide range of users with its affordability and performance. Despite being the entry point, this iPad boasts impressive features, making it an ideal choice for students, professionals, and casual users alike.
Regrettably, the 10th iteration of the product bearing the name “iPad” remained unaltered during the recent Let Loose event. Nonetheless, it retains its status as a commendable entry-level tablet, boasting a 10.9-inch display, the A14 Bionic system-on-a-chip originally introduced for the iPhone 12 lineup, and a USB-C port. Its color options encompass blue, pink, yellow, and silver.
Historically, the iPad commanded a price of $449; however, Apple has opted to reduce it to $349 for the 64GB variant. Yet, opting for the 256GB model incurs a slightly heavier expense, elevating the cost to $499.
The iPad Air
The iPad Air continues to impress with its sleek design and advanced capabilities. Now powered by the M2 chip, it delivers enhanced performance, making multitasking seamless and smooth. Whether you’re browsing the web, editing photos, or sketching ideas, the iPad Air offers the perfect balance of power and portability.
The definition of the iPad Air has become somewhat blurred over time, particularly in comparison to the iPad Pro. However, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering endeavored to elucidate its essence. “The iPad Air is engineered to bring forth advanced functionalities pioneered on the iPad Pro, rendering them accessible at a more economical price point,” he articulated.
Hence, it’s no wonder that the iPad Air is now available in two screen dimensions: 11 and 13 inches. Apple has opted to employ its M2 chip to empower the iPad Air, alongside relocating the front-facing camera to the landscape edge of the tablet.
Here’s what makes the new iPad Air stand out:
- M2 chip: Delivers powerful performance for everyday tasks and creative endeavors.
- Available in 11-inch and 13-inch models: Choose the size that best suits your needs.
- Advanced display with True Tone: Delivers a beautiful viewing experience.
- Lightweight and thin design: Perfect for portability.
- Compatible with the second-generation Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard Folio.
The new iPad Air is available in various colors starting at $749 for the 11-inch model and $849 for the 13-inch model.
The iPad Pro
At the heart of Apple’s iPad lineup is the iPad Pro, a device that redefines what’s possible with a tablet. Featuring the groundbreaking M4 chip, the iPad Pro delivers unrivaled performance, making it the ultimate tool for professionals and creatives. The Ultra Retina XDR display takes visuals to new heights, while the Apple Pencil Pro enhances the pencil experience like never before.
True to its moniker, the iPad Pro encapsulates the finest components presently available in the market. The latest iteration of the iPad Pro maintains this tradition, now boasting an OLED display and introducing the all-new M4 chip.
In essence, the iPad Pro represents an enhancement in every aspect. It boasts four speakers, a lidar scanner, a novel adaptive true-tone flash, and a USB-C port with Thunderbolt 4 support. However, the necessity of these features hinges on your usage scenarios and the role your iPad fulfills within your computing ecosystem.
Here are some key highlights of the New iPad Pro:
- M4 chip: Delivers groundbreaking performance for CPU, GPU, and the Neural Engine.
- World’s Most Advanced Display: Stunning visuals with tandem OLED technology for incredible contrast and vibrant colors.
- Thin and Light Design: The thinnest iPad ever, making it incredibly portable.
- Apple Pencil Pro: Offers new capabilities and a seamless pencil experience.
- Magic Keyboard: Attaches magnetically with Smart Connector for a complete laptop experience.
- Available in 11-inch and 13-inch models: Choose the size that best suits your needs.
The iPad Pro is available in Silver and Space Black, starting at $999 for the 11-inch model and $1,299 for the 13-inch model.
The iPad Mini
For those who prefer a more compact device, the iPad Mini offers a perfect solution. Despite its small size, the iPad Mini packs a punch with its powerful M2 chip and stunning display. Whether you’re reading ebooks, watching videos, or playing games, the iPad Mini delivers an immersive experience like no other.
Pencils and Keyboards
To complement its lineup, Apple has introduced new accessories designed to enhance productivity and creativity. The Apple Pencil Pro offers precise control and responsiveness, while the Magic Keyboard provides a comfortable typing experience. These accessories transform the iPad into a versatile workstation, allowing users to unleash their creativity wherever they go.
Navigating the realm of iPad accessories can indeed be intricate, particularly when considering compatibility across different models.
Let’s commence with the styluses. Presently, all iPads extend support to pencils. Apple offers a basic $79 USB-C Apple Pencil compatible with all models, serving as the most economical option. Although it can be magnetically affixed to the tablet, periodic charging via USB-C cable is requisite.
The entry-level iPad also accommodates the first-generation Pencil, albeit requiring a dongle for connectivity (which lacks magnetic attachment). Nonetheless, opting for the fundamental USB-C Apple Pencil is recommended in the absence of the former.
For iPad mini owners, there’s the option of purchasing a $129 second-generation Apple Pencil. Noteworthy attributes include wireless pairing and charging and a convenient double-tap shortcut for tool selection.
For prospective iPad Air buyers or iPad Pro buyers, Apple has revamped the second-generation Apple Pencil, now dubbed the Apple Pencil Pro. Priced at $129, it incorporates several quality-of-life enhancements, including the ability to summon a tool palette with the pencil.
Regarding keyboards, each iPad model boasts its unique Magic Keyboard variant. The Magic Keyboard Folio for the entry-level iPad lacks the aesthetic appeal of its counterparts for the iPad Air or iPad Pro, essentially functioning as a $249 keyboard cover.
For the iPad Air and iPad Pro, keyboard pricing varies based on the device’s size. The Magic Keyboard for 11-inch models is priced at $299, while its 13-inch counterpart commands $349.
Of course, if extensive typing isn’t on the agenda, opting for a Smart Folio to safeguard the display and serve as a stand suffices. The adaptability of the iPad ecosystem renders it more versatile than conventional laptops.
Inside the M4 chip
Deep within the Apple M4 chip lies a realm of innovation and advancement. Serving as the fourth iteration of Apple’s bespoke System-on-Chips (SoCs), it introduces a novel display engine alongside significantly enhanced CPU and GPU cores. At its core, the base M4 chips boast 10 CPU and 10 GPU cores.
According to Apple, the newfound CPU prowess marks a 50% improvement over the preceding M2 chips that powered the previous generation of iPad Pros. Simultaneously, the GPU delivers a remarkable 4x surge in rendering performance, all while maintaining the same performance per watt as its predecessor, the M3. Notably, Apple accentuates that the fresh GPU architecture integrates dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated mesh shading, and ray tracing—a groundbreaking achievement for the iPad.
It thinnest Apple Product Ever
With its sleek and lightweight design, the iPad lineup is thinner and lighter than ever before. Despite its slim profile, the iPad doesn’t compromise on performance or battery life, making it the perfect companion for work or play.
The latest iPad Pro—an epitome of sleekness and lightweight design, marking the thinnest offering ever crafted by Apple. This remarkable feat in engineering elevates portability to unprecedented levels. The 11-inch variant boasts a mere 5.3 mm thickness, while its 13-inch counterpart is even more slender at a striking 5.1 mm, all the while maintaining the robustness of previous designs. Weighing less than a pound for the 11-inch model and nearly a quarter pound lighter for the 13-inch model compared to its forerunner, the new iPad Pro empowers professional users to expand their workflows in novel environments. Adorned in two exquisite finishes—silver and space black—both featuring 100 percent recycled aluminum enclosures, the new iPad Pro exudes elegance and sustainability.
World’s Most Advanced Display
The iPad Pro features the world’s most advanced display, capable of delivering stunning visuals with its Ultra Retina XDR technology. Whether you’re watching movies, editing photos, or playing games, the iPad Pro’s display ensures an immersive and true-to-life experience.
Debuting with the new iPad Pro is the groundbreaking Ultra Retina XDR display, heralded as the pinnacle of visual excellence worldwide. This state-of-the-art display leverages tandem OLED technology, employing two OLED panels to merge light from both sources, thereby delivering extraordinary full-screen brightness. The new iPad Pro supports an astounding 1000 nits of full-screen brightness for both SDR and HDR content, with a peak of 1600 nits for HDR—setting a new standard in dynamic range unmatched by any other device. The innovative tandem OLED technology enables minute control over color and luminance at the pixel level, elevating XDR precision to unprecedented heights. As a result, specular highlights in photos and videos appear more vibrant, while shadows and low-light details are rendered with enhanced clarity previously unseen on iPad. For professional users immersed in high-end, color-critical workflows or challenging lighting conditions, the new iPad Pro introduces a nano-texture glass option. Nano-texture glass, intricately etched at a nanometer scale, preserves image quality and contrast while diffusing ambient light to minimize glare. With its revolutionary tandem OLED technology, unparalleled brightness, precise contrast, vivid colors, and nano-texture glass option, the Ultra Retina XDR display stands as the epitome of display technology, offering iPad Pro users an unmatched visual experience.
Only Possible with M4
The M4 chip powers the iPad Pro, enabling breakthrough performance and capabilities. With its outrageously fast CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine, the M4 chip delivers unmatched performance, making the iPad Pro the most powerful device for artificial intelligence and productivity tasks.
Outrageously Powerful Device for AI
Thanks to the M4 chip, the iPad Pro offers powerful AI capabilities that open up new possibilities for users. Whether you’re editing videos, designing graphics, or analyzing data, the iPad Pro’s AI capabilities make tasks faster and more efficient than ever before.
The new iPad Pro, equipped with the formidable M4 chip, boasts Apple’s most potent Neural Engine to date, capable of an astounding 38 trillion operations per second—a staggering 60 times faster than the initial Neural Engine found in the A11 Bionic chip. Enhanced by next-generation ML accelerators within the CPU, a high-performance GPU, expanded memory bandwidth, and intelligent features along with robust developer frameworks in iPadOS, the Neural Engine elevates the new iPad Pro into a realm of unparalleled power for AI applications. With the iPad Pro featuring the M4 chip, users can execute AI-driven tasks with unprecedented speed, such as effortlessly isolating subjects from their backgrounds in 4K video using the Scene Removal Mask in Final Cut Pro.
The advanced capabilities of the Neural Engine in the M4 chip surpass those of any neural processing unit found in contemporary AI PCs. Additionally, iPadOS integrates advanced frameworks like Core ML, facilitating developers in leveraging the Neural Engine to deliver extraordinary AI functionalities locally. This includes executing powerful diffusion and generative AI models with remarkable performance directly on the device. Furthermore, the iPad Pro extends support to cloud-based solutions, enabling users to harness the potential of AI through powerful productivity and creative apps such as Copilot for Microsoft 365 and Adobe Firefly.
Pro Cameras
The iPad Pro features pro cameras that capture stunning photos and videos, allowing users to unleash their creativity like never before. Whether you’re shooting landscapes or portraits, the iPad Pro’s cameras deliver exceptional results every time.
The enhanced camera system on the new iPad Pro brings forth heightened versatility, complemented by rich audio output from four studio-quality microphones, enabling users to capture, edit, and share content seamlessly on a single device. The 12MP rear camera excels in capturing vibrant Smart HDR images and videos, exhibiting improved color reproduction, enhanced textures, and finer details even in low-light conditions. Furthermore, it introduces a novel adaptive True Tone flash, significantly enhancing document scanning capabilities on the new iPad Pro. Leveraging AI technology, the device automatically detects documents within the Camera app. In scenarios where shadows obstruct the scanning process, the new adaptive flash intelligently captures multiple photos and seamlessly stitches them together, resulting in remarkably improved scans.
In a notable change, the TrueDepth camera system on the new iPad Pro relocates to the landscape position. Featuring an Ultra Wide 12MP camera with Center Stage functionality, the device enhances the landscape-oriented video conferencing experience, particularly when the iPad is connected to a Magic Keyboard or Smart Folio.
Pro Connectivity
With USB-C and USB-4 connectivity, the iPad Pro offers fast and versatile connectivity options. Whether you’re connecting to external displays, storage devices, or accessories, the iPad Pro ensures seamless and efficient workflows.
The iPad Pro features a high-performance USB-C connector equipped with Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4 support, delivering rapid wired connectivity of up to 40Gb/s. Thunderbolt facilitates a broad range of high-performance accessories, including external displays such as the Pro Display XDR, capable of displaying at its full 6K resolution, and external storage devices—all seamlessly connected using top-tier cables and docks. Additionally, the iPad Pro boasts Wi-Fi 6E support, ensuring lightning-fast Wi-Fi connections ideal for professional workflows on the move. For users requiring unparalleled connectivity, Wi-Fi + Cellular models with 5G capability enable swift access to files, seamless communication with colleagues, and effortless data backup while on the move. The cellular models of the new iPad Pro come equipped with eSIM activation, offering a more secure alternative to physical SIM cards. This allows users to swiftly connect and transfer existing plans digitally, while also enabling the storage of multiple cellular plans on a single device. Customers can easily access wireless data plans for the new iPad Pro in over 190 countries and regions worldwide, eliminating the need to obtain a physical SIM card from a local carrier.
All-New Magic Keyboard and Smart Folio
Apple has introduced new accessories for the iPad lineup, including the all-new Magic Keyboard and Smart Folio. The Magic Keyboard attaches magnetically to the iPad, providing a comfortable typing experience and multiple viewing angles. Meanwhile, the Smart Folio offers stylish protection for the iPad, ensuring it stays safe and secure wherever you go.
Beyond the Hardware: Powerful iPadOS Features and Pro Apps
The iPad lineup benefits from powerful iPadOS features, including Live Multicam for enhanced video editing and USB-C connectivity for broader accessory support. Additionally, Apple announced Final Cut Camera, a dedicated camera app for iPad, alongside updates to Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 and Logic Pro for iPad 2.
iPadOS is brimming with features that push the boundaries of what’s achievable on iPad. With Reference Mode, iPadOS can precisely match the color requirements of the Ultra Retina XDR display, catering to tasks where accurate colors and consistent image quality are paramount—such as review and approval processes, color grading, and compositing tasks. Stage Manager empowers users to seamlessly manage multiple overlapping windows within a single view, facilitating window resizing, and app switching with a simple tap, and more. With comprehensive external display support of up to 6K resolution, iPad Pro users can extend their workflow seamlessly, while also utilizing the built-in camera on an external display for enhanced video conferencing experiences. Users can harness the formidable AI capabilities of iPad Pro and the intelligent features embedded within iPadOS, including Visual Look Up, Subject Lift, Live Text, Live Captions, and Personal Voice for enhanced accessibility.
With iPadOS 17, users gain the ability to personalize and interact with the Lock Screen more extensively, leveraging the larger display on iPad. Interactive widgets offer glanceable information, allowing users to complete tasks promptly with just a tap. The Notes app introduces novel ways to organize, read, annotate, and collaborate on PDF documents, further simplified by AutoFill, which intelligently identifies and fills fields in forms, streamlining the process of working with PDFs.
A Commitment to Sustainability
Apple continues its commitment to sustainability with the new iPad lineup utilizing recycled materials in various components.
Pricing and Availability
Customers can now place orders for the new iPad Pro with M4, starting today, May 7, via apple.com/store and the Apple Store app in 29 countries and regions, including the U.S. The devices will be available in stores starting Wednesday, May 15.
The new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models will be offered in silver and space black finishes, with storage configurations ranging from 256GB to 2TB.
Pricing for the 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $999 (U.S.) for the Wi-Fi model and $1,199 (U.S.) for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The 13-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,299 (U.S.) for the Wi-Fi model and $1,499 (U.S.) for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. Additional technical specifications, including options for nano-texture glass, can be found at apple.com/store.
For educational purposes, the new 11-inch iPad Pro is available for $899 (U.S.), while the 13-inch model is priced at $1,199 (U.S.). This pricing is accessible to current and newly accepted college students, parents of such students, faculty, staff, and home-school teachers across all grade levels. Further details are available at apple.com/us-hed/shop.
The new Apple Pencil Pro, compatible with the new iPad Pro, is priced at $129 (U.S.), or $119 (U.S.) for educational purposes. The Apple Pencil (USB-C) is also compatible and available for $79 (U.S.), or $69 (U.S.) for education.
The new Magic Keyboard, available in black and white finishes, is compatible with the new iPad Pro. Pricing starts at $299 (U.S.) for the 11-inch model and $349 (U.S.) for the 13-inch model, with support for over 30 languages. For educational purposes, the 11-inch Magic Keyboard is priced at $279 (U.S.), while the 13-inch model is available for $329 (U.S.).
The new Smart Folio is offered in black, white, and denim finishes, priced at $79 (U.S.) for the 11-inch iPad Pro and $99 (U.S.) for the 13-inch model.
Logic Pro for iPad 2 will be available on May 13 as a free update for existing users, or for new users at $4.99 (U.S.) per month or $49 (U.S.) per year, with a one-month free trial. Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 will follow later this spring, also priced at $4.99 (U.S.) per month or $49 (U.S.) per year, with a one-month free trial.
Customers can take advantage of trade-in programs to save on their new iPad purchases, with details available at apple.com/shop/trade-in. Additionally, customers in the U.S. can opt for Apple Card Monthly Installments at 0 percent APR when using Apple Card for their purchases, along with 3 percent Daily Cashback.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Apple’s 2024 iPad event has unveiled a lineup that sets new standards for performance, design, and innovation. From the powerful iPad Pro to the sleek iPad Air, every device in the lineup offers something unique and exciting for users. With its advanced technology and thoughtful design, the iPad continues to redefine what’s possible with a tablet, empowering users to unleash their creativity and productivity wherever they go.
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