Apple launches new iPad Pro and Air models, the first major update since 2022
MANILA, Philippines – Apple unveils its latest iPad Pro and Air models during its “Let Loose” event on Tuesday, May 7. The new tablets mark the iPad’s first major update since 2022 when Apple launched the 10th generation base model and M2 iPad Pro.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the “Let Loose” event is the “biggest event” for iPads since its initial launch in 2010.
The new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models will replace its current mini-LED screen with an OLED display called the Ultra Retina XDR. The display uses two OLED panels, also known as Tandem OLED, to support up to 1600 nits of peak HDR brightness.
Apple will also provide a nano-texture glass option for the iPad Pro for users who are in color-managed workflows or demanding ambient lighting conditions. The option provides less glare while maintaining image quality and contrast.
The new models will also feature a new M4 chip, jumping from M3 that was first introduced in the 2023 Macbook Pro and iMac lineup. It features a new display engine to support the new Ultra Retina XDR screen.
The M4 chip will have up to four performance cores and six efficiency cores that delivers 50% faster performance than M2 in the previous iPad Pros. It also features a 10-core GPU, which will have four times more rendering performance than its M2 predecessor.
The chip also hosts a neural engine that can perform around 38 trillion operations per second, which enables machine learning features such as extracting music recordings into different parts, and detecting documents in the camera app, among others.
The iPad Pro tablets will retail starting P72,990 and P94,990 for the 11-inch and 13-inch models, respectively in the Philippines.
iPad Air
Meanwhile, the iPad Air will feature a new larger 13-inch model. It will also receive an upgrade from the M1 to the M2 chip. The company says that the M2 chip makes the new Air models 50% faster than the old M1 tablet.
Apple will also shift the position of the front camera from the top of the device to the side for the new iPad models. The switch will result in the camera being on top of the screen in landscape orientation, leading to a more optimized experience for users who are always on video calls. The move was earlier introduced in the 10th generation base model.
The Air models will also come in 128, 256, 512-gigabyte (GB) variants, and 1 terabyte storage sizes. Old Air models previously came in 64GB and 256GB models.
The new iPad Air will retail starting P42,990 and P54,990 for the 11-inch and 13-inch models, respectively in the Philippines. The release date for the devices has yet to be announced in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, Apple also introduced a new Apple Pencil Pro and a redesigned Magic Keyboard for the new iPad Pro.
The new Magic Keyboard features an aluminum palm rest, larger trackpad with haptic feedback, and a function row that can enable users to press a key to adjust screen brightness, volume, or check opened apps.
Meanwhile, the Apple Pencil Pro features a new barrel and gyroscope to enable new functions such as squeezing to switch tools, and rolling the pencil to changing the orientation of a pen or brush. It is also now supported by Find My for users to easily locate their device.
The new Apple Pencil Pro is compatible with the new models and the M2 iPad Pro, and will go for P8,690, while the new Magic Keyboard is priced at P19,990. – Rappler.com