At Apple's "Let Loose" online event, Apple officially unveiled the new iPad Air with a new 12.9-inch screen design and an M2 processor. It also officially unveiled the new iPad Pro with an OLED display and the first to adopt the new M4 processor. It also officially unveiled a new stylus accessory called Apple Pencil Pro, and as rumored, it launched a new smart keyboard accessory.
Before officially unveiling the new iPad, Apple also emphasized that more and more people are using the iPad for more flexible work styles, and using it for content creation, video viewing, or gaming, thereby meeting more diverse application needs.
A new iPad Air with a 12.9-inch screen
The new iPad Air unveiled this time has a 12.9-inch screen, as previously rumored, allowing users to meet their large-screen needs at a more affordable price. However, the display panel specifications have not been upgraded to Mini LED, and it still maintains an LED display panel with a resolution corresponding to the Liquid Retina specification and a 60Hz screen refresh rate. This is expected to further differentiate it from the iPad Pro.
Another change is the repositioning of the 1200-megapixel video camera, moving it to the top of the long side of the screen. This allows for a more natural video call experience when the iPad Air is placed horizontally, while the single camera on the back still maintains the 1200-megapixel specification.
The body frame is also designed with recycled aluminum and is available in blue, pink, gold and black styles. The Touch ID fingerprint recognition function is also integrated into the power button. The stereo speakers are also changed to a horizontal arrangement for better spatial audio performance. The networking part supports Wi-Fi 6E specifications and a 5G networking version is available.
At the same time, the new iPad Air has also been equipped with the M2 processor, which has a 1% increase in CPU performance, a 15% increase in GPU performance, and a 25% increase in neural computing engine performance compared to the previously used M40 processor, thereby corresponding to more deep learning application functions. The overall computing performance is claimed to be 1% higher than the M50 processor, and 14 times the performance of the A1.3 Bionic processor used earlier.
In terms of accessories, the new iPad Air also supports Apple Pencil 2, the pen touch hover function, and the existing smart keyboard design, which means that existing iPad Air users can continue to use these accessories directly.
The new iPad Air launched this time has a built-in storage capacity starting from 128GB, and the suggested retail price starts from US$599. The suggested retail price of the 12.9-inch version starts from US$799. It is expected to be available for pre-order from now and is expected to be officially launched next week.
As for the price in the Taiwan market, the 11-inch version will be sold at a starting price of NT$19900, and the 12.9-inch version will have a suggested retail price starting from NT$26900, but the specific launch date has not yet been determined.
iPad Pro with OLED display panel and the first M4 processor
As rumored, the new iPad Pro will feature an Ultra Retina XDR display called Tandem OLED. This utilizes two stacked OLED panels for increased brightness and more precise light control, touted as capable of 2 nits of brightness and up to 1000 nits of peak brightness. Apple also touts the nano-grade glass surface material, allowing professional users to reduce glare with an anti-glare coating.
Like the new iPad Air, the new iPad Pro also moves the 1200-megapixel video camera to the upper side of the long side of the screen to provide a more natural video call experience.
With the switch to an OLED display panel, the new iPad Pro has also significantly reduced its body thickness. The thickness of the 11-inch version has been reduced to 5.3mm, and the 12.9-inch version has been reduced to 5.1mm. It is claimed to be even thinner and lighter than Apple's previously launched iPod nano, making it Apple's thinnest product ever.
The processor is the first to adopt Apple's newly launched M4 processor, which is produced using TSMC's second-generation 3nm process, accommodates more than 280 billion transistors, and is equipped with a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU, and an enhanced neural computing engine. Compared with the first-generation neural computing engine, the performance is improved by 60 times. Compared with the M2 processor, the CPU performance is improved by 50%, and the GPU performance is improved by more than 4 times, thereby meeting more artificial intelligence computing needs.
However, in order to maintain stable operation in a thinner body, Apple introduced a graphite thermal conductive layer in the new iPad Pro, and dissipated heat through the copper-designed Apple metal logo on the back of the body, emphasizing that the heat dissipation efficiency is 20% higher than the previous iPad Pro.
The new iPad Pro is available in space black and silver, with storage capacities starting at 256GB and up to 2TB. The suggested retail prices start at $799 and $1099, respectively. The additional screen version with nano-grade glass surface material is only available in the 1TB and 2TB storage capacity versions. If you choose 256GB or 512GB storage capacity, this specification option is not available. In addition, the 11-inch and 12.9-inch screen versions also offer Wi-Fi 6E and 5G connection specifications.
The price in the Taiwan market will start from NT$34900, but the specific launch date has not yet been confirmed.
New accessories: All-new Magic Keyboard for the new iPad Pro, and Apple Pencil Pro with even more features
In conjunction with this iPad model update, Apple also announced the launch of a new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro with M4 processor specifications. The keyboard layout and functions are similar to those of MacBook models, and it is even equipped with a trackpad with tactile feedback and a larger operating area. In addition, a shortcut key design is added to make it easier to control functions such as screen brightness.
In addition, the new Magic Keyboard is designed with aluminum material and is also available in black and white styles. The suggested retail price is US$300 or US$350 (depending on the size of the corresponding iPad Pro) and is expected to be available next week along with the new iPad Pro.
The Apple Pencil Pro announced this time is compatible with the new iPad Pro and iPad Air respectively. It weighs 19.15 grams and is equipped with a new sensor component that can respond to gestures such as two-finger press to call the function panel and double-click. It can also detect the angle of the stylus through the built-in gyroscope component and allow users to perceive the results of writing operations through pen strokes through tactile feedback.
Like the second-generation Apple Pencil, the Apple Pencil Pro can be magnetically fixed to the side of the iPad Pro or iPad Air and charged via wireless induction. It also supports the pen touch hover function and supports Apple's Find My function.
In terms of suggested retail price, Apple Pencil Pro will be sold at US$129. It is expected to be shipped together with the new iPad Pro and iPad Air next Monday. The price in the Taiwan market is NT$4390.
