Yesterday, on May 7th, 2024, Apple held its highly anticipated [Tech] Tuesday event. This event was much awaited as it marked the announcement of new products; the latest iPad lineup. It was the first iPad announcement in a while, as Apple had skipped releasing any iPads in 2023. The event was titled "Let Loose" and featured artistic illustrations of the Apple logo using different Apple pencil brush tips.
NEW iPad Air: Comes in two screen sizes
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Source: 9to5Mac |
It is without a doubt the beloved iPad Air had a big upgrade. Starting with a big brother model 13-inch making a debut with its regular 11-inch model. All models come with the Liquid Retina Display.
iPad Air gets the M2 processor boost, follows the trend of landscape front-facing cameras, and has a base storage of 128GB and maximum storage options of 512GB and 1TB.
It also comes with the support of the new Apple Pencil Pro with some new features.
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| Source: Apple |
- 11-inch/13-inch Liquid Display (2732 X 2048 resolution)
- M2 Processor (8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neutral Engine)
- 12 MP Wide Camera
- Landscape 12 MP Ultra Wide Front Camera
- USB-C port
- Stereo speakers
- Touch ID on the top button
- Wi-Fi 6E
- 5G enabled
- Supports Magic Keyboard, Apple Pencil and Apple Pencil Pro
PRICING: The Wi-Fi-only model starts from $799 (KES 106,666.50). The Wi-Fi + Cellular starts from $949 (KES 126,691.50)
NEW iPad Pro: Revolutionary in every spec
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| Source: Apple |
The iPad Pro also sports a thinner profile, measuring just 5.3mm for the 11-inch version and 5.1mm for the 13-inch model. All that houses the front-facing camera, which also moves to the landscape edge and four stereo speakers. (Interestingly, the thinness of the iPad was compared with the 7th Gen iPod nano)
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| Source: Apple |
What was kind of the main highlight was the debut of the Apple Silicon M4 Processor; the next-generation processor for Apple in the Apple Silicon lineup for the iPads and Macs.
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| Source: Apple |
The M4 Processor comes with a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU and is built using the more efficient 3nm process. The processor's CPU is 50 per cent faster than the M2 processor with some "AI capabilities".
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| Source: Apple |
SPECS:
- 11-inch/13-inch Ultra Retina XDR display (2752 X 2064 resolution)
- M4 Processor (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 18-core Neutral Engine)
- 12 MP Wide Camera
- Landscape 12 MP Ultra Wide Front Camera
- USB-C port with Thunderbolt/USB 4 Support
- Four speakers
- Face ID
- Wi-Fi 6E
- 5G enabled
- Supports Magic Keyboard (for iPad Pro), Apple Pencil and Apple Pencil Pro
EXTRAS
A new Apple Pencil Pro
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| Source: Apple |
Both the M4 iPad Pro and iPad Air 6 are compatible with Apple’s latest-generation Pencil model: the Apple Pencil Pro.
The Pencil Pro includes a new squeeze gesture (bundled with haptic feedback) that can be used by apps to provide a variety of different custom actions. A built-in gyroscope enables rolling the Pencil for greater precision with the tool you’re using, like changing brush shapes and tips. The device also includes Find My integration.
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| Source: Apple |
The Apple Pencil Pro costs $129 (KES 17,221.50).
A new Magic Keyboard just for the iPad Pro
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| Source: Apple |
Apple also showed off a redesigned Magic Keyboard, thinner and lighter, with an aluminium palm rest, a larger trackpad with haptic feedback, and a function row, like the MacBook function row keys. It also comes in silver and space black to match the iPad Pro.
The Magic Keyboard costs $299 (KES 39,916.50) for the 11-inch version and $349 (KES 46,591.50) for the 13-inch version.Final Cut Pro 2 and Logic Pro 2 for iPad: About Time
Apple's creative suite apps Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro finally make a debut on the new iPads. They come with advanced features like Live Multicam and Stem Splitting.
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| Source: Apple |
Apple also launched a new app for the iPhone called Final Cut Camera, which is built to support live multicamera production.
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| Source: Apple |
POINTS TO NOTE:
- iPad's starting price is $349 (KES 46,591.50) as Apple lowers the price of the entry-level 10th gen iPad.
- iPad Mini did not make an appearance in the Apple Event. It might be discontinued or it is pending in future announcements.
- Apple has officially discontinued the 9th Gen iPad, the iPad was the last model to have the physical home button.
- The Calculator app for iPad has still not been announced. (WWDC might be a guaranteed mention)
- The entire keynote event was shot on iPhone and edited on Mac and iPad.
