After a two-year hiatus, Apple has finally brought much-needed upgrades to its iPad lineup. On Tuesday, the company unveiled the latest generation of its high-end tablets: the M2 iPad Air and the iPad Pro powered by an all-new M4 silicon; along with new accessories, like the updated Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard.
If you want to know more about devices and accessories, here is every product that Apple announced at its “Let Loose” event.
1. The iPad
Apple’s entry-level iPad received a major upgrade in 2022, bringing it more in line with the look and feel of the higher-end iPad Air and iPad Pro. The company also decided to retain the 10.9-inch tablet’s solid specifications this time around, including the A14 Bionic chipset from the iPhone 12 and the USB-C port.
However, Apple has lowered the iPad’s starting price from $449 to $349 for the 64GB storage model and removed the 9th-generation iPad from sales. Upgrading to the 256BG model could get a little expensive, with the price jumping to $499.
The 10th-generation iPad comes in blue, pink, yellow, and silver.
2. The iPad Air
The iPad that sits between the entry-level and pro models is back with a sleuth of upgrades and a new, larger model. When purchasing the sixth-generation iPad Air, customers can choose between an 11-inch and 13-inch screen size.
Apple says the 13-inch model offers up to 30% more screen real estate and is aimed at those who want a bigger screen without the high-end features of the iPad Pro. The iPad Air’s chipset has been bumped from the M1 to M2, making it up to 50% faster than the previous-gen iPad Air with the A12 Bionic from the iPhone 12.
A notable design change is shifting the Air’s 12-megapixel front-facing camera to its landscape edge for better viewing angles. Apple also doubled the starting storage specification for the Air lineup, which now starts from the 128GB model and can be specced all the way up to 1TB.
The 11-inch iPad Air starts at $599, while the 13-inch model starts at $799.
3. The iPad Pro
The second-generation iPad Pro from 2018 set the tone for Apple’s current design language for its tablets. Since then, there have only been nominal changes made to the device, like adding the M1 chip and mini-LED display in 2021 and then upgrading it to M2 the following year with support for ProRes video, and Wi-Fi 6E.
This year, the iPad Pro received one of the biggest upgrades of its lifetime. First off, the highest-end tablet from Apple is now the thinnest device in its entire lineup, even thinner than the iPad Nano.
The 11-inch model is 5.3 mm and the 13-inch model is 5.1 mm, making them 0.8 and 1.3 mm thinner than 2022’s 11-inch and 12.9-inch models. The tablets also weigh much less at 0.98 and 1.28 pounds, respectively.
The iPad Pro now sports an OLED display and just about not any other OLED screen. The company says the tablet’s new display is comprised of two OLED layers fused together, which it calls the Tandem OLED technology.
The results are pretty obvious, the Ultra Retina XDR screen is much brighter with it being able to hit 1,000 nits and 1,600 nits in peak brightness.
The front-facing camera has been moved to the landscape side, and the true-tone flash on the 12MP camera module behind the iPad has been upgraded for improved document scanning in harsh lighting conditions.
Base level storage has been doubled to 256GB and a 2TB version has been added. The 11-inch iPad Pro now starts at $999, while the bigger 13-inch starts at $1,299. There is also a new silver color alongside the Space Grey.
4. Apple Pencil Pro
Apple’s third-generation stylus for the iPad is the Apple Pencil Pro. Despite looking identical to its predecessor, it is packed with a lot of interesting features. There is now a “squeeze” feature that will open up the redesigned tool palette and a new haptic engine within that provides feedback as you squeeze the Pencil Pro.
The built-in gyroscope sensor lets users change the orientation of the tools that are being used by simply twisting the stylus.
Additionally, the Apple Pencil Pro also supports Apple’s Find My network, which means that if anyone loses their Pencil Pro, they can track its location from the iPhone, iPad, or Mac via the Find My app.
The third-generation Apple Pencil is priced at $129 and is only compatible with the new iPad Air and iPad Pro models.
5. New Magic Keyboard Case for iPad Air and Pro
Apple’s refreshed keyboard folio for the iPad Air and iPad Pro is not much different from the previous version, but it does come with some noteworthy improvements. The keyboard now includes a function row, an aluminum palm rest, and a larger trackpad akin to the one found in Macbooks.
The Magic Keyboard is available for both the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air and Pros, starting at $299 and $349, respectively.
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