The iPad series, which has not seen an update for 18 months, finally welcomed a significant innovation during an eye-catching launch event. As the last major product released by Steve Jobs, the iPad not only created a whole new category of devices but also has always been a focal point in debates about “productivity.” At this event, Apple responded to Jobs’s vision for the future of computing from 2010, which also served as an excellent warm-up for the upcoming June WWDC.
Notably, for the first time in the iPad lineup, Apple introduced their most powerful chip. Launching with the iPad Pro, they brought the AIGC technology to the forefront, starting a new chapter for the tech giant in artificial intelligence. This launch event undoubtedly stated that although today’s iPad may not be a revolutionary work, it still assembles Apple’s top technological achievements and occupies an important place in the future AI landscape.
The iPad Pro, after a year and a half without updates, can be said to have undergone a “tremendous change,” the likes of which it hasn’t seen in six years. The new iPad Pro comes standard equipped with OLED displays, while the LED/mini-LED technology used by its predecessors has gradually faded out of the picture. This means that the new OLED screen will provide deeper blacks and ultra-high contrast, resulting in more vivid and lifelike images, as well as clearer details in dark areas and low-light environments.
Furthermore, the new OLED screen of the iPad Pro also adopted a dual-layer tandem structure, which not only significantly enhanced the screen’s brightness and durability but also reduced the workload of each pixel by adding an extra layer of pixels, effectively avoiding the “burn-in” issues that can arise with OLED screens over long-term use.
In terms of AI strategy, how to integrate AI with the iPad Pro is a key topic. The new iPad Pro made a decisive choice in chip selection, skipping the M3 series and adopting the M4 series chip produced using a second-generation 3-nanometer process for the first time. Compared to the M2 chip, the M4’s CPU speed has increased by 50%, and the performance of the entire system is four times that of the current iPad Pro, also supporting ray-tracing technology for the first time.
Apple’s recent updates and upgrades show that their pursuit of innovation never stops. The neural network engine developed by the company is said to have reached the strongest performance in history, with a running speed of an astonishing 38 trillion operations per second, which is 60 times the speed of the A11 chip. Such robust performance makes it outstanding among all AI PCs today.
To enhance the iPad Pro‘s heat dissipation performance, Apple added a graphite thermal layer to its casing and covered the area around the Apple logo with copper material. Combined with the powerful M4 series chip, the iPad Pro’s power consumption is only one-quarter of equivalent PCs. The advanced neural engine in the M4 series chip significantly enhances the device’s AI processing ability, allowing iPadOS to interact with the camera in real time and directly convert paper documents into electronic versions.
Compared to the recently launched so-called “world’s best consumer-grade AI notebook,” the new iPad Pro is undoubtedly Apple’s first device truly driven by AI. In terms of design, Apple has made a subtle adjustment to the size of the new iPad Pro, slightly increasing its iconic 12.9-inch screen to 13 inches. At the same time, Apple has refined the bezel of the iPad Pro, giving the new device a cleaner and more straightforward frontal visual appearance.
Thanks to the OLED screen not requiring a backlight module, the overall thickness of the new iPad Pro has been reduced after removing this structure, making it the thinnest iPad Pro so far from Apple. The thickness of the 11-inch version has been reduced from 5.9 millimeters to 5.3 millimeters, and the other version from 6.4 millimeters to 5.1 millimeters. The optimization of the front-facing camera is also very attractive, with the new iPad Pro being more suited for horizontal use, coupled with the newly released Magic Keyboard. Although the internal hardware differs greatly from notebooks, its appearance can be said to have the style of a high-end notebook.
It is important to note that the maximum storage capacity of the new iPad Pro still remains at 2TB, and its launch also signifies a rise in price. According to official news from Apple, the domestic starting price for the 11-inch iPad Pro is 8999 yuan, while the starting price for the 13-inch version is 11499 yuan, with the 13-inch 2TB cellular version’s top configuration selling for as much as 21699 yuan.
Additionally, the iPad Air has also grown in size over time to its current largest size of 13 inches, with Apple providing two sizes for consumers to choose from. The new iPad Air continues Apple’s consistent design style and aligns the front-facing camera with the iPad 10 and iPad Pro, placing it on the longer side of the device. The new device also offers an upgraded version of stereo sound, which can be said to be an upgrade that meets expectations.
The new iPad Air not only brings us a broader range of color options in terms of aesthetics but also achieves improvements in performance. The newly launched iPad Air comes in four new colors: blue, purple, starlight gray, and space gray, aiming to meet users’ personalized needs. Many predict that color may become a major selling point for the new iPad Air, which also confirms previous speculations.
In terms of performance, although the M2 chip used in the new iPad Air has a smaller improvement than the upcoming M3 chip, this also means a lower cost, which is undoubtedly good news for budget-conscious users. This, along with the quality of its screen, confirms the product positioning of the iPad Air.
From a pricing perspective, the new iPad Air has not seen much reduction in price. The 11-inch version is priced at 4799 yuan in the Chinese market, while the 13-inch version is 6499 yuan. Overall, the new iPad Air maintains its advantages of being light and portable, while also possessing stronger performance and functionality, and its multi-tiered configuration offers new choices for users at different levels.
The new iPad Pro is now fully equipped with OLED screens and comes in 11-inch and 13-inch models, marking the first time it features the M4 chip, with prices starting at 8999 yuan. The new iPad Air comes in 11-inch and 13-inch models, equipped with the M2 chip, priced from 4799 yuan.
In Apple’s latest round of product updates, the company now has its clearest and most distinct iPad product line in history. This includes:
- Standard iPad (9th generation) comes with a 10.2-inch screen and a Home button.
- Standard iPad (10th generation) comes with a 10.9-inch screen and has removed the Home button.
- iPad mini (6th generation) comes with an 8.3-inch screen.
- iPad Air is available in 11-inch and 13-inch models, all equipped with the M2 chip.
- iPad Pro is available in 11-inch and 13-inch models, all equipped with the M4 chip.
Apple has also innovated with the Apple Pencil Pro and other accessories, including the introduction of haptic feedback for the first time, which brings a more realistic experience to users’ writing and drawing activities, and enhances the accuracy of operation.
The Apple Pencil Pro has taken new steps in meeting diverse creative needs and usage scenarios, introducing various forms and functionalities of “pen tips”. These tips use a magnetic attachment method for easy and quick replacement to suit different operational needs. Even more exciting is that the Apple Pencil Pro has added new squeeze and twist gesture controls, an innovation that makes the operation more intuitive and flexible.
Although the second-generation Apple Pencil already introduced the function of switching tools by touching the side plane of the pen, the new Apple Pencil goes further by adding new sensors on the barrel to sense pressure, enabling more functionalities while retaining existing gestures. This change provides developers with further customization of interactive settings, giving this pen greater creativity and adaptability to use scenarios.
In addition, the Apple Pencil Pro also includes a “Find My Apple Pencil” feature, a popular function previously derived from AirPods, which greatly facilitates users in tracking and locating the accessory in case of loss. Priced at 999 yuan, this pen is more easily accepted by a wide range of users.
In the ecosystem of productivity tools, keyboards are equally indispensable. With the release of the Apple Pencil Pro, the iPad Pro’s exclusive Magic Keyboard also made its debut. This keyboard features an aluminum alloy casing, is lightweight yet fully functional, and is equipped with a larger trackpad, making the iPad Pro’s appearance more closely aligned with the form of a laptop. Its price ranges from 2399 to 2799 yuan, reflecting a relatively balanced cost-performance ratio.
The launch of the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard has significantly enhanced the value of the iPad as a productivity tool, offering more portability compared to traditional laptops. If product names above ‘Pro’ include ‘Max’ or ‘Ultra,’ the entire system built around the iPad, Apple Pencil, and Magic Keyboard could be jokingly referred to as “least.”
At the time of the original iPad’s debut, Apple’s co-founder Steve Jobs predicted that the iPad would represent the future of computing—compared to traditional PCs and laptops, tablet devices are like sedans aimed at the general public, designed to meet people’s everyday computing needs. Jobs pointed out that for such a computing terminal to be successful, it must surpass both smartphones and PCs in key features. Nevertheless, smartphones have still become the computing devices truly integrated into everyday life. When discussing the future of computing terminals, people are turning their attention to Vision Pro, Ray-Ban Meta, and even some immature AI hardware products, with the iPad appearing less frequently in such discussions.
In recent years, the refresh rate of Apple’s iPad series has tended to slow down. Since the iPad’s introduction in 2010, it has now experienced the longest update interval, with the last update occurring a year and a half ago. Now, Apple’s most advanced M4 chip has been introduced to the iPad Pro for the first time, clearly reflecting Apple’s strategic positioning for the product. They are no longer avoiding potential competition with the Mac but are striving to provide a production experience on par with PCs.
Some believe that this seemingly excessive performance is actually in preparation for a series of artificial intelligence updates that will be announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Apple has always placed great emphasis on security and personal privacy and is likely to introduce many features based on on-device AI models, all of which undoubtedly require strong chip support as a foundation. In fact, since the introduction of the iPad Pro in 2015, Apple has always intended to make it a productivity tool that can compete with personal computers, even if this will affect some entry-level Mac sales.
Although for most users, the iPad Pro may still be a product used for consumer-grade entertainment, its potential in productivity is still somewhat questioned. However, in recent years, the iPad Pro has indeed been gradually approaching the positioning of a productivity tool. For example, the 2018 version of the iPad Pro eliminated the Home button, making the screen bezels narrower, introduced a Type-C port to replace the previous Lightning port, enhanced its compatibility with peripherals, and made professional workflows possible.
After Apple spun off iPadOS from iOS, it further distinguished iPad’s interaction from those of the iPhone or Mac, enhancing its professional level. The introduction of the Magic Keyboard and the trackpad for the iPad in 2020, along with iPadOS 13.4’s implementation of cursor navigation and gesture controls, greatly enriched user interaction by cleverly combining PC and tablet interfaces. The “Stage Manager” feature in iPadOS 16, along with improved external display support, enables the iPad to overlap with personal computers like the Macbook Pro in certain scenarios.
Although the overall market is unlikely to experience significant growth, there are still products capable of injecting new vitality into the market. Whether it is the iPad or other tablets, they cannot completely replace PCs or Macs as the main productivity tools, but there will always be specific needs they can better satisfy. For example, they are better suited for text workers working remotely, students and lecturers taking class notes, photographers editing on-the-spot during outdoor shoots, or designers creating hand-drawn illustrations.
As Steve Jobs said, the iPad is somewhat like a car. Whether it becomes a performance vehicle or a regular family car depends on the types of needs it serves. The fulfillment of these needs doesn’t necessarily require disruptive or revolutionary products; the diversity of products itself brings more joy to the world.
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