Apple iPad Pro M4 event Live blog as it happened: OLED, Air, Pencil and more
Everything we learned watching Tim Cook et. al
Today's Apple iPad Pro and iPad Air event is over, and just as Tim Cook promised at the beginning, it was the biggest day for the iPad since the product was launched in January, 2010. As expected, we got new iPad Pro models with the Apple M4 chip inside. We also got a new Apple Pencil Pro with new sensors and a gyroscope inside, made for the new Pro iPad.
We also got new iPad Air 6 tablets, including a fresh new iPad Air 13-inch model for 2024. The iPad Air got an upgrade to the Apple M2 chip, formerly found in the iPad Pro. As Tim Cook said, the iPad Air gives us what the iPad Pro used to have, for a cheaper price. I'm paraphrasing, of course.
Even though Apple teased AI features during its last earnings call, we didn't see much in the future of Apple's AI. Along with the new iPad Pro models, Apple is updating its pro-level Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro 2 software for the iPad. For video editing and music editing, users will have new AI tools that feature prominently. We didn't see any other generative AI on the new iPad family, though.
Of course new iPad Pro models need a new keyboard, and Apple also gave us a new Magic Keyboard, now with function keys and haptic feedback for the trackpad.
If you want to follow the Live Blog as it happened, with a chance to relive our excitement as we learned about each new surprise and development (and whether our predictions were correct), you can read on for the play-by-play coverage from the May 7 Apple Event as it happened.
For the highlights check out the 9 things we learned from the Let Loose event.
Phil has been covering mobile technology since before the iPhone, and he waited on line to buy the very first iPad, so he's a great expert to follow on all things Apple and tablets. Phil maintains our list of the best tablets you can buy, and he has his fingers crossed for a new iPad mini this year, though the prospects seem dim.
Good morning. Roland Moore-Clyer here, Managing Editor of Mobile Computing at TechRadar, to take you through some last-minute leaks, rumors and news ahead of the Let Loose event, and serve up some opinion and analysis on what to expect and what not to expect from today's Apple showcase.
Right, let's get into it shall we...
As mentioned, this Apple event is almost certainly going to be all about iPads. Specifically the iPad Air and iPad Pro models, both of which haven't received an update since 2022.
That's hardly a long time in the world of tablets, but Apple's in-house M-series chips are now on their third generation, meaning there's scope to pop such slices of silicon into tablets that still have M2 and M2 chips.
If you go and take a gender at our best tablets list, you'll see it's flush with iPads. Hardly, surprising, as Apple still offers pretty much the best tablet experience around, blending powerful software with slick hardware.
So you and I would be forgiven for asking where the iPad Air and iPad Pro could go next...
The partial answer to the below question is a bigger model for the iPad AIr, which is tipped to get a 12.9-inch display to offer Apple tablet fans a bigger screen without needing to pay iPad Pro money.
I'm all for a larger iPad Air, as I think the combination of a bigger screen and more powerful chip would give it a more credible chance at being a pseudo laptop replacement, without neutering its tablet charms.
As for the new iPad Pro, OLED displays have been hotly tipped.
While the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro has a rather good mini-LED display, OLED still rules the roost when it comes to color saturation and contrast. So for professional users, it would make sense for the iPad Pro, both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch models, to get OLED displays.
I'm going to place a bet that the new iPad Air and iPad Pro models will get an Apple M3 chip. Despite hints of a M4 chip, I feel it's a tad premature for Apple to have a brand-new slice of silicon to debut when we've only just had an M3 MacBook Air 13-inch.
The current M3 chip along with its Pro and Max counterparts, are more than powerful enough for MacBooks, so would logically be fine for iPads.
The only wrinkle here is generative AI...
Apple is expected to go hard on generative AI for the iPhone 16, but there are hints that it could lean on the content-creation AI tech with the new iPads.
This would make sense as Apple has often seen iPads as creation devices for artists and other creators. So bringing generative AI into the mix could turbocharge users' creative efforts, letting them 'let loose' with their ideas.
And so there's scope for a M4 chip that puts AI workloads front and center, much like the Tensor G3 chip in the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.
Such a chip could lay the groundwork for WWDC 2024, where we'd expect Apple to tout a lot of generative AI tech and tools. This would give developers time to try out the capabilities of this very-much-rumored chip and allow for some early Apple-only generative AI apps to be showcased in a few months time.
One the design side, we're not expecting any huge changes for either the iPad Air or iPad Pro, with the exception of a larger model for the former.
Some nips and tucks, such as changes to the tablets' edges and bezels could be expected, but don't expect a major design change.
One of the things I'd really like to see from the new iPads are slimmer bezels. It's not like the tablets have massive screen surrounds but I'd like to see them slimmed down all the same, with Apple tapping into palm rejection tech to bypass accidental touches.
I also think a virtual bezel would be decent for times when you need both hands on either side of an iPad, say when you're gaming.
Speaking of gaming, I'd love to see Apple do a bit more on the iPad gaming front with the next-generation iPad Air.
With a new M-series chip it could become a great little platform for running some console quality games; Baldur's Gate 3 runs on an M2 MacBook Air, so I'd love to have it running nicely on a M3-equipped iPad Air, although that would require some Steam access of sorts. Equally, I'd be keen to see some more advanced Apple Arcade games to take hold of the iPad's power.
Good morning New York and our USA readers waking up to this iPad live blog! I am Phil Berne, your US Mobiles editor, taking over from Roland. Let's recap the breadcrumbs Apple has laid upon the trail leading up to the big launch today.
First, the iPad hasn't been updated in more than a year. Not at all. The iPad mini has gone since 2021 without an update. Do tablets need an update every year? No, but Apple usually gives us an annual update anyway, so this was weird.
Second, we got an invitation to the event saying 'Let Loose.' It was animated with an Apple Pencil drawing on a screen. We're now expecting a new Pencil, and perhaps other accessories, and new iPads are all but confirmed.
Third, we've heard rumors that Apple could jump the gun on its next Apple M4 chipset and offer the new Apple Silicon in the next iPad Pro first, before a Mac computer. If that seems odd, remember that an iPad Pro 12.9 starts at $1,099 / £1,249 / AU$1,899, so it's already more expensive than many Windows laptops. It's not odd for Apple to treat this like a premium computer.
Finally, on the recent Apple earnings call, Tim Cook specifically said Apple would be talking about its approach to AI, especially generative AI (which means making pictures, writing text, etc.), at the next event ... TODAY! So we could finally get a glimpse at Apple's AI future.
If we do get a new 'slice' of Apple Silicon inside the iPads today, let's set proper expectations about what each model will get. Today's iPad Pro 12.9 (2022) runs on an Apple M2 chipset. The iPad Air 5 today uses an Apple M1 chip. It's therefore likely that even if Apple does offer a new Apple M4 processor inside an iPad, it won't be available in every iPad.
In fact, Apple likes to bumps its chips down a pedestal every time it promotes a new winner to the top. It is more likely that we will see an iPad Air 6 today with an Apple M2 chip than an Apple M4 chip.
An iPad Air 6 with an Apple M3 chip is possible, but that processor is still very new and likely expensive for Apple, so it may be cost-prohibitive to add the M3 to the iPad Air. Still, Apple sometimes throws cost and caution to the wind when it comes to premium components.
As for the other iPad models? The iPad mini hasn't been on any of the Apple Tarot cards we've played, so we're not holding out hope for a new model today. That tablet uses an Apple A15 Bionic chipset. Even if the iPad mini saw an update today, it's more likely it would get a newer iPhone-flavor Apple chip, and not a full desktop processor in the Apple M family.
The Apple Store is ... not down?! What?
That's weird. It's kind of a tradition on New Apple Stuff days that the Apple Store website is taken down an hour or so beforehand. We're now one hour before the Apple Let Loose event starts, and the Apple Store page is still live. You can even buy a new iPad Air or a new iPad Pro right now, for immediate pickup at your local brick and mortar Apple Store.
We'll keep checking, but it's kind of sad that this old chestnut of Apple's early iPhone and product launch days is going away. Of course Apple has the technical prowess to keep its store live throughout, but I remember reading frantic blog posts and Twitter updates exclaiming that "The Apple Store is DOWN" as a way to drum up excitement about new stuff on the way.
Today's stuff should still be exciting, even if it doesn't crash the internet in the process.
A lot of the buzz about today concerns a new Apple Pencil. Will we see an Apple Pencil Pro? Will the new Apple Pencil have haptic feedback? What does that even mean?
Haptic feedback is a vibration response when you do something. When you tap your phone's keyboard and it buzzes for each key, that's a haptic response. Apple is rumored to be adding some sort of haptics to a new Apple Pencil, though its unclear what this means.
This could be a vibration motor in either the tablet or the Pencil. It could make the pencil feel more realistic as it drags across a screen. Or, it could be for another device entirely.
The Apple Pencil would make an interesting tool to use with the Apple Vision Pro. Apple has stayed away from controllers for Vision Pro, but adding support for Apple Pencil feels more natural, since Apple already makes the Pencil. It's not an entirely new controller.
With haptic feedback, the Apple Pencil could tell you when you are tapping a virtual object, or writing on a virtual surface. Haptics in the Pencil would give it feedback in a virtual world. We'll have to see if Apple includes Vision Pro in the announcement today, but my money is on an Apple Pencil appearing in Apple's spatial-verse.
Want to know more about the Apple M4 chip that might make its first appearance in an iPad Pro today? Our Components Editor John Loeffler has a detailed look at everything Apple might produce in its next major processor launch. Read his in-depth look at the Apple M4 while we wait for Apple's next launch to begin.
Time for some last minute bets? Here are some pie-in-the-sky predictions that likely won't come true, but if they do you can say you read them here first, and I'll look like an Apple prophet.
First, something about that Let Loose invitation reminds me of foldable phones. One of the animations seems to fold up on itself. Could we see the first Apple foldable today? Rumors have suggested Apple could release a foldable tablet before it launches a folding iPhone. I'd love to see an iPad Fold join today's party.
Second, the iPad mini has languished for too long, though it hasn't been completely ignored. Apple simply made it too powerful in 2021, and it still outshines the base model iPad. I'd love to see a professional-strength, Apple M2 (or better!) iPad mini announced today.
Third, major gaming news from Apple today. Every Apple Silicon launch for the past year has played on Apple's improving relationship with game developers. I'd love to see a lot more today. Let's make the Apple Pencil a gaming controller. Let's add more games to Vision Pro. Let's offer a gaming-focused Apple iPad Air, with new partnerships and accessories on board. Let's go, Apple, it's time to play games!
And there it is, right on time, the Apple Store is down! That's right, you cannot buy anything from Apple.com/Store right now. Everything is right with the world.
There couldn't be a more clear indication that we'll be getting new products from Apple today, but Apple has pulled the store down for the announcement of a new Magic Mouse in the past, so let's not hold our breath for too long.
Here is my final prediction for today, with less than 10 minutes before the show starts. If you get good odds, place these bets:
The iPad Air 6 will also be the iPad Air 11 (2024) and iPad Air 12.9 (2024), with an Apple M2 processor inside.
The iPad Pro 11 (2024) and iPad Pro 12.9 (2024) will appear today with both M3 and M4 processor options, possibly an M4 in only the highest-end iPad Pro 12.9.
The Apple Pencil will get an update that will hint at capabilities for Apple Vision Pro, but Apple will not mention those features today.
Apple will show off a new Apple Photos app on the iPad Pro 12.9 (2024), and this is where we will see our first glimpse of Apple's generative AI features. It will resemble Google's Magic Editor, but it will work a little better, because Apple.
The event starts in just a few minutes. Once again, here is how to watch the Apple event live, or you can just follow along here for our Live Blog.
Our Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff is on site with Apple in New York City with some surprise guests, so expect live hands-on videos and in-depth impressions of the new devices and all of Apple's announcements, coming soon after the show.
Sit back and enjoy, it's iPad time!
Oh yeah, and the iPad might finally get a calculator app, instead of just stealing the dinky little calculator from the iPhone.
Tim Cook opens the Apple launch video from Apple Park, and he says "this is the biggest day for iPad since its introduction." So of course he's bragging about Apple Vision Pro to start
"Now let's turn our attention to iPad. There's no other device like it," says Tim Cook, finally turning the attention to Apple's tablet today.
We're starting with iPad Air, which Apple says bring iPad Pro features to a more affordable price point. That makes me think we're getting an iPad Air with M2 today.
Here is the iPad Air 6! The iPad Air (2024) will indeed come in two sizes. We'll have an 11-inch iPad Air as well as an iPad Air 13-inch. The 13-inch model has 30% more screen real estate.
The iPad Air is made for landscape orientation, with stereo speakers on the sides when you hold it in landscape mode.
It will come in a new blue and purple, as well as the familiar starlight and space grey colors.
As I predicted, the iPad Air will also come with the Apple M2 chipset.
The iPad Air will get the Apple M2 chipset, which is a respectable upgrade over the iPad Air with M2, considering the M2 is still being used in some of Apple's Mac computers and provided plenty of power.
Apple is also making a new Magic Keyboard for the new iPad Air, with a trackpad and backlit keys. The iPad Air will also support the hover features for Apple Pencil found previously on the iPad Pro.
Apple has moved on quickly from the new iPad Air (2024) to the new iPad Pro. Apple says it's going to crush expectations, and it's pretty much showing a video of stuff being crushed to make the point. Okay, let's see what they've got coming.
The iPad Pro (2024) has a new design. There's an 11-inch and 13-model available, just like with the iPad Air (2024). Both models are thinner than before, and Apple says the difference is striking. Apple says they are thinner even than the old iPod nano, making them the thinnest devices Apple has made.
As expected, Apple is bringing OLED to its iPad lineup for the first time. The iPad Pro 11 (2024) and iPad Pro 13 (2024) each packs two OLED panels, in a new technology that Apple calls 'Tandem OLED,' offering brightness up to 1,000 nits in normal conditions and 1,600 nits peak brightness. That's incredibly bright for a tablet computer today.
Apple brands this 'Ultra Retina XDR,' and each of the new iPad Pro models will get the new OLED display. That's two OLED panels packed inside, even though these devices are the thinnest Apple products ever, according to Apple. The company calls these new iPad screens the 'world's most advanced display.'
The iPad Pro will also be the first device to feature the Apple M4 chipset. Apple says the new processor was necessary to give the iPad Pro its thin design and leap in performance. The company is now explaining the new processor's architecture.
I'll leave the cores and specs to our components editor John Loeffler to explain, he'll do a much better job than I will. Here's our breakdown of everything we know about the Apple M4.
We'll dive deeper into the new iPad Pro and the Apple M4 chipset that's coming to the Pro tablets, but Apple is already moving onto previewing the next version of iPadOS.
Apple is talking up Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro, which truly set Apple's iPad Pro models apart from the competition. There's nothing like these Pro apps, or the performance they offer, on Android tablets. Not even close. They pretty much justify using a desktop processor in an iPad.
The new software has been updated and optimized for touch on iPad Pro. Apple is detailing new features for its pro movie and music editing software suites.
Apple is diving deep into Final Cut Pro, and it really should because only professional-strength editing software can justify the price of the iPad Pro. The iPad Pro from 2022 was priced at $1,099 / £1,249 / AU$1,899 for the 12.9-inch model, which is much more than most people would consider spending for a tablet. If that tablet can truly do desktop-level work, it justifies the price.
In Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro, we're seeing the first examples of Apple implementing AI features into the video and music editing experience. It hasn't been too explicit about saying these as the AI feature mentioned by Tim Cook in the recent Apple earnings call, but its likely the first Apple AI features will be part of individual apps, and not the system software itself.
Oooh, new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro. The keyboard is larger, with a proper Function keys row, as well as an expanded palm wrest and trackpad.
Apple also has a new Apple Pencil! Here comes the next Apple stylus.
Apple Pencil Pro is Apple's new Pencil. Sounds expensive.
The Apple Pencil Pro has a new sensor in the barrel for new interactions. You can just squeeze the Pencil to bring up a toolset. A haptic engine gives you a vibration to let you know the Pencil felt the squeeze. It also has a gyroscope built in to detect tilting and rotation.
Apple is also letting developers create new interactions with Apple Pencil Pro. Of course, with a gyroscope and new sensors inside, the Apple Pencil Pro seems ripe for use with Apple Vision Pro, but we're hearing from third-party developers on how they are developing for the Apple Pencil Pro first.
The Apple Pencil Pro will also participate in Apple's Find My network, so if you lose it other Apple devices around will help locate it for you. Apple is not being completely clear about which devices will support the Apple Pencil Pro, but the presentation has returned to the iPad Pro (2024) models.
The iPad Pro will start at 256GB of storage. The iPad Pro is also getting a big price jump, up a couple hundred bucks in the US. We'll have a detailed price breakdown coming soon, but those OLED displays are going to be much more expensive than ever before.
And that's it, the iPad launch event is over. Apple didn't mention any significant new AI features. The only AI mentioned was part of the editing tools added to Logic Pro 2 and Final Cut Pro in the latest software updates. Nothing about generative AI coming to the iPad or iPadOS.
We got new iPad Air in two sizes, new iPad Pro in two sizes, and a new Apple Pencil. Pretty much a by-the-books launch for Apple, sticking to the leaked script. We're going hands-on with the new tablets and talking to Apple representatives soon, so we'll have a lot more to share about the biggest iPad update in the iPad's history.
Was this the biggest day for the iPad since the first iPad was introduced, as Tim Cook promised this morning? I think it was. The iPad Pro has long been a dominant force in Apple's push to make the iPad the next computer. Today's launch solidified the iPad's importance to Apple.
Apple introduced the Apple M4 chipset on an iPad first. We will undoubtedly see the same processor on a Macbook Air, a Mac Mini, and more MacOS computers, but it all started with the iPad Pro. The first benchmark tests of the Apple M4 chip's performance will happen on an iPad, and that sets a standard moving forward.
This is an especially important moment for Apple Silicon, as Qualcomm launches its first ARM-based laptop chips ever, and early benchmarks show Qualcomm's chips will be tough competition for Apple's dominance. Offering the next generation of Apple Silicon in an iPad Pro first is a bold move, as we wait for the first Qualcomm chips to show up in performance laptops.
We have pricing for both of the new iPad families, and it's looking like good news for the iPad Air and bad news for the iPad Pro. The iPad Air will start at $599 / £599 / AU$999 for the 128GB model with a 10.9-inch display. That's pretty much the same price as the last iPad Air (2022), but with twice the storage. Finally, Apple brings the iPad Air into triple-digit storage on the least expensive option.
For the iPad Pro, we're seeing a price increase across the board. The new iPad Pro 11 (2024) will start at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699, which is an increase of $200 in the US. The iPad Pro 12.9 (2024) will start at $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,199, which also represents a $200 price increase over the last model.
What's the reason for the higher price? It's probably that dual-OLED display, what Apple is calling 'tandem OLED.' If one OLED display makes a device more expensive, then two must mean astronomically high prices, as we're seeing.
The Apple M4 chip inside these iPad Pro models is also impressive and brand new. That means Apple hasn't produced them at the same volume it might if these were part of the most popular 13-inch and 15-inch laptop, as is the case with the Apple M2 in the Macbook Air.
Once the M4 chip reaches volume, the price could drop, but Apple is not known for dropping the price on existing models. It's more likely the next iPad will just be cheaper.
Are you disappointed that the iPad Air only got an Apple M2 chip while the iPad Pro got a chip that's newer than any other Apple computer? Don't be upset. That Apple M2 chip probably makes Apple's second-tier tablet faster than any Android tablet you can buy.
Sadly, while Apple offer desktop-class chips in its iPad tablets, Android tablet makers stick with only mobile processors, the same chips found in the latest (and probably not the greatest) smartphone.
Samsung doesn't have a desktop-class Galaxy Tab S tablet, it uses a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset in its Galaxy Tab S9. The Galaxy Tab S9 FE gets an even slower Exynos processor straight from the bargain cell phone bin.
If Apple can upgrade the processor and the storage on the iPad Air without upgrading the price, that's a win today for iPad fans. Too bad about the more expensive iPad Pro, but in a year or so the iPad Air will probably get all those features anyway.
Want all the details on pricing, specs, launch timing, and more? Check out our complete iPad hubs, with all the info you need. Here is everything we know about the iPad Air 6, including the iPad Air 10.9 (2024) and the iPad Air 12.9 (2024). Then head to our hub for everything we know about the Apple M4-equipped iPad Pro 2024, including the iPad Pro 11 (2024) and iPad Pro 13 (2024).
Biggest disappointment from today? Not the higher price on the iPad Pro. Not the Apple M2 on the iPad Air, instead of an Apple M3 or M4 processor. Not the Apple Pencil Pro adding confusion to Apple's Pencil lineup.
Where's the iPad mini? Apple is still selling the iPad mini, because Tim Cook specifically mentioned Apple's compact tablet at the end of the Let Loose presentation today. But Apple's 8-inch iPad has lain fallow since 2021. It uses an Apple A15 Bionic chipset inside, which is admittedly still faster than the iPad 10.9 (2022), but that isn't saying much.
Apple killed off the iPad 10.2 today and dropped the price on the 2022 iPad 10.9, but it held onto the iPad mini. I will also be holding onto my iPad mini dreams that some day Apple will make the mini a powerful tablet again.
Here's a nice little find in the Apple presentation today: Threads and TikTok user @thatchriscarley has found a reference to a new iPhone camera app called Final Cut Camera. This is apparently a videography app that will record video to work with Final Cut Pro on the iPad. The app is not yet available in the Apple App Store, but we will keep checking for it.
And that's a wrap, folks. We are wrapping up this Live Blog of the Apple Let Loose iPad Pro and iPad Air event, with Apple M4 chips and a new Apple Pencil Pro. We'll have hands-on impressions of the new iPad models shortly, and we hope to have these new Apple tablets fully reviewed before you need to make a buying decision. Thanks for playing along!
