Apple’s highly anticipated new iPad Pro could be the company's first foray into generative AI. The rumored upcoming tablet, which we’re expecting to see on May 7, is tipped to be powered by an all-new M4 chip that’s optimized to support AI features.
This rumor comes via Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who has a solid reputation when it comes to Apple leaks. He claims Apple's Let Loose event on May 7 will showcase a new iPad Pro and iPad Air, and accessories, including a new Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil.
According to Gurman, the new iPad Pro will be Apple's first generative AI-enabled device thanks to a new, more powerful AI-driven M4 chip featuring an enhanced Neural Engine. If this is the case, the new iPad would skip Apple's current M3 silicon, which is used in the latest and most powerful MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iMac models.
The rumored AI-focused M4 chip would significantly increase the new tablet’s computing power compared to the current iPad Pro, which uses the older M2 chip.
Apple usually wouldn't abandon its latest chip after just six months, and the iPad seems like an odd choice to introduce new AI tech compared to iPhones or MacBooks with wider user bases. So if Apple does launch a generative AI-focused iPad Pro with an M4 chip it would be a big surprise, as most Apple watchers weren't expecting to see any AI devices announced until at least June, at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2024).
Gurman claims a generative AI focus isn’t the only notable upgrade to the iPad series; he says the iPad Pro could feature an upgraded OLED display, similar to those on iPhone models since the iPhone X, which, if correct, should mean the screen is sharper, has better color accuracy, and is easier to use in bright sunshine. He also speculates that Apple will announce a new 12.9-inch iPad Air.
While Apple won’t be the first to jump on the generative AI train, as shown by the Google Pixel 8 series and Samsung Galaxy S24 line-up it could implement AI technology in a new, unique, or interesting way. For example, Gurman speculates that Apple aims to incorporate more AI into applications to do things such as auto-writing text and summarizing articles in Safari.
We could also see AI-generated wallpapers, and image manipulation tools similar to Google Pixel’s Magic Eraser. It also says those features will use Apple's internal large language model exclusive to them named Ajax which Apple believes is more powerful than ChatGPT.
This matches previous reports that Apple has been in talks with OpenAI and Google about implementing Chat GPT or Gemini AI into an upcoming iOS 18 update that could include an AI chatbot and new features.
