Apple's May 2024 iPad event could break all the rules and rewrite the AI game — and that's a good thing

(Image credit: Future)

It's finally time for the iPad to shine. After a long break between updates, Apple's iPad lineup looks like it will get more than a major update and design refresh during the May 7 'Let Loose' Event. It could improbably be the showcase for the newest piece of Apple Silicon and Apple's Generative AI strategy.

There's much about this May 2024 Apple iPad Event that's unusual. First, it's being held early in the morning on May 7, starting at 7 AM PT in Apple's hometown of California. Apple usually starts events hours later in the morning, Pacific time.

Second, it's a virtual event but Apple is calling this, what I expect to be a pre-taped video presentation, a 'Keynote.' Keynotes are usually the first speech in a bigger, ongoing event. To my knowledge, there's nothing ongoing beyond whatever Apple CEO Tim Cook and his cohorts deliver in what is expected to be a 35-minute presentation, according to reliable leaker Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Apple's World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) is now just a little more than a month away, but Apple has apparently chosen this iPad event to reveal a new piece of Apple Silicon: the M4 Chip.

But wait, it gets weirder.

A very different event

Apple May 2024 Event — Apple's own art makes it clear this event will be about the iPad, creativity, and maybe something more. What if those Apples were generated by Apple AI? (Image credit: Future)

Most rumors put that new M4 inside Apple's anticipated, high-end iPad Pro 12.4 inch tablet (just one of multiple, anticipated new iPads that includes a pair of new iPad Air tablets).

Typically, Apple introduces Apple Silicon updates in its popular Mac line. The Apple M3 chip showed up in the iMac, MacBook Pro 14, and then the excellent MacBook Air 13 earlier this year. Similarly, the MacBook Air, Mini, and MacBook Pro launched with various flavors of the OG Apple M1 in 2020 before that Apple Silicon showed up in the iPad Pro in 2021, then the following year on the iPad Air.

That's not all. There are indications that Apple could preview its AI approach on the iPad Pro, a fair assumption since most believe Apple is cooking up on-device Generative AI via the anticipated M4 chip.

Perhaps this will be just a glimpse. Seriously, how much would Apple share about the AI strategy with its developers' conference so soon, in just over a month? No matter what Apple shows on the iPad, Tim Cook recently made it clear that Apple's AI intentions scale way beyond a single device. As he told investors last week on the Apple earning's call, "We see generative AI as a very key opportunity across our products and believe that we have advantages that set us apart there."

Apple Generative AI is not just an iPad, Mac, or iPhone play. It's potentially a broad and strategic shift in focus that will underpin the Apple ecosystem.

But let's go back to Tuesday's Apple Event.

Getting out ahead of the competition

Tim Cook presenting at a recent Apple launch — What Apple CEO Tim Cook says before an Apple Event always matters. (Image credit: Getty Images / Justin Sullivan)

If all these things are true, Apple is suddenly pulling the iPad firmly back into the spotlight, entrusting it with launching its latest custom CPU and Apple AI. It's a big vote of confidence and a lot of responsibility for a somewhat ignored product category that has, at least on the sales side, floundered a bit in recent years.

Speaking of which, Apple also promised in the earnings call that iPad sales would see double-digit growth in the next quarter. That's likely confirmation that this is an iPad event, and that Apple will offer more than just a lightweight update.

While I'm surprised that Apple is introducing new chips and AI features to the product line in a somewhat backward fashion, it also makes sense. Between now and WWDC 2024, both Microsoft and Google will hold major events, Microsoft Build and Google I/O, which should tell us a lot about their ongoing Generative AI efforts. Those companies have a huge head start on Apple.

In addition, Microsoft is expected to launch new Surface tablets with Qualcomm chips, like the Snapdragon X Plus and Snapdragon X Elite. These mobile CPUs are notable, according to Qualcomm, for their efficiency and performance, especially in AI tasks. Qualcomm is already claiming that its chips beat Apple's M3.

The best way for Apple to steal the thunder from Qualcomm, Microsoft, and Google is to pre-announced an AI-sporting Apple M4 and show off just a bit of its Apple AI before the first Qualcomm system ships, before Microsoft reveals big Copilot updates for Windows 12, and before Google impresses us with even more Gemini tricks.

Seen through that light, Apple's rumored plans aren't that surprising at all. The iPad gets an elevated push that sets it up for a strong 2024, Apple fans and potential switchers see yet another generational performance leap in the M4, and we finally learn how Apple plans to rule the AI-obsessed world.

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A 38-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist, Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief, and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade.

Lance Ulanoff makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Mark, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN, and the BBC.