UPDATE! How the F#&% Will I Pick An iPad In 2024? (Post-iPad Event)

Things have gotten clearer…slightly

Is an M4 iPad Pro worth $300 more than a M2 iPad Air with 256GB? (image: Apple)

Back in January I wrote a post called “How the F#&% Will I Pick An iPad In 2024?” about the confusing struggle to figure out what new iPad to buy to replace my 3rd-generation iPad Air. At the time, most of the tech press (and myself!) expected that new iPads would be announced in March, so it’s been pretty hard to be patient as the dates kept not arriving until today, May 7, 2024. But now that the new iPads have arrived, I thought I’d update you with what questions got answered and my new questions complicating my decision.

M4! (How Much Future Proofing Are We Talking Here?)

The iPad Pros skipping to the M4 has really complicated things (image: Apple)

Rumors had been swirling that the new iPad Pros would have the M4 chip, but I didn’t believe them. Having the M4 would mean skipping the M3 generation, which seemed unnecessary since the M3, by any measure, is more than enough to handle anything that runs on an iPad. But now that we know that the new iPad Pros have the M4, that complicates the decision a lot. The price difference between an M2 iPad Air with 256GB and an M4 iPad Pro 11” with 256GB is $300, which is a lot…