The Visual Summary — Apple’s Let Loose Event
Introducing a new M4 iPad Pro, M2 iPad Air, and the Apple Pencil Pro
This month, Apple has refreshed its iPad line-up:
- new iPad Pro’s that feature an M4 processor and an upgraded OLED screen,
- an Apple Pencil Pro that allows for squeeze and barrel roll interactions, and enables haptic feedback, and
- iPad Air: a 13" model and M2 processors.
If you’re in for a new iPad, and especially if you’re an artist, this is a great time to upgrade. Let’s have a look at the latest additions to the new models!
As usual, let’s kick it off with the complete Visual Summary of the event; a high-res version can be found here.
iPad Pro
A new design: Thin 🤏 and Light 🪶
The newly designed iPad Pros are both thinner and lighter than the previous generation: the 11" and 13" are 5.3mm and 5.1mm thin, respectively, compared to 5.9mm and 6.4mm for the previous generation. Yep, the 13" is the thinner, being Apple’s thinnest product ever (even w.r.t. the iPod nano).
Their weights clock in at 444g (11", from 466g) and 579g (13", from 682g), so again, the biggest change goes to the 13" model.
A new display
The iPad Pro now has a “Tandem OLED” display on both models (the last iteration had a better screen on the 13"). Tandem OLED essentially means there are two layers of OLED screens. The new screen features better highlights, deeper black, more detailed shadows, and better “motion response.” And, for the first time, it’s now possible to get a nano-texture finish that reduces glare.
This new technology should avoid blooming, which plagued the previous generation. At the same time, some users are reporting a “grain” under certain conditions, which could result from the different pixels emitting their own light and not being exactly calibrated. It’s unclear whether this is a non-issue or a deal-breaker for professionals. If it’s (not) a dealbreaker for you, please give some more insights in the comments below!
A new processor: Apple M4
We recently saw the M3 blow us away in the MacBooks (Air and Pro), and yet here comes the next generation of Apple Silicon: the M4. By skipping the M3 entirely for the iPad Pro, the M4 leads the way to a total 4x speedup for several workloads compared to the previous generation.
As usual, the new chips are packed with performance cores, high-efficiency cores, GPU cores, and ML cores. The CPU is 50% faster than the M2. The only change in core count is on the CPU, from 8 to a maximum of 10 for select models.
The iPad Pro with 1TB+ storage unlocks a more performant version of the M4 (more cores) as well as 16GB of memory.
This time around, Apple is making a difference in configurations: Starting with the 1TB iPads, you will unlock more powerful chips (more cores) and 16GB of memory. So, be careful which model you order if this is important to you (and you are willing to pay the price)!
The emphasis on AI during their announcement seems to set the scene for bigger AI announcements during the upcoming WWDC. Let’s hope for some interesting new additions to iPad OS so the power of this device can be utilized to its fullest.
New app versions: Logic & Final Cut
In addition to showing off Shapr3D and Zbrush for 3D modeling, Apple introduced new versions of Final Cut and Logic Pro, its in-house-developed apps for video and audio editing.
In Final Cut Pro 2, we get Live Multi-cam, which shows live views (and controls) from different device cameras. With this, we get a new iPhone App, “Final Cut Camera,” that gives video recorders much more control over their recording — a welcome addition next to the default camera app!
Final Cut Camera comes to the iPhone with more advanced camera controls, while Logic Pro expands into the AI realm with bass and keyboard players.
In Logic Pro 2, Apple teases new AI features: Besides the existing AI drummer, we get AI keyboard and bass players. There’s also a Stem splitter, that can split audio into voice, drums, bass, and other dedicated tracks.
Other new updates: Cameras & Accessories
The front-facing camera moves to the landscape edge, to the place where the pencil charges. This indicates that the use of the iPad is evolving even more to the landscape mode.
The back camera system loses the ultra-wide ƒ/2.4 aperture camera, so there is no longer optical zoom out. However, it gets a better (adaptive, true-tone) flash, which helps eliminate shadows cast during document scanning.
The new Magic Keyboard gets a function row and a bigger, haptic trackpad. At $299/$349, it retains its steep price point compared to the iPad Pro pricing ($999/$1299 starting points).
And, of course, the big thing: the Apple Pencil Pro, but that deserves its own section…
Apple Pencil Pro
Apple introduces a new version of the already powerful Apple Pencil, with very nice new interactions. Let’s dive in!
New interaction options
In terms of experience, the Apple Pencil has always had good precision and latency. Even the first version offered tilt and pressure support (even though some later models removed that), which made using the pencil feel like magic. Later, hover and double tap were added, as well as magnetic charging and wireless pairing (no more awkward charging via lightning). The new Pro upgrade gives us many new things: Squeeze, Barell roll, haptics, and FindMy support.
This Apple Pencil upgrade brings many improvements: Squeeze, Barell roll, haptics and FindMy support.
The new squeeze gesture allows users to bring up a radial menu in an app, allowing quick tool selection. With barrel roll, the pencil can be rotated in place or while moving, opening up new interactions with various artist tools for some cool effects. The new Haptic engine gives feedback in the form of vibrations. Finally, FindMy integration allows you to track down your Pencil in the same way as you can for an AirTag or iPhone.
Compatible only with the new devices
The Apple Pencil Pro is only compatible with the new iPad Pro and Air (see below). This is potentially due to the camera moving to the landscape position on both models, leading to a redesigned Pencil attachment module.
Be careful, though, as the new lineup does not make it simple to choose the Apple Pencil that is compatible with your model. So, make sure to check Apple’s website if you’re in the market for an Apple Pencil and still have an iPad from a previous generation.
iPad Air: faster and bigger, with a touch of ML
The iPad Air gets a spec bump from the M1 to the M2, making it essentially 50% faster. What’s more interesting is that there is now a 13" model for the Air as well, providing people with a cheaper option to its higher-specced Pro sibling.
The iPad Air is now bigger with a new 13" size and seems to be preparing for some new AI additions with the 2x faster Apple M2 processor.
The front-facing camera moved to the landscape edge, there’s a new magic keyboard, and pencil hover is now supported for the Apple Pencil. Do note that Apple’s website only lists the USB-C Apple Pencil model and the Apple Pencil Pro as compatible options.
Conclusion
The processor upgrades and AI namedrops prepare the line-up for much speculated AI news in next month’s WWDC. The new landscape designs and upgraded apps hint at more desktop and pro usage for the device that is still looking for that killer use case.
For me, that killer use case was always the Apple Pencil: I’m still touting my older iPad Pro 10.5" from 2017 and the original Pencil to make illustrations. It’s still holding on, although I expect the next iPadOS to drop support. As the new Pencil Pro provides a lot of new features compared to my original one, I’m excited to try it out. I skipped the last generation, mainly due to the blooming issue, but this time, I’ll make the jump if that “grain” issue turns out ok (there’s always something, right?). Time to start doubting which size is best for me…
Time to start doubting which size is best for me…
In summary, with the new Apple Pencil Pro, a refreshed iPad Pro and Air, and a price drop for the “normal” iPad, it might be a really good time for an upgrade!
Don’t forget, when choosing a model, check for the final specs (iPad Pro 1TB+ has more cores and more memory!) and whether your Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard are compatible with your device.
Are you planning to get one of the new iPads? Which size would you recommend for drawing? Are you (not) impressed with the upgrades? Are you experiencing the grain issue? Let me know in the comments below!
As always, thanks for reading, I hope you’ve enjoyed this Visual Summary!
