Apple’s M-powered iPad Pro asks “What’s a computer?”

Spring Loaded: What’s a computer when Apple’s latest high-end tablet brings a Mac desktop class processor, 5G support and an XDR Retina display? Apple seems to think it’s an iPad Pro.

Far faster than trucks

Apple continues to push the limits of what’s possible on iPad.

The addition of the Apple-designed M1 chip means you’re getting a system with massive performance, the fastest tablet on the planet – one which should remain so for some time yet.

The big details

• The 12.9-inch iPad Pro features a new Liquid Retina XDR display that brings extreme dynamic range to iPad Pro.
• Cellular models offer 5G wireless connectivity.
• iPad Pro now includes support for Thunderbolt.
• Available to order beginning Friday, April 30 and in stores in the second half of May.
• Up to 2TB storage.
• A four-speaker audio system.
• LiDAR Scanner.
• iPad Pro models in the U.S. support millimetre wave for 5G speeds up to 4Gbps. iPad Pro also supports eSIM.
• Support for Thunderbolt and USB 4 means 4x more bandwidth for wired connections than the previous iPad Pro — up to 40Gbps.
• You can use an iPad Pro to drive a Pro Display XDR at full 6K resolution.

What Apple said

“The revolutionary M1 chip has been a breakthrough for the Mac, and we’re incredibly excited to bring it to iPad Pro,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

https://youtu.be/pI-iJcC9JUc

Apple was criticized for this ad in 2017, but this was its desiderata

M1 Comes to iPad Pro

The iPad Pro was already the market leader, but the 8-core M1 chip means the iPad Pro will offers 50 percent faster CPU performance than A12Z Bionic, while the GPU brings up to 40 percent faster GPU performance. It requires less power which makes for an all-day battery life.

There’s also a 16-core Neural Engine, an advanced image signal processor (ISP), a unified, high-bandwidth memory architecture with up to 16GB of memory, 2x faster storage, and up to 2TB capacity.

What developers said

This video says a lot.

https://youtu.be/4Ogs1a9XS-I

“There are truly no limits to what is available creatively.”

Display advantage

The new Liquid Retina XDR display brings the stunning front-of-screen performance of the Pro Display XDR to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. This uses a brand-new mini-LED design with over 10,000 LEDs for up to 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness, 1,600 nits of peak brightness, and 1 million-to-1 contrast ratio.

What this means for users is more detail, better color authenticity and the capacity to edit HDR content on a system that can be taken anywhere. The ISP and Neural Engine in M1 unlock even more capability from the pro camera system, bringing support for Smart HDR 3 for the first time to iPad Pro. In low-light conditions, the ISP and LiDAR Scanner quickly and accurately focus images and videos to capture detail.

The new Liquid Retina XDR display includes other advanced technologies that can also be found in the 11-inch iPad Pro, including ProMotion, True Tone, and P3 wide colour support.

For video conferencing

Apple has developed an Ultra Wide front camera for these iPads. This enables a new feature Apple is calling Centre Stage, a which uses machine learning and the M1 chip to automatically keep users perfectly framed for even more engaging video calls. As users move around, Centre Stage automatically pans to keep them in the shot. The TrueDepth camera system features an all-new 12MP Ultra Wide front camera designed specifically for iPad.

Accessories

• The second-generation Apple Pencil is available for $129 (US).
• The Magic Keyboard for the new iPad Pro will be available in Black and White for $299 (US) for the 11-inch iPad Pro and $349(US)for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, with layouts for over 30 languages.
• The Smart Keyboard Folio for the new iPad Pro is available for $179(US) for the 11-inch iPad Pro and $199 (US) for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
• The Smart Folio for the new iPad Pro is available in five colors for $79 (US)for the 11-inch iPad Pro and $99 (US) for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Pricing and Availability

The new iPad Pro is available to order beginning Friday, April 30 and in the Apple Store app in 31 countries and regions. iPad Pro will be available in Apple Store locations in the second half of May.

The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799 (US) for the Wi-Fi model and $999 (US) for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model, and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,099 (US) for the Wi-Fi model and $1,299 (US) for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.

Education pricing is available to current and newly accepted university students, parents buying for them, and teachers and staff at all levels.

For a limited time, eligible customers who purchase a new iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, or Mac can enjoy one year of Apple TV+ for free and three months of Apple Arcade for free.

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