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Apple’s new iPad Pro is powered by AI-focused M4 chip in first revamp since 2022

  • In addition to improvements like an OLED screen, the M4 chip comes with a faster neural engine that Apple says can handle AI tasks on device
  • Apple also introduced a new iPad Air powered by the older M2 chip, which starts at US$599 while the Pro starts at US$999

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Apple revamped its iPad lineup, with the Pro devices introducing the new AI-focused M4 chip. Photo: Handout via EPA-EFE
Bloomberg
Apple unveiled a new artificial intelligence-focused iPad Pro and a larger iPad Air, aiming to reinvigorate a tablet line-up that has languished over the past two years.

At an online launch event Tuesday dubbed “Let Loose”, the company introduced the first redesigned version of the iPad Pro since 2018. The new model is thinner, includes a crisper Ultra Retina XDR screen with OLED technology, and has a faster M4 chip that can handle AI tasks. The new iPad Air looks like the prior version, but with a larger screen-size option and the M2 processor.

The new 13-inch iPad Pro has a depth of 5.1 millimetres, which the company said makes it the thinnest Apple product ever. The bigger version is a quarter-pound lighter than its predecessor, while the 11-inch model weighs under one pound.

The unveiling ends Apple’s longest drought in new iPad releases since co-founder Steve Jobs first introduced the device in 2010. The line-up was previously updated October 2022, when Apple added a faster chip to the iPad Pro and rolled out a redesigned low-end model.

Apple is looking to pull the iPad out of a severe slump. The device’s sales were particularly weak last quarter, when they plunged 17 per cent and missed analysts’ estimates, but Apple predicted that iPad revenue would rebound in the current period.

Apple says the neural engine in its new M4 chip is 60 times faster than its original neural engine from 2017. Photo: Handout via EPA-EFE
Apple says the neural engine in its new M4 chip is 60 times faster than its original neural engine from 2017. Photo: Handout via EPA-EFE

Tuesday’s announcement didn’t do much to excite investors. That’s often the case with Apple events, since most of the key details get reported ahead of time. The shares were little changed at US$181.90 as of 12:06pm in New York, leaving them down about 6 per cent for the year.

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