Apple launches fastest and thinnest iPad Pro ever – as well as largest iPad Air and new Pencil Pro

Apple launched several new products during a live event, which included redesigned iPads, updated in-house chip, Magic Keyboard and Pencil Pro.

The world saw the largest iPad Air during ‘Let Loose,’ which measures 13 inches, and the thinnest, fastest iPad Pro to ever hit the market.

The new Magic Keyboard features a larger trackpad that comes in two sizes – 11-inch and 13-inch – and the Apple Pencil Pro with features pixel-perfect precision.

The Tuesday show also introduced a new AI-focused chip that provides the new iPad Pro with a larger ‘neural engine’ that can complete 38 trillion tasks per second.

Apple often introduces new iPads in May, a time when education customers are making purchasing decisions for the next academic year. 

But in recent years, Apple has started to transform its higher-priced models into devices for creative and business professionals with its iPad Pro models. 

iPad Air comes with the largest display yet

The first device shown during the event was a new iPad Air, which comes with the redesigned 11-inch and all-new 13-in iPad Air – both feature Apple’s in-house M2 chip.

Unlike previous models, the new tablet features a front-facing camera for improved video calls, along with faster Wi-Fi and an all-day battery life.

The 13-inch iPad Air offers 30 percent more screen than the 11-inch, but both include a Liquid Retina design and an anti-reflective screen coating.

The new iPad Air is available in new blue and purple finishes, along with starlight and space gray.

The 11-inch iPad Air still starts at just $599, and the 13-inch iPad Air is a fantastic value at just $799. Customers can order the new iPad Air today, with availability beginning Wednesday, May 15. 

Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Product Marketing, said: ‘So many users — from students, to content creators, to small businesses, and more — love iPad Air for its performance, portability, and versatility, all at an affordable price. Today, iPad Air gets even better.’

‘We’re so excited to introduce the redesigned 11-inch and all-new 13-inch iPad Air, offering two sizes for the first time. 

‘With its combination of a brilliant Liquid Retina display, the phenomenal performance of the M2 chip, incredible AI capabilities, and its colorful, portable design with support for new accessories, iPad Air is more powerful and versatile than ever.’

iPad Pro with the new M4 chip

Apple said the iPad Pro – its highest-priced model – will have upgraded displays and start at $1,000 for an 11-inch model and $1,300 for a 13-inch model. 

The 13-inch model measures just 5.1 millimeters thick, which Apple said is its thinnest device ever – thinner than the Nano iPod.

The new iPad Pro also feature OLED screens to provide richer color and enhanced contrasts compared to previous models.

And the device comes with the front-facing camera.

The new iPad Pro is made possible with the new M4 chip, the next generation of Apple silicon, which delivers a huge leap in performance and capabilities. 

The in-house chip features a new display engine to enable the precision, color, and brightness of the Ultra Retina XDR display.

It features a new CPU with four performance cores and six efficiency cores, making it 50 percent faster than other chips – Apple said the M4 performs up to four times faster than the M2.

Tim Millet, vice president of platform architecture at Apple, said: ‘The neural engine makes M4 an outrageously powerful chip for AI.

‘In fact, with this level of performance, the neural engine and M4 is more powerful than any neural processing unit in any AI PC today.’

Precisely what AI features the new chips could power might not become fully clear until Apple’s developer conference, where it often shows new capabilities for Siri, its voice assistant, as well as the rest of its operating systems. 

For now, many AI features – such as helping zoom in on a user during a video call and slightly altering the look of their eyes to make it look as though they are looking directly into the camera – are not likely to inspire a wave of upgrades, according to some analysts. 

Apple Pencil Pro with ‘even more magical capabilities

The new Pencil lets users perform tasks by squeezing and barrel rolling to take notes, mark up images and create digital masterpieces.

Squeezing the pen brings up a new pallet, allowing users to quickly switch between tools, line designs and colors.

By activating barrel roll, users can rotate the device for precise control of shaped pen and brush tools. 

 The upgraded device also comes with haptic feedback and hover, which lets users write, sketch and illustrate with out touching the Pencil to the iPad.

Apple Pencil pairs, charges, and stores magnetically on the side of your iPad.

And it is available for $129.

Magic Keyboard with a larger trackpad

The new Magic Keyboard for the latest iPad Pro is available in two sizes, 11 and 13 inches, along with either black of silver. 

The smaller version can be purchased for $299 and the larger for $349. 

While the keyboard is only compatible with the new iPad Pro announced Tuesday, the device sees the first major updates to the line. 

The palm rest was designed with aluminum – an upgrade from plastic – and users can enjoy a larger trackpad with haptic feedback. 

Industry expert Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, said Apple would be looking to ‘reinvigorate’ its tablet range with the updates.

‘Although tablets are one of Apple’s less prominent products, the iPad generated 5.6 billion dollars in revenue in the company’s most recent quarterly earnings, surpassing the total revenue of many rival device makers,’ he said.

‘However, given this was more than 15% down year-on-year, Apple is undoubtedly keen to reinvigorate the category, particularly in the premium tier.

‘Whilst these new iPads are unlikely to return the category to growth immediately, they represent a much-needed reason to upgrade for customers with ageing products.

‘The emphasis on artificial intelligence was palpable with Apple determined to seize back the initiative in this area given the huge focus on this topic by all its rivals over the last 18 months.’