On Tuesday, Apple strengthened its iPad lineup by improving the hardware in its Air versions and launching the M4, a new processor, in its Pro editions, which also received an OLED display upgrade. “The iPad Pro with the M4 and outdoor viewable OLED screen is arguably the best tablet created so far,” stated Rob Enderle, president and primary analyst of Bend, Oregon-based advisory services company Enderle Group. “The dual-layer OLED screens are the best screens ever used on a tablet and make the creative process much more realistic,” added Tim Bajarin, President of Creative Strategies, a San Jose, California-based technology advisory firm.
Two OLED screens are used in the displays of the new 11-inch and 13-inch Pro models, which were unveiled during a prerecorded web event. This allows for extraordinary brightness. Apple claims that the Ultra Retina XDR display can offer 1,600 nits of peak HDR brightness and 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness for SDR and HDR video. For the display, there is also a nano-texture glass option available. Glass with nanotexture is designed to disperse surrounding light and lessen glare. Noted Jim McGregor, founder and lead analyst at Tirias Research, a high-tech research and consultancy firm in Phoenix, “both the tandem OLED and the etched glass overlay are unique.” “I have not seen this dual-layer OLED display solution before. The etched glass overlay is also unique. The display is stunning. The only thing I wonder about is longevity. OLED is beautiful but not very robust, and they are pushing a lot of power through it. Longevity of the display could become an issue long term.” Enderie told. Anshel Sag, a senior analyst at Austin, Texas-based Moor Insights & Strategy, a technology analysis and consultancy business, was added. “As a photographer, I am excited to see how my images will look on it. However, I am a little surprised they didn’t try to beef up the camera’s capabilities to really show off the display.” “Usually, next-gen chips are introduced on the Mac first,” Bajarin told. “Apple did this to emphasize their belief that the iPad is very much a PC as Jobs envisioned when he launched it 14 years ago, making it a powerful creative tool that mirrors the functionality mostly done on a PC.”
Second-generation three-nanometer technology, which uses less power than its predecessors, is used in the construction of the chip. According to Apple, the M4 chip uses half the power while providing the same performance as the M2 chip found in earlier iPad Pro models.
Apple claims that the M4 offers four times higher overall performance and 50% quicker CPU performance than the M2 technology used by the business.
Palettes and Pencils
Apart from the Pro versions, Apple unveiled two brand-new iPad Airs: an 11-inch model and a 13-inch model, which are powered by M2 silicon for the first time. The 11-inch iPad Air model starts at $599, while the 13-inch model costs $799. The beginning price of the 11-inch iPad Pro is $999, while the 13-inch variant is $1,299 in price. On May 15, the Air and Pro versions will go on sale.
During the Apple event, two new accessories were also unveiled: a new pencil and a new “magic” keyboard. Apple has upgraded the trackpad with haptic feedback, added function buttons to the keyboard, and made an aluminum palm rest.
The sensor on the latest Apple pencil enables