In his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman stated that a new iPad Pro would be launching “very soon”, a point he reiterated on Twitter:
It turns out that soon was sooner than we expected with the Cupertino-based company unveiling a redesigned, 10th gen, entry-level, iPad as well as a new M2-powered iPad Pro and a new 4K Apple TV via a press release earlier today.
10th gen iPad
Sporting a new design that brings it in line with the rest of the iPad lineup, the new, entry-level, 10th-gen iPad drops the 3.5mm headphone jack and the home button. Like the 4th and 5th gen iPad Air, as well as the latest iPad Mini, TouchID can now be found in the power button at the top of the tablet. Arguably the biggest change, other than the fact that the new iPad now supports the 1st gen Apple Pencil and charges via USB-C, is the repositioned 12MP Ultra Wide front camera which is now in landscape orientation (where it should’ve been all along).
The new iPad sports a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display which boats up to 500 nits brightness, has landscape stereo speakers, is powered by the A14 Bionic, has either 64GB or 256GB storage, and is available in Silver, Blue, Pink or Yellow.
Did I mention the new Magic Keyboard Folio accessory that basically turns your iPad into a faux laptop and the 1st gen (lightning port equipped) Apple Pencil requires an adaptor to be able to charge in the USB-C port on the new tablet?
M2 iPad Pro
The standout feature of the new iPad Pro is the fact that it’s powered by the M2 chip (yes, the one in the redesigned MacBook Air).
Available in either an 11-inch or 12-inch size, the new Pro retains FaceID and keeps the front-facing camera in portrait orientation, an unusual move considering the landscape orientation of the new entry-level iPad.
“The next-generation iPad Pro pushes the boundaries of what’s possible on iPad, bringing even more versatility, power, and portability to the ultimate iPad experience,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Powered by the M2 chip, the new iPad Pro features incredible performance and the most advanced technologies, including a next-level Apple Pencil hover experience, ProRes video capture, superfast wireless connectivity, and powerful iPadOS 16 features. There’s nothing else like it.”
According to Apple, the M2 features an 8-core CPU (which is up to 15 percent faster than the M1) and a 10-core GPU. The M2 chip also features 100GB/s of unified memory bandwidth and supports up to 16GB of fast unified memory. The new Pro also supports Wi-Fi 6E and 5G on cellular models.
Hover, a new feature enabled by the new iPad Pro and iPadOS 16, for the 2nd gen Apple Pencil “provides a completely new dimension for users to interact with their screen.” Apple Pencil is detected up to 12 mm above the display, letting you see a preview of your mark before you make it.
4K Apple TV
The new Apple TV 4K is available in two configurations: Apple TV 4K (Wi-Fi), which offers 64GB of storage; and Apple TV 4K (Wi-Fi + Ethernet), which offers support for Gigabit Ethernet, Thread mesh networking protocol to connect even more smart home accessories and twice the storage for apps and games (128GB).
“Apple TV 4K is the ultimate way for Apple users to enjoy their favorite entertainment on the biggest screen in the home, and now it is more powerful than ever,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The new Apple TV 4K is unlike anything else out there, given its seamless connection to other Apple devices, ease of use, and access to amazing Apple content. It offers something for everyone in the family to love.”
Powering the new Apple TV 4K is the A15 Bionic which Apple says increases CPU performance by up to 50 compared to the previous generation with GPU performance up to 30 percent faster.
