News -May 7, 2024 – 4:15 PM
In an ultra-short video presentation of about half an hour at an unusual time, Apple announced new iPads as expected: the iPad Pro and iPad Air 2024.
Instead of mini-LED, Apple has opted for OLED for the PRo models. The screen of the largest iPad will be 0.1 inches larger and will go from 12.9 inches to 13 inches.
The tandem OLED technology combines the light from two OLED panels and can display SDR and HDR content with a full-screen brightness of 1000 nits, and HDR content with a peak brightness of 1600 nits.
The Pro has also become a lot thinner (5.3mm for 11-inch and 5.1mm for 13-inch) and there is a new color. Space gray is now space black. The 11-inch model weighs less than half a kilo and the 13-inch model is more than 100 grams lighter than its predecessor.
The iPad Pro 2024 will be the first to get a new M4 chip. Apple would like to emphasize the AI functions of this chip for the iPad Pro. The M4 chip also features a completely new display engine, making images look “incredibly accurate, clear and colorful” on the iPad Pro’s Ultra Retina XDR display.
The FaceTime camera is now located on the long side, so you no longer have to look sideways during video calling.
The iPad Air is now available for the first time with a 13-inch Liquid Retina screen, but is powered by an M2 chip. the iPad Air has the same flat-sided design as its predecessor. It is available in four colors: blue, pink, starlight and space gray.
The 11-inch iPad Pro is available from 1219 euros (Wi-Fi model) and 1469 (Wi-Fi + Cellular model), and the 13-inch iPad Pro is available from 1569 (Wi-Fi model) and 1819 (Wi-Fi + Cellular model).
The new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air are available in blue, purple, starlight and space gray, with your choice of 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB of storage capacity. The 11-inch iPad Air is available from 719 euros (WiFi model) and 889 euros (Wi-Fi + Cellular). The 13-inch iPad Air is available from 969 euros (Wi-Fi) and 1139 euros (Wi-Fi + Cellular model).
Accessories
Together with the new iPads, Apple has also launched a brand new Apple Pencil Pro: it is the first pen that you can find via the ‘Find My’ app, which is useful if you don’t remember where you left it.
The Magic Keyboard has also been updated: thinner, lighter and ‘incredibly versatile’. The new Magic Keyboard features the beloved floating design and now also includes a row of function keys.
Apple also unveiled new versions of Logic Pro for iPad 2 and Logic Pro for Mac. The new Logic Pro runs partly on AI and contains new Studio Assistant features that should make studio work easier.
Apple has also introduced Final Cut Pro for iPad 2. Live Multicam in Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 turns iPad into a multi-camera production studio—you can connect up to four devices at the same time.
Tablet market
The tablet market could use a boost. According to Canalys the number of deliveries in the first quarter grew by only 1 percent compared to the previous year. Shipments reached 33.7 million units after four straight quarters of year-over-year declines.
Apple retained the top spot with 35.6 percent market share, but was actually down 13.9 percent year over year. This is followed by Samsung (20.2%), Huawei (8.1%), Lenovo (6.3%) and Amazon (6.1%). Interestingly, Huawei performed the best with an annual growth of 70.2 percent.
Foldable
Apple reportedly wants to launch a foldable device with a 20.3-inch screen in 2025. This may be the first foldable MacBook.
Rumors about a foldable iPhone have been doing the rounds for some time. Apple analyst Jeff Pu predicts that Cupertino will launch its first foldable device as early as 2025.
Pu expects that Apple will start mass production of the foldable MacBook by the end of 2025.