Pick up the 9th-gen iPad with two years of AppleCare+ for only $298

Apple has lots of new products on the way and is officially discontinuing its ninth-generation iPad. But, before the curtain falls on this reliable device, you can pick it up for a steal. Our favorite budget iPad for comes with two years of AppleCare+ and is down to $298 from $398 — a 25 percent discount. This deal is for the 64GB model with Wi-Fi in either Silver or Space Gray. 

If you're looking for a more affordable entry point into the world of iPads or want to grab one as a gift then the ninth-gen model gives you a solid balance of quality and cost. We gave it an 86 in our review when it first debuted in 2021 thanks to updates like True Tone technology and color changing based on ambient light. It also has a 12-MP front camera, Apple's A13 Bionic chip and up to 10 hours of battery life while in use. 

If you're looking for a more advanced iPad then check out everything we know about the new iPad Pro and iPad Air that Apple just announced. They will be available on May 15, but you can pre-order them now. 

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/pick-up-the-9th-gen-ipad-with-two-years-of-applecare-for-only-298-140951353.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Apple’s new iPad Pro is thinner than an old iPod nano

We kicked off our Tuesday with an early iPad event. And what a beastly iPad we got. Apple shook things up by slotting its brand-new M4 chip into its new highest-end iPad Pro. Apple says the new device delivers 50 percent faster performance than the M2 iPad Pro. It supports dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated ray tracing and hardware-accelerated mesh shading — so, better-looking games and faster graphic processing.

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But that’s only half the story. The other major upgrade is Tandem OLED, which is a display of two OLED panels on top of each other. Expect richer colors and deeper blacks, but also brightness levels that max out at 1000 nits for standard and HDR and 1600 nits for HDR’s brightest spots. This switch in display tech makes it thinner than previous iPads. Actually, it ensures the new iPad pro is (somehow) thinner than the iPod nano.

The new iPad Pro starts at $999 for the 11-inch model and $1,299 for the 13-inch, each with 256GB of storage. We’ve already got our first impressions right here.

We also got new iPad Airs and an Apple Pencil Pro, for you professional scribblers.

— Mat Smith

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Apple’s M4 chip arrives with a big focus on AI

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The latest Pixel A-series phone typically gets announced at Google I/O. However, to avoid distractions from all the other news, Google broke cover early. Compared to the standard Pixel 8, which has a 6.2-inch screen, the 8a features a slightly smaller 6.1-inch OLED display with noticeably larger bezels. But aside from that, the Pixel 8 and 8a are almost the exact same size. The 8a uses the same 64-megapixel and 13MP sensors for its main and ultra-wide cameras as its predecessor, but the Pixel 7a was a great camera phone, so no major complaints here. Sales start next week on May 14.

Continue reading.

OpenAI is trying to get ahead of the problem of these almost-real images circulating the internet by creating a toolset that detects images created by its own DALL-E 3 generator. The company says it can accurately detect pictures whipped up byDALL-E 3 98 percent of the time. While that sounds good, it’s loaded with caveats. The image has to be created by DALL-E, and it only successfully classified five to ten percent of images made by other AI models. It also struggles to spot generated images manually tweaked by a user.

Continue reading.

Wait, what?

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-apples-new-ipad-pro-is-thinner-than-an-old-ipod-nano-111533601.html?src=rss

iPad Pro 2024 vs. 2022: What’s changed

You may have heard Apple updated its top-of-the-line tablets at its Let Loose event on Tuesday. The 2024 model has some big improvements, including the new M4 chip, a “noticeably thinner and lighter” build, a superior OLED display and upgraded accessories. We broke down the key differences between the latest iPad Pro and its 2022 predecessor to help you figure out if it’s worth the (hefty) investment.

Graphic showing two iPad Pro models (2024 and 2022) side-by-side. The new model: 13
iPad Pro: 13-inch (2024) vs. 12.9-inch (2022)
Apple / Will Shanklin for Engadget

In Engadget’s hands-on at Apple’s “Let Loose” event, Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham said the new iPad Pro’s thinner and lighter build and its Tandem OLED display are the first big changes you’ll notice when you pick up the latest model.

“In Apple’s extremely bright demo area, the iPad Pro screen showed its quality — everything was extremely clear, blacks were pitch-black and colors really popped,” he said after using it at Apple’s event. “After looking at the iPad Air display, it was obvious how much better these screens are.”

Side-by-side display comparison of the 2024 and 2022 iPad Pro models in front of a colorful background.
iPad Pro: 11-inch (2024 vs. 2022)
Apple / Will Shanklin for Engadget

Another change you’ll notice when you compare the two iPad Pros side-by-side is camera positioning. The 2024 model moves its front-facing camera to the top-center when viewed in landscape orientation. The older model used Apple’s original iPad configuration, where the camera was centered above the screen when holding it upright in portrait mode.

The new iPad Pro is also noticeably lighter and thinner than its 2022 predecessor. The 13-inch model is a mere 5.11mm (0.2 inch) thick and weighs only 579g (1.28 lbs), making it 20 percent thinner and 15 percent lighter than the 12.9-incher from 2022. Meanwhile, the new 11-inch variant is 5.3mm (0.21 inch) thick and weighs 444g (0.98 lb), making it 10 percent thinner and five percent lighter than the older one.

Considering the 2022 model was already a svelte machine, it’s no wonder we found the new iPad Pro surprisingly thin and light relative to its processing power. Speaking of which…

Two iPads in front of a colorful gradient background. M4 and M2 chips below denote the different versions.
Apple / Will Shanklin for Engadget

The iPhone maker unveiled a new Apple Silicon version on an iPad instead of a Mac for the first time. The all-new M4 chip has up to a 10-core CPU configuration (four performance cores and six efficiency cores), which the company says translates to one and a half times faster performance than the M2 silicon in the 2022 model.

I say “up to” because, similar to MacBooks and some older iPad Pro models, Apple is shipping different chip variants depending on your pricing tier. The 1TB and 2TB versions of the 2024 model have that 10-core chip, while the 256GB and 512GB models drop down to a nine-core M4 with three performance and six efficiency cores.

The lower-tier and high-end M4 variants include a 10-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a 16-core neural engine, 120GB/s memory bandwidth and 16GB of RAM. So the different models don’t sound dramatically different — you just get an extra performance core in the more expensive tiers. We’ll have to wait until we get some extended time with them to see how that translates into real-world experience.

By comparison, the M2 in the 2022 iPad Pro has an eight-core CPU with four performance and four efficiency cores. It also has a 16-core Neural Engine (of course, an older version than the one in the M4), 100GB/s memory bandwidth and either 8GB or 16GB of RAM.

Graphic showing the different accessories available for the two most recent iPad Pro models. Includes keyboards and Apple Pencils.
Apple / Will Shanklin for Engadget

The new iPad Pro also has some new accessories you can’t use with the 2022 model. That includes a new Magic Keyboard that Apple claims makes “the entire experience feel just like using a MacBook.”

You can thank its bigger trackpad with haptic feedback (like on modern MacBooks) and an aluminum palm rest. The older model used a microfiber-esque material and physically clicking trackpad, so the new one should feel more solid underneath your hands and aligned with MacBooks’ look and feel.

The new Magic Keyboard also adds a new 14-key function row (also similar to a MacBook) with shortcuts for things like brightness, Spotlight search, Siri / dictation and media controls.

Meanwhile, the Apple Pencil Pro — exclusively compatible with the 2024 iPad Pro and iPad Air — looks much like its predecessor but adds some extra goodies. Those include a new sensor in its barrel that lets you squeeze it like the lovely little stylus it is.

The new squeeze gesture can bring up tool palettes or activate shortcuts. Third-party developers can even customize the actions for individual apps. For the first time, it also adds haptic feedback to let you know if your squeeze was accepted or if something you moved has landed in its intended spot.

The new Apple Pencil also works with Find My (another first), so you can check on its most recent location in Apple’s location app if you lose it.

Both models also work with the cheaper ($79) USB-C Apple Pencil from 2023.

Well, it can’t all be good news. With all those upgrades, Apple is once again asking you to consider paying more for a high-end tablet. The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $999, and the 13-inch model starts at a whopping $1,299. Those are each $200 higher than the starting prices in the 2022 model (when it was available).

But wait, it gets worse. Those prices don’t take into account the $299 (11-inch) or $349 (13-inch) you’ll pay if you want to add the new Magic Keyboard, nor does it factor in the $129 for the Apple Pencil Pro. You’ll have to pony up to make the new iPad Pro as much like a MacBook as possible: It will cost you almost what you’d pay for an entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 chip.

On the slightly brighter side, you get more storage this time around. The 2024 iPad Pro starts with 256GB, double the 128GB in the 2022 model. Moving up from there, the other storage tiers are identical to its predecessor (ranging up to 2TB for those with Scrooge McDuck bank accounts).

Here’s a table showing the full specs comparison between the 2024 and 2022 iPad Pro models, including separate charts for the 13 / 12.9-inch and 11-inch variants.

13-inch iPad Pro (2024) vs. 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2022)

12.9-inch iPad Pro (2024)

12.9-inch iPad Pro (2022)

Price

$1,299, $1,499, $1,899, $2,299

$1,099, $1,199, $1,399, $1,799, $2,199

Dimensions

281.16 x 215.5 x 5.1 mm

(11.09 x 8.48 x 0.20 inch)

280.6 x 214.9 x 6.4 mm

(11.04 x 8.46 x 0.25 inch)

Weight

1.28 pounds / 579 grams (Wi-Fi)

1.28 pounds / 582 grams (cellular)

1.5 pounds / 682 grams (Wi-Fi)

1.51 pounds / 685 grams (cellular)

Processor

M4

M2

Display

13-inch Ultra Retina XDR

2752 x 2064 (264 ppi)

12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR

2732 x 2048 (264 ppi)

Storage

256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB

128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB

Battery

38.99 Wh

10 hrs (Wi-Fi), 9 hrs (cellular)

40.88 Wh

10 hrs (Wi-Fi), 9 hrs (cellular)

Camera

Back: 12MP, ƒ/1.8

Front: 12MP, ƒ/2.4

Back: 12MP wide, ƒ/1.8 / 10MP ultrawide, ƒ/2.4

Front: 12MP, ƒ/2.4

Compatible Apple accessories

Magic Keyboard (2024)

Apple Pencil Pro

Apple Pencil (USB-C)

Magic Keyboard (2020)

Apple Pencil (2nd generation)

Apple Pencil (USB-C)

11-inch iPad Pro (2024) vs. 11-inch iPad Pro (2022)

11-inch iPad Pro (2024)

11-inch iPad Pro (2022)

Price

$999, $1,199, $1,599, $1,999

$799, $899, $1,099, $1,499, $1,899

Dimensions

249.7 x 177.5 x 5.9 mm

(9.83 x 6.99 x 0.21 inch)

247.6 x 178.5 x 5.9 mm

(9.74 x 7.02 x 0.23 inch)

Weight

0.98 pound / 444 grams (Wi-Fi)

0.98 pound / 446 grams (cellular)

1.03 pound / 466 grams (Wi-Fi)

1.04 pound / 470 grams (cellular)

Processor

M4

M2

Display

11-inch Ultra Retina XDR

Tandem OLED

2420 x 1668 (264 ppi)

11-inch Liquid Retina

LED

2388 x 1668 (264 ppi)

Storage

256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB

128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB

Battery

31.29 Wh

10 hrs (Wi-Fi), 9 hrs (cellular)

28.65 Wh

10 hrs (Wi-Fi), 9 hrs (cellular)

Camera

Back: 12MP, ƒ/1.8

Front: 12MP, ƒ/2.4

Back: 12MP wide, ƒ/1.8 / 10MP ultrawide, ƒ/2.4

Front: 12MP, ƒ/2.4

Compatible Apple accessories

Magic Keyboard (2024)

Apple Pencil Pro

Apple Pencil (USB-C)

Magic Keyboard (2020)

Apple Pencil (2nd generation)

Apple Pencil (USB-C)

Stay tuned for Engadget’s full review of the 2024 model. In the meantime, you can recap Nathan Ingraham’s initial impressions of the new iPad Pro and Apple Pencil Pro, Devindra Hardawar’s recap of the new model’s features and Sam Rutherford’s run-through of the new M4 chip.

Follow all of the news live from Apple's 'Let Loose' event right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ipad-pro-2024-vs-2022-whats-changed-202056821.html?src=rss

You can now buy a Pixel Tablet without a dock for $400, if that’s your bag

Google has made the 128GB Pixel Tablet available as a standalone device, without the charging dock. It costs $400, as compared to around $500 at most outlets with the dock. This is a great deal on paper, but there’s one elephant-sized caveat. We had some issues with the tablet on its own and were mostly enamored by that dock.

You can’t cast streaming content to the device without the dock, which is one major negative. We also found the camera placement to be slightly awkward, particularly when participating in video calls. The 2,560 x 1,600 LCD panel isn’t as vibrant as an OLED panel, but it gets the job done. All of the specs of this device are “just fine” but, at $400, that’s probably to be expected.

The dock brings some nifty stuff to the table, like a durable stand, fantastic speakers and, of course, charging. However, there are some things that the Pixel Tablet excels at, even without that charging dock. The battery life is superb, lasting well over 21 hours per charge at 50 percent brightness. That’ll handle even the longest international flight. We also found the tablet to be useful as a smart display, particularly if you’ve fully bought into the Google smart home ecosystem.

This price drop is part of a larger announcement that includes a brand new smartphone. The Pixel 8a is a budget-friendly way to get involved with Google’s robust suite of AI tools, like Gemini, Best Take and Audio Magic Eraser.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/you-can-now-buy-a-pixel-tablet-without-a-dock-for-400-if-thats-your-bag-185329549.html?src=rss

The M4 iPad Pro is literally lighter than Air

Apple refreshed its iPads in a major way today with new launches in both the iPad Pro and iPad Air lineups. Both have significant hardware updates, but somehow the iPad Pro now weighs less than all of its Air equivalents.

The 11-inch iPad Pro is 0.98 pounds (444 grams for the Wi-Fi model and 446 grams with cellular), while the same size version of the iPad Air is 1.02 pounds (462 grams with no difference between the Wi-Fi and cellular models). 

The weight difference is more evident in the 13-inch tablets — the iPad Air comes in that size for the first time. The 13-inch iPad Pro starts at 1.28 pounds (or 579 grams) for the Wi-Fi model, with the cellular version coming in three grams heavier. Meanwhile, though the Wi-Fi and LTE variants of the 13-inch iPad Air are only one gram apart, they both weigh 1.36 pounds, which is noticeably heavier than the iPad Pro.

Apple says the latest iPad Pro is the thinnest product it has made, with a switch to dual OLED panels helping make the tablet more slender than ever. On the flip side, that makes the name of the iPad Air a little janky at this point. 

Sure, it's just a name and it doesn't matter that much. But at 1.03 pounds, the original Air was nearly half a pound lighter than the iPad 4. The latest model is essentially the same weight, but it's now heavier and chonkier than the iPad Pro, making Apple's premium tablets literally lighter than Air.

Follow all of the news live from Apple's 'Let Loose' event right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-m4-ipad-pro-is-literally-lighter-than-air-164942372.html?src=rss

Everything announced at Apple’s Let Loose iPad event

Another Apple event is in the books and, as expected, the Let Loose showcase was all about iPad. We now have our first Apple device powered by an M4 chip in the iPad Pro, with the company surprisingly choosing to debut it there rather than in a Mac. There's also an upgraded iPad Air that's available in two sizes: 11 inches and 13 inches.

There are some accessory updates too, which isn't a big shock given that an Apple Pencil was prominent in the event's teaser image. So, without further ado, here's a rundown of everything Apple announced at its blessedly brief Let Loose event.

It had been expected for a while that any updated iPad Pro would have an M3 chip, but Apple decided to upend the expectations of many by instead slotting the brand new M4 into its highest-end tablet. Apple says the new device delivers 50 percent faster performance than the M2 iPad Pro. 

Rendering performance is said to be four times faster than on the M2 Pro as well. For the first time on an iPad, Apple is bringing support for dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated ray tracing and hardware-accelerated mesh shading to the Pro with the M4.

There are some power efficiencies here too. Apple says the M4 can deliver the same performance as an M2 using half the power. So, if you're using the tablet for tasks that aren't too strenuous, it stands to reason that the battery should last for longer.

The other major upgrade for the iPad Pro is new display tech called Tandem OLED. As the name suggests, it uses two OLED panels layered on top of each other. That means this tablet should have richer colors and deeper blacks on what Apple is calling the Ultra Retina XDR display. Apple says the brightness levels max out at 1000 nits for standard and HDR, and 1600 nits for HDR.

Despite the dual layer, the OLED panels are still thinner than an LCD display. To that end, Apple says the iPad Pro is now somehow thinner than an iPod nano (RIP, you beautiful thing), making it the company's most slender product ever. There's a nano-textured glass option for the first time on an iPad Pro too, but only if you opt for at least 1TB of storage.

One other notable change is that the Ultra Wide 12MP front-facing camera is now on the landscape edge. The Magic Keyboard users out there may be pleased about that tweak.

The new iPad Pro starts at $999 for the 11-inch model and $1,299 for the 13-inch, each with 256GB of storage. Add $200 to each of you want 5G cellular connectivity via eSIM.

We've already had a hands-on with the iPad Pro and, at first glance, the display seems like the show stealer.

We have to chat a bit about what's powering the iPad Pro: the all-new M4 chipset. The Pro is the first Apple product to use the M4, even before any Mac. 

The M4 has a new CPU with up to four performance cores and six efficiency cores. There's a 10-core GPU as well. Notably, the chipset's neural engine is focused on machine learning and AI. Apple says the neural engine is capable of 38 trillion operations per second — it's 60 times faster than the first neural engine that debuted in the A11 chip. AI features that the M4 will power on the iPad Pro will include real-time Live Captions, the ability to isolate subjects and remove backgrounds in videos in Final Cut Pro and automatic musical notation in StaffPad.

Odds are high that we'll start seeing Macs with the M4 pop up later this year, which might put folks off from buying the M3 MacBook Air Apple started selling just a couple of months ago (though the company says the MBA is now the best-selling 13-inch and 15-inch laptop on the planet). 

The main reason for Apple skipping a silicon generation with the iPad Pro is likely to start a transition into AI hardware ahead of its Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Expect the company to talk much more about what it plans to do with AI across all its products next month.

iPad Air (2024) colorways.
Apple

The iPad Air was well overdue for an update after being stuck with an aging M1 chipset for over two years. The latest model (or models) boast an M2 chipset. Still recent enough to make it a notable upgrade from the previous Air while keeping the more powerful iPad Pro distinct.

As I mentioned, the iPad Air now comes in two sizes, the existing 11-inch form factor and the new, larger 13-inch variant. That makes the Air the most cost-effective large screen iPad as things stand. Oh, and the front-facing camera is also positioned on the longer edge of the Air now. Thanks, Apple.

The company has doubled the base storage from the previous generation to 128GB. The 11-inch model starts at $599 and the new 13-inch Air is $799. For 5G cellular connectivity, you'll need to pay $150 extra. As with pretty much everything else Apple showed off today, the new iPad Air will drop next Wednesday.

We've also had some hands-on time with the new iPad Air. With the combination of the price and the various hardware updates, Apple could be onto another winner here.

Apple Pencil Pro
Apple

There's a new Apple Pencil around town and it has some nifty tricks up its sleeve, including haptic feedback. The Apple Pencil Pro supports a new squeeze gesture too. If you rotate the barrel, you can change the orientation of brush and pen tools, just as you would with a pen and paper.

Find My support for the first time in an Apple Pencil is very welcome, considering how easy it is too lose the dang thing if you don't store it securely on the side of your iPad. 

The Apple Pencil Pro costs $129. Preorders are open today and it ships on May 15.

Overshot keyboard.
Apple

Meanwhile, there's a new Magic Keyboard that's only compatible with the iPad Pro. This one is made from aluminum to give it a more premium feel and perhaps help users believe that the iPad Pro is the laptop replacement Apple has long envisioned its tablets being.

The latest version has a larger trackpad with haptic feedback, while there's a row of function keys, à la a more traditional keyboard.

The new Magic Keyboard also ships next week. If you want one for the 11-inch iPad Pro, it'll run you $300, while the larger variant is $350.

Follow all of the news live from Apple's 'Let Loose' event right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/everything-announced-at-apples-let-loose-ipad-event-161005007.html?src=rss

iPad Air M2 hands-on: A big-screen iPad that doesn’t break the bank

Compared to the iPad Pro, the changes Apple made to the iPad Air are more modest. Rather than a total redesign, the iPad Air is getting some expected and slightly overdue changes: a new screen size, a new processor and a front-facing camera that is placed on the landscape side of the tablet. 

Yes, that's some faint praise, but there's a lot to like about the new iPad Air. It's long been the best overall iPad, straddling the line between the budget entry model and the wildly powerful and expensive Pro lineup. That's the case here, again. But now that the 13-inch iPad Pro is even more pricey than before, it's good to see a large-screen iPad that doesn't cost well over $1,000. 

The 11-inch iPad Air is identical in size and weight to the old one, though the screen is .1 inches bigger this time. So there's not a whole lot to say about that one. The 13-inch Air, however, feels quite a bit like the old 12.9-inch iPad Pro that was just replaced today. Indeed, it's identical in all dimensions, but a little bit lighter (1.36 pounds instead of 1.5).

iPad Air M2 2024
Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

That makes it a little more approachable as a hand-held tablet, though I still feel like an iPad this large is best suited to either be used in a keyboard dock or flat on a table with an Apple Pencil. That said, Apple says that about half of iPad Pro sales were for the larger model, so there's clearly an appetite for this bigger screen. There's definitely something luxurious about using such a large screen tablet, provided it's easy to handle, and that's the case with the iPad Air (at least in the limited time I've had so far to handle the device).

I also got to try the new Apple Pencil Pro, which is compatible with the new Air. As I said here, the new tricks like barrel roll for changing the shape of your brush and a squeeze feature to bring up tools like a brush picker are solid additions, and I'm glad that Apple didn't increase the Pencil's price given these new features. 

iPad Air M2 2024
Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

These tablets might not have the wow factor that I experienced when checking out the iPad Pro, but that's OK. From my first look, it feels like the iPad Air lineup offers most of the same experience that you'll get with an iPad Pro — at least in ways that normal buyers will recognize. And I think Apple did well on pricing this time out. The 11-inch iPad Air costs $599, same as before, but it now has a more reasonable 128GB of storage. The 13-inch model is priced at $799, an expected price bump for the larger screen. It's the first time you can get a large-screen iPad for less than a grand, and I'm definitely curious to see if that helps to improve iPad sales. 

You can read my first impressions of the new iPad Pro M4 right here.

Follow all of the news live from Apple's 'Let Loose' event right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hands-on-with-the-ipad-air-m2-a-big-screen-ipad-that-doesnt-break-the-bank-160655629.html?src=rss

How to pre-order Apple’s new iPad Air, iPad Pro, Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard

The new iPads are finally here. Apple has announced four new entries in its tablet lineup, including two revamped iPad Pros with OLED screens and an all-new M4 chip, a refreshed iPad Air with an M2 chip and a new larger Air model with a 13-inch display. Along with the new slates, the company also unveiled a new Apple Pencil Pro stylus with haptic feedback support and an updated Magic Keyboard with a more MacBook-like design. The updates come more than a year and a half after the company last unveiled new iPads in October 2022.

All of the new gear is available for pre-order at Apple's online store and various third-party retailers. Each device will be fully available on May 15. We plan to put everything through its paces in the coming days, but if you're already 100 percent sure that you want to upgrade, we'll quickly break down what's new and lay out your current purchasing options below. Here's what to know about pre-ordering the new iPad Air, iPad Pro, Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-pre-order-apples-new-ipad-air-ipad-pro-pencil-pro-and-magic-keyboard-160521255.html?src=rss

Hands-on with the new iPad Pro M4: Absurdly thin and light, but the screen steals the show

The new 11- and 13-inch iPad Pro models that Apple just introduced may be completely redesigned from the outside in, but they still feel a lot like their predecessors. That's not a bad thing, as the old iPad Pro design was outstanding. But there's no doubt Apple is flexing its hardware engineering muscles with these new tablets, not just with the M4 chip inside.

Both tablets are noticeably thinner and lighter than the ones they replace, something I didn't really think was possible before. It's frankly a little absurd to see such a thin and light device with such an advanced display and powerful processor. It still feels like the prior iPad Pro, just in a more refined package. My big question is around durability, something Apple mentioned during its keynote — I'd be a little worried about bending these iPads, but hopefully this is something Apple rigorously tested for. But it has had issues with thin products bending before (albeit a long time ago). 

Apple iPad Pro 2024
Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

After the impressive physical specifications, the next thing you can't miss is the OLED screen. Technically, it's a "Tandem OLED" screen, a display layer that is thinner than the one in the old iPad Pro which helped Apple achieve the wild thinness here. In Apple's extremely bright demo area, the iPad Pro screen showed its quality — everything was extremely clear, blacks were pitch-black and colors really popped. After looking at the iPad Air display, it was obvious how much better these screens are. The viewing angles were particularly impressive to me, as images on the screen remained sharp, bright and clear no matter how I positioned the tablet. 

I also got a chance to check out the Apple Pencil Pro, which looks and feels nearly identical to the second-generation Apple Pencil revealed way back in 2018. That's OK, as the form factor is fine with me. It still connects to the side of the iPad Pro to charge and pair; all of its new tricks are under the hood. Squeezing the Pencil gives you a little burst of haptic feedback and pulls up a pane for selecting what brush you want to use in the FreeForm app demo I tried. But that action is customizable by third-party developers so the squeeze can do whatever is appropriate for the app you're using. The gyroscope, meanwhile, lets you spin the Pencil as you draw to change angles of your brush on the fly. 

Apple iPad Pro 2024
Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Unfortunately, we didn't get to try the new Magic Keyboard Apple is producing for the iPad Pro, but Apple says it's thinner and lighter than the old model. That older one will still be available for the iPad Air.

Between the display, the M4 processor and the new dimensions of the iPad Pro, this feels like a major update for Apple's best tablet, with a price to match. Both the 11- and 13-inch iPad Pro are $200 more than their predecessors: the 11-inch model starts at $999, while the 13-inch is a whopping $1,299. But hey, at least storage now starts at 256GB! That pricing firmly puts these iPads out of reach for normal humans, and that's OK — most people will be more than happy with a tablet like the iPad Air. If you want this wildly impressive screen, though, you're going to pay for it.

You can also read my first impressions of the new M2-powered iPad Air right here.

11-inch iPad Pro 2024
Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Follow all of the news live from Apple's 'Let Loose' event right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ipad-pro-m4-hands-on-absurdly-thin-and-light-but-the-screen-steals-the-show-153641259.html?src=rss

Apple quietly gives the 10th-generation iPad a $100 price drop

Near the end of its “Let Loose” event that brought new versions of the iPad Pro and iPad Air, Apple made some changes to the cheaper end of its tablet lineup. The 10th-generation iPad, the newest version of the budget model, now starts at $349, down from its original $449.

Alongside the price drop, Apple’s 9th-generation model (which was still rocking a Lightning port and home button) is now kaput. Its successor replaces it with a more modern design, USB-C and Touch ID on its lock button.

Apple’s new iPad lineup, showing outlines and captions for each model available.
Apple’s new iPad lineup sees the new price for the 10th-generation iPad and the end of its predecessor.
Apple

The 10th-generation iPad launched in 2022. Back then, Engadget’s Nathan Ingraham described it as “a complete redesign from [the 2021] model that cribs heavily from the iPad Air while also bringing a handful of compromises to upsell potential customers on Apple’s more expensive tablets.”

Although the 10th-gen model officially gets the $100 price cut, the model was already frequently discounted to that price at Apple’s retail partners. That price now gets you the 64GB base model, while the 256GB tier now costs $499, also a $100 drop from its 2022 launch.

Follow all of the news live from Apple's 'Let Loose' event right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-quietly-gives-the-10th-generation-ipad-a-100-price-drop-150256714.html?src=rss