This is an archive article published on May 7, 2024
From Apple iPad Pro OLED to Pencil Pro: Everything announced at the ‘Let Loose’ event
Apple announced new versions of its iPad Pro and iPad Air tablets, alongside a new Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro, on Tuesday in a pre-recorded virtual event.
The new iPad Pro is powered by the M4 chip. (Image Source: Apple)
During a virtual event held days before its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) next month, Apple took the wraps off its next-generation iPad Pro, iPad Air, Pencil Pro, and Magic Keyboard. Additionally, Apple also announced a brand new M4 processor that powers the high-end iPad Pro.
Apple iPad Pro starts from Rs 99,000. (Image Source: Apple)
New iPad Pros
The star of the show was the new iPad Pro models. The new pro-grade iPads, perhaps Apple’s most expensive and advanced tablets, will come in two sizes: an 11-inch model and a 13-inch model. Apple is calling it its thinnest product ever, coming in at 5.1mm thick, making it even thinner than the iPod Nano. Apple continues to highlight the slimmer and lighter design of the iPad, alongside a new type of OLED display, which is the same technology Apple uses on its iPhones. Apple says the tablet will be brighter and have better colours than previous models. Apple said it developed a technology called “tandem OLED” to create the screens, which it has branded Ultra Retina XDR. It will use a new Apple chip called the M4. The new GPU brings hardware ray tracing and mesh shading to the iPad for the first time, with overall up to 4x faster-rendering performance compared to M2. The new Neural Engine and CPU machine learning accelerators make the M4 chip an “outrageously powerful chip for AI”, according to Apple.
Apple has also upgraded the camera in the new iPad Pro to take better images, and an adaptive flash improves capture for document scanning tasks. The front-facing camera moves to the landscape edge, allowing for a better perspective for FaceTime calls.
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The 11-inch iPad Pro costs Rs 99,900 and the 13-inch model comes in at Rs 1,29,900. Both new iPad Pro models are available to pre-order today and ship next week.
Apple iPad Air is now available in a 13-inch variant. (Image Source: Apple)
New iPad Airs
New iPad Airs were also announced alongside the new iPad Pros. The new mid-range iPad Air will come in two sizes: an 11-inch size, matching older models, and a larger 13-inch model for the first time. Both come with Apple’s M2 chip. Apple has also moved the front-facing camera to the longer side of the device — landscape mode — to be better for video conferencing, matching Apple’s high-end iPad Pro models. The new iPad Air comes in new colours, including blue, purple, and gold. It will be available in stores next week. For Rs 74,900, you get the 11-inch model, and for Rs 79,900, you get the 13-inch model.
The new Magic Keyboard is made of aluminium. (Image Source: Apple)
Magic Keyboard
Apple also unveiled a redesigned Magic Keyboard, the accessory that converts the iPad Pro and turns it into more of a laptop. The redesigned Magic Keyboard is made of aluminium, giving it a more premium look and feel. The new Magic Keyboard has a larger trackpad and a function row. It is available at the same price as the previous Magic Keyboard: Rs 27,900 for the 11-inch version and Rs 31,900 for the 13-inch.
The Apple Pencil Pro has Find My support. (Image Source: Apple)
Apple Pencil Pro
Finally, a new iPad stylus was also introduced. As rumoured before, the Apple Pencil is getting a “pro” version, featuring haptic feedback for the first time, thanks to a new sensor in the barrel. It also supports virtual shaped tools via a new roll feature. Developers can create custom interactions, with Procreate being one of the first third-party app developers to take advantage of it. The Pro model also offers FindMy support, so if you leave the stylus behind, you can now track its location, just like AirPods. The new Apple Pencil is more powerful; however, it is only compatible with the latest iPads – both Air and Pro. It is priced at Rs 11,900 – the same price as the Pencil 2.
Anuj Bhatia is a personal technology writer at indianexpress.com who has been covering smartphones, personal computers, gaming, apps, and lifestyle tech actively since 2011. He specialises in writing longer-form feature articles and explainers on trending tech topics. His unique interests encompass delving into vintage tech, retro gaming and composing in-depth narratives on the intersection of history, technology, and popular culture. He covers major international tech conferences and product launches from the world's biggest and most valuable tech brands including Apple, Google and others. At the same time, he also extensively covers indie, home-grown tech startups. Prior to joining The Indian Express in late 2016, he served as a senior tech writer at My Mobile magazine and previously held roles as a reviewer and tech writer at Gizbot. Anuj holds a postgraduate degree from Banaras Hindu University. You can find Anuj on Linkedin.
Email: anuj.bhatia@indianexpress.com ... Read More
4 min read
Apple iPad Pro starts from Rs 99,000. (Image Source: Apple)
Apple iPad Air is now available in a 13-inch variant. (Image Source: Apple)
The new Magic Keyboard is made of aluminium. (Image Source: Apple)
The Apple Pencil Pro has Find My support. (Image Source: Apple)
