If you’ve been paying attention to the rumors leading up to Apple’s Let Loose iPad event, you knew what to expect: iPad Air and iPad Pro in 11- and 13-inch sizes with new processors, a new Apple Pencil, and a model update. Magic keyboard.
There were still some details during the announcement which were not expected and which surprised us a little. None of these revelations are earth-shattering, but they may be enough to slightly color our view of some of these products. Here are some of the things we didn’t expect before the event.
Prices that doesn’t to go up
The iPad Pro costs $200 more no matter which size you choose — a price you could justify with that fancy new OLED display and maybe twice the storage. But the 11-inch iPad Air hasn’t gotten more expensive, which is a relief. This is the first year a 13-inch iPad Air has been available, so we don’t have anything to compare it to, but $799 seems about right to us.
Not more expensive either? The new Apple Pencil Pro, priced at the same $129 as the 2nd generation Apple Pencil, despite several new features.
And the new Magic Keyboard, which has an aluminum top, a larger trackpad with haptic feedback, and is thinner and has a row of functions, costs the same as the old Magic Keyboard ($299 for 11-inch iPad; $349 for 13-inch iPads). . It’s still too expensive, but it’s nice to see feature inflation without price inflation.
The biggest surprise of all? The 10th generation iPad actually has a $100 price tag cut, down to $349, which is only $20 more than the no longer available 9th generation iPad. We always thought this should have been Apple’s decision from the start: don’t keep the 9th generation model, just replace it with the 10th generation model with a very modest (if any) price increase.
The iPad Pro’s new Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil don’t cost more than the previous generation.
The iPad Pro’s new Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil don’t cost more than the previous generation.
Peter Ahrnstedt
The iPad Pro’s new Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil don’t cost more than the previous generation.
Peter Ahrnstedt
Peter Ahrnstedt
Return to a single camera
Where did the iPad Pro’s 10MP ultra-wide camera go? It’s just gone! We don’t know how often it was used, but for the first time since 2020 it’s down to a 12MP wide camera. Apple could have at least upgraded it to the 48MP wide camera on the new iPhones, to give us that 2x optical “crop zoom” option. mmWave 5G is also missing from cellular models, but most people probably won’t even know it’s gone.
M4 is missing a core
If you buy an iPad Pro with less than 1TB of storage, you get 8GB of RAM. If you buy the 1TB or 2TB option, you get 16GB of RAM. This is the same as with the 2022 iPad Pro M2.
But what is not it the same is that you get a lesser M4 processor as well. That’s right, while both models have six efficiency cores, the <1TB models only have three performance cores. If you want the full M4 processor, you have to spend a minimum of $1,599 for the 11-inch 1TB model or $1,899 for the 13-inch 1TB model. Yeah.
More storage for the same price
Given the price increase and the 18-month delay since the iPad Pro M2 was announced, it’s a good thing the 128GB model simply disappeared from the lineup and the iPad Pro now starts with 256 GB of storage. This mitigates the $200 price hike a little, but not much. No tablet at this price should dream of giving you only 128GB of storage.
The iPad Air also loses its 128GB model and gains a new 2TB option on the high end, leaving the 10th generation iPad as the only model with 64GB of storage. If you want more storage, rest assured that Apple still charges a ridiculous price for additional storage. Some things never change.
The new iPad Air is thin and light, but not as thin and light as the iPad Pro.
The new iPad Air is thin and light, but not as thin and light as the iPad Pro.
Peter Ahrnstedt
The new iPad Air is thin and light, but not as thin and light as the iPad Pro.
Peter Ahrnstedt
Peter Ahrnstedt
Lighter than air
The 11-inch iPad Pro was slightly heavier than the 10.9-inch iPad Air: only 5 grams, but enough to justify the Air moniker. The new 11-inch iPad Pro now weighs 18 grams lighter.
The difference is even greater with the 13-inch models. The 13-inch iPad Air is about 10 percent lighter than the old 12.9-inch iPad Pro, but the new 13-inch iPad Pro is still a few percent lighter. At 579 grams, it’s 103 grams lighter than the M2 model and 38 grams lighter than the 13-inch iPad Air.
The iPad Pro is also about a millimeter thinner than the Air. Maybe Apple needs to rename the iPad Air?
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