There are two notable design changes for the new iPad Pro models introduced today: they are the thinnest Apple products ever released, and they are available in a new Space Black finish that debuted on the MacBook Pro last year.
Apple gave the media some hands-on time with the new iPad Pro models, and we have rounded up real-world photos and videos of the devices below.
The new 11-inch iPad Pro is just 5.3mm thick, and the 13-inch model is even thinner at 5.1mm.
There is also a new Magic Keyboard for the new iPad Pro models that features an aluminum palm rest and a larger trackpad. The keyboard is available in Black and White color options, which have Space Black and Silver palm rests, respectively.
Last, the new Apple Pencil Pro looks very similar to the second-generation Apple Pencil.
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after Apple released the fourth betas.
Registered developers are able to opt into the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to the Software Update section, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option, and toggling on the iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 Developer Beta. An Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta. Apple has also released an RC version of iOS 16.7.8 for devices that are unable to run iOS 17.
Most of the features that Apple promised would be coming in iOS 17 have now been released, but iOS 17.5 adds additional app ecosystem changes in the European Union. App developers can offer apps for download on the iPhonedirectly from their websites, in addition to through app marketplaces.
There are also code changes that hint at new Apple Pencils and a Battery Health feature for the iPad, with more information on what's new available in our iOS 17.5 beta features post.
Apple today released the release candidate version of an upcoming visionOS 1.2 update to developers, allowing them to test new features ahead of the software seeing a public launch. The fifth visionOS 1.2 beta comes one week after the release the fourth beta.
The visionOS beta can be downloaded by going to the Settings app on the device and toggling on developer betas. A registered developer account is required, and Apple recommends making a backup before installing new software.
Apple may make further improvements to Personas, EyeSight, and other features with visionOS 1.2, but no major new additions were found in the first four betas.
Apple's new iPad Pro models come almost a year and a half after their predecessors, offering 25 significant changes and upgrades.
The 2022 iPad Pro was a minor upgrade that added the M2 chip and Apple Pencil hover, as well as support for Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and Smart HDR 4. The 2024 refresh is much more substantial, with more than two dozen changes and generation-over-generation improvements.
The 2022 iPad Pro models have now been discontinued by Apple, but they may still be found refurbished and with third-party resellers for lower prices. As such, some customers may be weighing up whether to buy the 2022 iPad Pro or the new 2024 models.
The iPad Pros from 2022 and 2024 share many of their key features, so should you consider buying or sticking with the older model to save money? This breakdown also serves as a way to clearly see all the differences that the new iPad Pro brings to the table.
iPad Pro (2022)
iPad Pro (2024)
11- or 12.9-inch display
11- or 13-inch display
Liquid Retina or Liquid Retina XDR display LED or mini-LED backlit display with IPS
Ultra Retina XDR display Tandem OLED
SDR brightness: 600 nits max
SDR brightness: 1000 nits max
Nano-texture display glass option on 1TB and 2TB models
Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW
Hardware-accelerated 8K H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW
ProRes encode and decode engine
ProRes encode and decode engine AV1 decode
100GB/s memory bandwidth
120GB/s memory bandwidth
Improved thermal design with graphite sheets and copper
10MP ƒ/2.4 Ultra Wide camera
2x optical zoom out and digital zoom up to 5x
Digital zoom up to 5x
ProRes video recording up to 4K at 60 fps with external recording
True Tone flash
Adaptive True Tone flash
Rear ambient light sensor
12MP Ultra Wide front-facing camera
Landscape 12MP Ultra Wide front-facing camera
Sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G support
Sub-6GHz 5G support only
Physical SIM card slot
eSIM only
Depth: 5.9mm or 6.4mm
Depth: 5.3mm or 5.1mm
Weight: 1.03 pounds (466 grams) or 1.5 pounds (682 grams)
Weight: 0.98 pounds (444 grams) or 1.28 pounds (579 grams)
Supports Apple Pencil (USB‑C) and Apple Pencil (2nd generation)
Supports Apple Pencil (USB‑C) and Apple Pencil Pro
Supports Magic Keyboard for iPad and Smart Keyboard Folio
Supports Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro (M4)
Available with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB storage
Available with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB storage
Available in Silver and Space Gray
Available in Silver and Space Black
Overall, the new iPad Pro is an unusually significant upgrade over the previous generation, offering a large number of improvements that meaningfully improve the hardware experience with the device. The move to a high-end OLED display, thinner and lighter design, Adaptive True Tone flash, and landscape 12MP Ultra Wide front-facing camera are noticeable improvements that almost all users will benefit from. Features like the M4 chip, nano-texture display option, and Apple Pencil Pro support have the potential to enhance specific tasks and processes with the device, which could be particularly important to the likes of content creators and digital artists.
However, it is important to note that the new iPad Pro does not have any software advantages over previous versions of the device. Upgrading to the latest model is unlikely to dramatically change workflows, but it should offer a better overall experience. Users with an older iPad Pro, such as a 2018 model or older, have considerably more to gain by upgrading.
Apple today seeded the fifth beta of an upcoming watchOS 10.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming a week after the release of the fourth beta.
To install the watchOS 10.5 update, developers need to open the Apple Watch app, go to the Software Update section under "General" in Settings, and toggle on the watchOS 10 Developer Beta. An Apple ID linked to a developer account is required.
Once beta updates have been activated, watchOS 10.5 can be downloaded under the same Software Update section. To install software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life and it must be placed on an Apple Watch charger.
According to Apple's release notes, the update includes support for the new Pride watch face.
watchOS 10.5 includes new features, improvements and bug fixes, including a new Pride Radiance watch face to honor the LGBTQ+ community and culture.
For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222
The final version of watchOS 10.5 is likely to see a release next week.
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of an upcoming tvOS 17.5 to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming a week after the release of the fourth beta.
Registered developers are able to download the tvOS 17.5 update by opting in to the beta through the Settings app on the Apple TV. A registered developer account is required.
tvOS software updates are often minor in scale compared to other operating system updates, focusing primarily on smaller improvements rather than outward-facing changes. We don't yet know what's included in tvOS 17.5.
Apple shares some information on tvOS releases in its tvOS support document, which is updated after each tvOS launch, but Apple does not provide notes during beta testing.
Though we don't always know what's new in tvOS betas, we let MacRumors readers know when new updates are available so those who are developers can download new software upon release.
While the iPad Pro was updated with the M4 chip and more today, the latest 11-inch and 13-inch models lack two features that are available on some previous models, including mmWave 5G support and an Ultra Wide camera.
Apple's comparison page confirms that cellular configurations of the new iPad Pro models are limited to sub-6GHz bands for 5G. mmWave 5G was supported on the previous two iPad Pro generations, but in the U.S. only and never elsewhere.
Apple has yet to explain why it removed mmWave support from the iPad Pro. mmWave is a set of 5G frequencies that can provide very fast speeds at short distances, which is ideal for dense urban areas. By comparison, sub-6GHz 5G is generally slower than mmWave, but the signals travel further, better serving suburban and rural areas.
The 10-megapixel Ultra Wide rear camera on the last three iPad Pro generations is also absent on the latest models, which only have a 12-megapixel Wide rear camera.
As we previously noted, cellular configurations of the latest iPad Pro and iPad Air models also lack a physical SIM card slot, making them eSIM-only devices.
With the launch of the refreshed iPad Air and iPad Pro models, Apple introduced a new "Apple Pencil Pro." No Apple Pencil options have been discontinued, which means there are now four total Apple Pencils to choose from.
While the updated iPad Pro and iPad Air are compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro and the USB-C Apple Pencil, they do not work with the Apple Pencil 2. Older iPads are also not able to work with the Apple Pencil Pro.
The Apple Pencil Pro and the Apple Pencil 2 are both priced at $129, while the Apple Pencil 1 is priced at $99 and the Apple Pencil USB-C is $79.
Compared to older Apple Pencil models, the Apple Pencil Pro supports squeeze gestures, roll gestures, haptic feedback, and Find My.
Apple at its "Let Loose" event today announced new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, and there are smaller changes compared to the previous generation devices that did not get mentioned during the event but are worth knowing about.
One of the differences worth noting is the lack of a physical SIM card slot. On the previous generation models, the cellular versions of both the iPad Air and the iPad Pro included a physical SIM card slot. In the new devices, that's no longer the case. All cellular models now support eSIM only.
It's a small but crucial detail for anyone looking to upgrade their iPad while sticking with their current cellular plan. Apple has not divulged the reason why it chose to remove the physical SIM slot, but it could have been a design decision related to making the devices slimmer, or a necessity to keep them slim, given all of the devices' hardware upgrades.
Either way, the change brings parity to Apple's latest iPad models and its iPhone, which dropped the physical SIM slot in 2022 with the launch of the iPhone 14.
Apple today introduced ultra thin iPad Pro models, which are the thinnest iPad models to date. In fact, Apple is using the tagline "thinpossible" to describe the new tablets, and with that reduction in thickness, there's also been a reduction in weight.
Both iPad Pro models are lighter than the iPad Air models, despite the iPad Air models having the "Air" name that has historically been used to denote a light weight and a thin design when compared to Pro devices.
13-inch iPad Pro - 1.28 pounds (579 grams)
13-inch iPad Air - 1.36 pounds (617 grams)
11-inch iPad Pro - 0.98 pounds (444 grams)
11-inch iPad Air - 1.02 pounds (462 grams)
The 11-inch iPad Pro is 5.3mm thick, while the 13-inch iPad Pro is 5.1mm thick, which Apple pointed out is thinner than the iPod nano. Both iPad Air models are 6.1mm thick, comparatively, and they have noticeably thicker bezels.
iPad Air pricing starts at $599, while iPad Pro pricing starts at $999.
Apple's newly announced iPad Pro models cost over $3,000 when fully configured with all available options and accessories, making it the priciest iPad to date.
The cost breakdown for the top-specification iPad Pro is as follows:
13-inch iPad Pro (starting price): $1,299
2TB storage: +$1,000
Nano-texture glass option: +$100
Wi-Fi + Cellular: +$200
Apple Pencil Pro: $129
Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro (13-inch model): $349
The maxed-out iPad Pro costs $2,599, but with the Apple Pencil Pro and the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro, it comes to a total of $3,077 – a new high for the iPad.
With the debut of updated iPad Pro and iPad Air models, Apple has streamlined its iPad lineup with a range of devices available in different sizes and price points. The iPad Air now comes in two sizes like the iPad Pro, the ninth-generation $329 iPad has been discontinued, and Apple has dropped the price of the standard 10th-generation iPad.
Apple's full lineup with starting prices:
13-inch iPad Pro - $1,299
11-inch iPad Pro - $999
13-inch iPad Air - $799
11-inch iPad Air - $599
10.9-inch iPad - $349 (down from $449)
8.3-inch iPad mini - $499
The low-cost iPad now starts at $349 instead of $329 because the ninth-generation iPad has been discontinued, but the 10th-generation model has A14 chip instead of the older A13 chip. All of the iPad models can be updated with additional storage space, which increases the price. The high-end 2TB 13-inch iPad Pro, for example, is $2,299, and even more expensive with nano-texture glass and cellular connectivity.
Apple introduced a new Magic Keyboard and an Apple Pencil Pro to go along with the iPad Pro models. The iPad Pro and iPad Air can be ordered as of today.
Apple today unveiled the M4 chip, its newest system on a chip for the 2024 iPad Pro lineup.
Apple said that the M4 chip features a new up-to-10-core CPU of up to four performance cores and six efficiency cores. The M4 chip comes in two different models: the 9-core CPU with 3 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores (for 256GB and 512GB iPad Pro), and 10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores (for 1TB and 2TB iPad Pro).
The M4 chip is built with second-generation 3nm technology and features a new display engine. It delivers up to 50% faster CPU performance than the M2 in the previous iPad Pro and four-times faster rendering performance.
For performance in gaming, the M4 chip features Dynamic Caching that helps significantly increases performance for demanding pro apps and games. It also enables hardware-accelerated ray tracing on iPad for the first time.
Finally, the M4 includes a Neural Engine that fuels accelerated AI workloads. Apple mentioned that this is the company's most powerful Neural Engine ever, capable of 38 trillion operations per second and helping users accomplish AI tasks quickly on the iPad Pro.
For more details about the 2024 iPad Pro, be sure to read our full post on the new tablets.
Apple's new iPad Pro models have different amounts of RAM based on storage capacity, with the higher-tier models offering double the memory.
The 256GB and 512GB iPad Pro models are equipped with 8GB RAM, while the 1TB and 2TB models have 16GB RAM. Both models offer 120GB/s memory bandwidth.
The M4 chips in the different storage tiers also vary, with the 256/512GB models offering a 9-core CPU and the 1TB/2TB models equipped with a 10-core CPU. Both models have 10-core GPUs and a 16-core Neural Engine.
Pricing starts at $999 for the 11-inch model and $1,299 for the 13-inch model, but the 1TB variants cost $1,599 in the 11-inch size and $1,899 in the 13-inch size.
Apple's new iPad Pro models are available to order starting today, and will deliver to customers next week.
Apple's latest iPad Pro models are available with a matte nano-texture display option for the first time.
The nano-texture glass is designed for users who work in high-end, color-managed workflows, or challenging lighting conditions. It is etched at the nanometer scale to maintain image quality and contrast while scattering ambient light for reduced glare.
Nano-texture glass has only been available on the Pro Display XDR, iMac, and Studio Display so far, making this the first time that it has come to a touch-based device.
Customers can only configure the iPad Pro with nano-texture glass with 1TB and 2TB models for an additional cost of $100. With an 11-inch model, this brings the price to $1,699 or $2,099, and with a 13-inch model it brings the price to $1,999 or $2,399.
To go along with the new iPad Pro models that were introduced today, Apple debuted updated versions of both Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro. The updated Logic Pro 2 software is "smarter than ever," delivering new experiences for songwriting, beat-making, producing, and mixing.
Logic Pro has new AI-based studio assistant features that help artists make music. Session Players expand the Drummer capabilities in Logic Pro, with Apple adding a new Bass Player and Keyboard Player, plus a Stem Splitter to extract work with individual parts of a single audio recording.
Stem Splitter is designed to allow artists to separate mixed audio into distinct parts: Drums, Bass, Vocals, and Other instruments. Separating tracks makes it easier to apply effects, add new parts, and change the mix.
"Logic Pro gives creatives everything they need to write, produce, and mix a great song, and our latest features take that creativity to a whole new level," said Brent Chiu-Watson, Apple's senior director of Apps Worldwide Product Marketing. "Logic Pro's new AI-backed updates, combined with the unparalleled performance of iPad, Mac, and M-series Apple silicon, provide creative pros with the best music creation experience in the industry."
With a new ChromaGlow feature, users can dial in the perfect tone and choose from five different saturation styles to add ultrarealistic warmth, presence, and punch to tracks.
Logic Pro is available for the new iPad models and the Mac, and it is set to come out on May 13. The software is free for existing users, and $200 for new users.
Apple today discontinued the ninth-generation iPad, which was the final iPad model that it sold with a Lightning port. In addition, Apple lowered the price of the tenth-generation iPad, which now starts at $349 in the U.S. instead of $449.
The ninth-generation iPad started at $329 in the U.S., so the tenth-generation iPad is now much closer to that price point.
Despite the ninth-generation iPad being discontinued, the original Apple Pencil with a Lightning connector remains available for $99.
Apple's entire iPad lineup is now equipped with USB-C ports, excluding refurbished models.
