apple on Tuesday announced new versions of the iPad Air and iPad Pro tablets.
“This is the biggest day for the iPad since it was introduced,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a short video posted on the company’s website.
The new iPad models are the first to be released by Apple since October 2022, marking the longest gap between updates since the device launched in 2011.
Apple’s new iPad Pro comes in two sizes and starts at $999. It also has a new add-on case called the Smart Keyboard that makes it feel like a laptop.
The iPad Pro, Apple’s most expensive and advanced tablet, will come in two sizes, an 11-inch model and a 13-inch model, Apple said. The company described the product as thinner than ever, with a thickness of 5.1 millimeters.
The smaller iPad Pro starts at $999 and the larger 13-inch model starts at $1,299 with 256GB of storage, a slight price increase from its predecessor.
The iPad Pro will snap into a new case that Apple calls the Magic Keyboard, which is made of aluminum and combines the tablet with a keyboard and trackpad. Apple said that using the case will make using an iPad Pro like a laptop experience, i.e. “just like a MacBook”.
Apple’s new Magic Keyboard accessory.
CNBC/Todd Haselton
The Magic Keyboard will cost $249 or $299, depending on the size. Apple also announced an updated stylus called the Apple Pencil Pro for $129.
The new iPad models use a new Apple chip called the M4, an update from the M3 chips that currently power Apple’s laptops. Apple said the M4 chip was an “outrageously powerful chip for artificial intelligence,” noting, for example, its ability to help power software that isolates subjects from their backgrounds in videos.
“This stunning design and groundbreaking display required us to make the leap to Apple’s next generation of silicon,” said John Ternus, Apple’s chief hardware officer.
Apple’s new iPad Pro from the back.
CNBC/Todd Haselton
Apple said its iPad Pro tablets will use a new kind of screen called OLED — the same technology Apple uses in its iPhones — and that the new tablets will be brighter and have more vibrant colors than older models. The company also said it developed a technology called “tandem OLED” to create the displays, which are branded Ultra Retina XDR.
The company said the iPad Pro could be a useful tool for professional video producers and announced a new app called Final Cut Camera that can control multiple iPhone cameras. The iPad Pro comes with a 12-megapixel rear camera that can record 4K video, according to Apple. The company also announced an update to the camera flash, which should make scanning documents easier.
The new tablets and accessories are available for pre-order now and will be released next week.
Apple’s iPad Air starts at $599 and has been updated with a faster M2 chip.
CNBC/Todd Haselton
Apple said the iPad Air will come in two sizes: an 11-inch option that fits older models and a larger 13-inch model. Both are equipped with Apple’s M2 chip. The smaller iPad costs $599 for 128GB of storage, and the larger iPad starts at $799.
Apple has also moved the front-facing camera to the larger side of the device – landscape mode – to make it better for video conferencing, matching the more expensive iPad Pro models.
The iPad Air will be available in stores next week and will be available in a variety of colors, including blue, purple, and gold.
Apple also dropped the price of its base iPad to $349, down from $429.