Apple recently held an online event to announce some new iPad models, along with some new accessories which can be used with those iPads.

The focus of the event was very much on updates to both the iPad Air and the iPad Pro, as well as the introduction of Apple’s latest processor, the M4 chip.
The M4 chip news was a little surprising since this new M4 chip was released a little sooner than most analysts expected, and it also marks the first time that Apple has introduced a new Apple silicon chip during an iPad event instead of a Mac focused event.

The new iPad Pro:

It comes in two sizes, the 11-inch model and the 13-inch model. Both iPad Pro models are upgraded with this new M4 chip, and they also get a new OLED display. OLED displays have long been rumored to eventually replace the LCD displays that have traditionally been used in iPads. And basically, an OLED display is going to make everything look a little sharper and offer deeper colors than a traditional LCD display. Anyone working heavily with photo editing or video editing apps is going to benefit from these sharper displays.

But the big news for this latest iPad Pro is very much the new M4 chip powering it, which Apple claims is up to 4 times faster than the M2 chip that was in the previous model iPad Pro. This chip also has a new “neural processing unit” that is going to allow it to handle upcoming AI features that Apple is rumored to be including in future updates to iOS and iPad OS coming this fall. So, if you think you’re going to be really interested in some of these new AI features that Apple is almost certainly  introducing this year at their annual WWDC event, this new iPad Pro is going to be the option you should really consider over any of other iPads currently available.
These new iPad Pro models are also noticeably thinner than any other iPads that Apple has ever made. In fact, these new iPad Pro models are the thinnest product that Apple has ever made. At just 5.1 mm thin, this seems to be the most striking aspect of these new iPad Pros to most people who’ve spent some time testing these new models, just how light they feel and how that makes them easier to handle, especially the 13-inch model.

The new iPad Air:

It now comes in two different sizes, which is a new development. Previously, the iPad Air only came in one size, the 10.9-inch model. This year, Apple has decided to offer a 13-inch model in addition to the more traditional sized 11-inch model. Same as the iPad Pro. And the new iPad Air is powered by Apple’s M2 chip, which was previously only available in the iPad Pro. So, other than price, that is going to be one of the key difference between the iPad Air and the iPad Pro, that you can only get the latest M4 chip if you purchase the iPad Pro. The iPad Air also keeps the Liquid Retina display as opposed to the new OLED display. The iPad Air is a few hundred dollars cheaper than the Pro model though, so these differences are to be expected.

This event also saw a couple of new products announced that you can use with these iPads:

The new Apple Pencil Pro:

There are now 4 different Apple Pencils to choose from, and this new Apple Pencil Pro only works with these new iPads that were just announced, the M4 iPad Pro and the M2 iPad Air. The new features in this Pro version mainly have to do with motion sensing that you would typically find useful in drawing and painting apps for the iPad, such as barrel roll and a new squeeze option. It also has Haptic feedback and will also show up in the Find My app to help you find it in case you’ve lost it. All great new features in my opinion. This Apple Pencil Pro is getting ever closer to some of the features that you could previously only find in something such as the Wacom products.
The whole Apple Pencil situation is getting a bit confusing though in my opinion, as certain pencils only work with certain iPads and it’s not the easiest thing to figure out for most consumers. If you’re wondering which Apple pencil works with which specific iPad, you can get that information at the bottom of this page:
https://www.apple.com/apple-pencil/

The new Apple Magic keyboards:

available specifically for these new iPads. These new keyboards feel much nicer to type on and also have a function keys row on top, just like you get with the Mac. That allows you to easily adjust things like the volume, display brightness, turn on “Do not Disturb” and other common functions. The trackpad is also a little bigger and Mac like. There is no doubt that these new Magic keyboards are quite swank and will make these new iPads feel even more like an actual laptop. They are also quite expensive at $349 for the iPad Pro version, and $299 of the iPad Air version. These are not cheap accessories by any means.

So, the new upgrades and features of these new iPads are pretty clear and well defined. The interesting question is what market do these products satisfy and who might be interested in these iPads and why.

The iPad Pro does benefit from the very latest Apple chip, the M4 chip, and it is therefore a very powerful device. In most tests, the performance of these iPads is simply better than most PC laptops currently available. And they are basically just as fast as the majority of Macs currently made by Apple as well. There are also a few other distinguishing factors:

• The USB-C port supports Thunderbolt / USB 4 speeds, so you can hook it up to an external display with resolution of up to 6K.
• You can increase the internal storage up to 2TB, as opposed to 1TB on the iPad Air.
• You get double the RAM, 16GB vs 8GB, when you purchase a 1TB or 2TB model.
• You have an option for a nano textured matte display.
• You can use Face ID on your iPad instead of Touch ID, which is a feature only available on the iPad Pro.
• There are 4 speakers and 4 microphones on the iPad Pro, versus 2 of each of the other iPads.
• You have the ability to shoot in Pro Res.

So, given those specs, it seems like the iPad Pro is very much geared towards users who deal in pretty serious video editing, photography work, 3D work or music production. The display resolution, extra storage, additional RAM, and external display capabilities make this iPad ideal for content creators who want to be able to get serious work done while on the go. And you will pay for those added capabilities. If you were to max out the iPad Pro with every upgrade available, you’ll end up spending over $3000 for that luxury. At which point it becomes just as expensive as a higher end laptop.

The iPad Air is going to be the much more viable option for most people who are interested in a well performing iPad that can do a little more than the basic iPad, without going overboard in terms of price. The M2 chip is a very powerful processor for the iPad and most people will never push an iPad Air to its limits.

As has been the case for many years, the iPad Air is the model I would recommend for most people who are interested in an iPad that is going to last them a few years and not become obsolete in 3-4 years.
But even the iPad Air is not necessarily the best option for everyone. If you just need a simple web-browsing and email iPad, or an iPad for your kids to play games on, the basic iPad is still a great device. And they’ve just lowered the price of the 10th generation iPad so that it now starts at $349.
So, all in all, there’s a fairly broad range of options for most consumers when it comes to iPads right now. And that’s a good thing.