Tag: iPad

M4 iPad Pro vs M2 iPad Air: Comparing 2024 Apple tablets

Post author By miranda cosgrove
Post date May 10, 2024
No Comments on M4 iPad Pro vs M2 iPad Air: Comparing 2024 Apple tablets

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The new M4 iPad Pro brings big technological leaps to Apple’s high-end tablet. It packs a cutting-edge OLED display and a fast M4 chip inside the “thinnest Apple product ever.” Upgrades in the M2 iPad Air, unveiled Tuesday alongside the Pro model during Apple’s “Let Loose” event, aren’t as impressive. An in-depth M4 iPad Pro vs. M2 iPad Air comparison, however, shows that the midrange Apple tablet likely makes a better choice for many users.

So, are you confused about buying the M4 iPad Pro versus the M2 iPad Air? This comparison will help you decide.

This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.

M4 iPad Pro vs. M2 iPad Air: A comparison of new 2024 iPads

Apple went all out with the M4 iPad Pro, giving it the biggest upgrade since its inception. The changes are massive. And if you use your iPad Pro as a laptop replacement, you will benefit from them. But that does not mean the new M2 iPad Air is a bad choice. For one thing, it costs $400 less than the Pro, making it a much more attractive choice.

Find out the differences between the M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air in our comparison below to find out which one is better for you.

Table of contents: M4 iPad Pro vs. M2 iPad Air

Design: M4 iPad Pro vs. M2 iPad Air

M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air design — M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air look similar.
Photo: Apple

M4 11-inch iPad Pro: 249.7 x 177.5 x 5.3 mm, 444 grams (Wi-Fi)/446 grams (cellular), Face ID, four-speaker audio, four studio-quality microphones
M2 11-inch iPad Air: 247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1 mm, 462 grams (Wi-Fi)/462 grams (cellular), Touch ID, landscape stereo speakers, two microphones
M4 13-inch iPad Pro: 281.6 x 215.5 x 5.1 mm, 579 grams (Wi-Fi)/582 grams (cellular), Face ID, four-speaker audio, four studio-quality microphones
M2 13-inch iPad Air: 280.6 x 214.9 x 6.1 mm, 617 grams (Wi-Fi)/618 grams (cellular), Touch ID, landscape stereo speakers, two microphones

The new iPad Pro and iPad Air look practically the same as their predecessors, though there are some minor changes. The M4 iPad Pro is thinner and lighter than its predecessor. Plus, it features a redesigned camera hump, with a single rear camera, a True Tone flash and a LiDAR scanner.

You can’t tell the 2024 iPad Pro and the iPad Air apart from the front unless you look closely. The 11-inch iPad Pro is a wee bit taller and narrower than the 11-inch Air, while the 13-inch Pro is both taller and wider than the 13-inch Air. Surprisingly, despite the “Air” branding, the M4 iPad Pros are lighter and slimmer than this year’s midrange tablets.

The M4 iPad Pro has two key design advantages over the 2024 iPad Air. First, it ships with a louder four-speaker audio setup. With the Air, you get stereo landscape speakers. Second, the Pro comes with Face ID for secure authentication, while the iPad Air integrates a Touch ID sensor into its side key.

Apple offers four color options for the iPad Air, including new purple and blue shades. As for the iPad Pro, it is available in space black and silver.

From a design standpoint, there’s no single reason why you should get the Pro over the Air. That is unless you want the slimmest or lightest tablet possible. Otherwise, the 11-inch or 13-inch iPad Air won’t disappoint you.

Display: iPad Pro is the first Apple tablet with OLED

M4 iPad Pro's tandem OLED panel — The M4 iPad Pro stands out with its tandem OLED display.
Photo: Apple

M4 11-inch iPad Pro: 11-inch Ultra Retina XDR display, tandem OLED, ProMotion, 2420 x 1668 resolution, 1,000 nits SDR brightness, optional nano-texture glass, Apple Pencil hover support, works with Apple Pencil Pro and USB-C
M2 11-inch iPad Air: 11-inch Liquid Retina display, 2360 x 1640 resolution, 500 nits SDR brightness, Apple Pencil hover support, works with Apple Pencil Pro and USB-C
M4 13-inch iPad Pro: 13-inch Ultra Retina XDR display, Tandem OLED, ProMotion, 2752 x 2064 resolution, 1000 nits SDR brightness, optional Nano-texture glass, Apple Pencil hover support, works with Apple Pencil Pro and USB-C
M2 13-inch iPad Air 13-inch Liquid Retina display, 2732 x 2048 resolution, 600 nits SDR brightness, Apple Pencil hover support, works with Apple Pencil Pro and USB-C

The display is an area where the M4 iPad Pro differs greatly from the M2 iPad Air. While there’s no screen size difference, the Pro and Air use vastly different display technologies. With the 2024 iPad Pro, you get Apple’s newest Ultra Retina XDR display. Apple calls this a “tandem OLED” panel. It comes with 120Hz ProMotion support, and can hit a claimed peak brightness of 1,600 nits when viewing HDR content. Being an OLED panel, the colors and contrast are superior to other screens, even when viewed at an 0ff angle.

While you can get the iPad Pro with an optional nano-texture glass treatment, you should avoid it. Firstly, it is only available with the 1TB or 2TB storage variants, and costs an additional $100. But more importantly, the Pro Display XDR’s nano-texture coating is delicate and requires careful maintenance. If the iPad Pro’s matte glass is similar, it is unlikely to retain its antireflective properties for long.

In comparison, the iPad Air uses a traditional LCD panel with an SDR brightness of 500 nits — 50% lower than the iPad Pro. It also lacks ProMotion support, meaning the display refreshes at a constant 60Hz.

Both tablets use a fingerprint-resistant, oleophobic and antireflective coating and support True Tone and Wide Color (P3). The panels are fully laminated to eliminate gaps between the cover glass and the display itself. And irrespective of which iPad you pick, they both support the new Apple Pencil Pro, which offers a new “squeeze” gesture and other advances.

If you are a digital creator or artist, the iPad Pro is the superior choice for your professional work. Its OLED panel is better than the iPad Air’s Liquid Retina display in every aspect. But for regular use, stick to the iPad Air, as the OLED screen won’t significantly benefit you.

Performance: Apple M4 vs. M2

Apple M4 processor — Apple’s M4 chip is fast, *really* fast.
Image: Apple

M4 11-inch iPad Pro: M4 chip, 10-core CPU with three performance cores and six efficiency cores, next-gen 10-core GPU, new 16-core Neural Engine, 8 or 16GB RAM, 256GB to 2TB storage options, 8K H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRAW video encode/decode engine, AV1 decode
M2 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air: M2 chip, eight-core CPU with four performance cores and four efficiency cores, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, 8GB RAM, 128GB to 1TB storage options, H.264 and HEVC video encode/decode engine

Performance is another area where the iPad Pro packs a big advantage over the iPad Air. The 2024 iPad Pro features Apple’s fastest chip yet, the M4. Based on TSMC’s second-gen 3nm node, Apple says the M4 packs 28 billion transistors. It sports next-generation CPU cores with improved branch prediction and wider decode and execution engines. Apple claims the M4’s CPU is 1.5x faster than the M2.

By comparison, the 2024 iPad Air uses the M2 chip fabricated on the second-gen 5nm node.

The M4’s GPU performance improvements are even more significant. Compared to the M2, the M4’s 10-core GPU supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading. Apple says this boosts rendering performance in apps and games by up to 4x. Professionals will benefit from the M4’s more powerful 8K video encode/decode engine, which supports ProRes and ProRAW. For more efficient video streaming, the 2024 iPad Pro adds a dedicated AV1 decoder.

Power efficiency is also better for the 2024 iPad Pro. “M4 can deliver the same performance as M2 using just half the power,” says Apple’s press release. You can get the M4 iPad Pro with up to 2TB storage. The 1TB and 2TB models add another performance boost: They ship with a whopping 16GB RAM.

For heavy video editing or production work, the iPad Pro’s M4 chip can come in handy. Otherwise, the iPad Air and its M2 SoC will serve you just fine.

Camera: Apple downgraded the iPad Pro

M4 iPad Pro rear showing the cameras — The M4 iPad Pro ships with a single rear camera.
Photo: Apple

M4 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro: 12MP Wide camera, f/1.8 aperture, Smart HDR 4, 4K60fps recording, ProRes at 4K30fps, Audio Zoom, LiDAR, Adaptive True Tone Flash; Front – 12MP Landscape Ultra Wide TrueDepth camera, f/2.4 aperture, Center Stage, Retina Flash with True Tone
M2 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air: Rear – 12MP Wide camera, f/1.8 aperture, Smart HDR 4, 4K60fps recording; Front – 12MP Landscape Ultra Wide camera, f/2.4 aperture, Center Stage, Retina Flash

To be honest, you should not use any iPad for taking pictures or shooting videos. But if you need it for professional work, the M4 iPad Pro should be your pick. The tablet supports ProRes recording, with LiDAR and Adaptive True Tone Flash helping in low-light scenarios. The result won’t be as good as the newest iPhone, but it should work in a pinch.

If you don’t care about the cameras, the M2 iPad Air’s 12MP rear camera should work just fine. It misses out on ProRes recording and Audio Zoom, but you are unlikely to use these features much anyway.

At the front, the M2 iPad Air and M4 iPad Pro both sport a 12MP Ultra Wide camera in landscape orientation. It supports Center Stage, ensuring you are always in focus on video calls.

Connectivity

M4 iPad Pro: Wi-Fi 6E, MIMO, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G, Gigabit LTE (up to 31 bands), Thunderbolt/USB 4, eSIM, Smart Connector
M2 iPad Air: Wi-Fi 6E, MIMO, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G, Gigabit LTE (up to 31 bands), USB-C, eSIM, Smart Connector

The new iPads support all the connectivity standards you can ask for: Wi-Fi 6E, 5G and Smart Connector. They do lack an Ultra Wideband chip, so you cannot get Precision Finding in the Find My app. The only difference is that the iPad Pro supports Thunderbolt 4. So, you can transfer data at up to 40Gbps speeds or connect high-bandwidth accessories to the tablet. In comparison, the iPad Air’s USB-C port tops out at 10Gbps speeds.

Battery life

M4 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro: Up to 10 hours of video playback or Wi-Fi surfing, nine hours of web surfing on mobile data
M2 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air: Up to 10 hours of video playback or Wi-Fi surfing, nine hours of web surfing on mobile data

Despite the size, screen and chip differences, Apple says the M2 iPad Air and M4 iPad Pro lineups offer the same battery life. All tablets will provide up to 10 hours of video playback or Wi-Fi surfing. There could be some real-world differences, but that will only be clear in a few weeks.

Price: M4 iPad Pro vs. M2 iPad Air

M4 11-inch iPad Pro: Starts at $999 (Wi-Fi) or $1,199 (cellular)
M2 11-inch iPad Air: Starts at $599 (Wi-Fi) or $749 (cellular)
M4 13-inch iPad Pro: Starts at $1,299 (Wi-Fi) or $1,499 (cellular)
M2 13-inch iPad Air Starts at $799 (Wi-Fi) or $949 (cellular)

The M4 iPad Pro is definitely a superior tablet, packing a cutting-edge display and SoC into a super-slim package. But this cutting-edge technology comes at a cost, with prices starting at $999. That’s a staggering $400 more than the M2 11-inch iPad Air. And if you want the 13-inch model, be prepared to spend $1,300 — $500 more than the 13-inch iPad Air. The price gap will further increase if you opt for a higher storage tier of the iPad Pro or the nano-texture glass.

The M2 iPad Air offers a better price-to-performance ratio. The 11-inch model starts at a reasonable $599, while the 13-inch model starts at $799. Since the base storage is now 128GB, most users won’t need to upgrade to a higher storage tier.

M4 iPad Pro vs. M2 iPad Air: Which 2024 iPad should you buy?

If you have the money or your workflow can justify the iPad Pro’s superior hardware, the pro tablet is a no-brainer. But remember that the M2 iPad Air and M4 iPad Pro both run the same iPadOS build. So, you won’t get any additional features by buying the Pro model; you only get extra horsepower and a better display. (This could change with iPadOS 18, as Apple might make some AI features exclusive to the M4 iPad Pro.)

For average users, though, the iPad Air is the smarter choice. It will deliver the same experience as the M4 iPad Pro while saving you hundreds of dollars. You can use that money to buy some useful iPad accessories, like the Apple Pencil Pro, AppleCare+ or unique cases.

M4 iPad Pro

Buy from: Amazon

M2 iPad Air

Buy from: Amazon

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Tags Air, Apple, Comparing, iPad, Pro, tablets

Entertainment

Apple apologizes for its iPad Pro ad that crushed human creativity

Post author By lisa nichols
Post date May 10, 2024
No Comments on Apple apologizes for its iPad Pro ad that crushed human creativity

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Apple has apologized for its Crush! ad, which sparked a furious backlash among artists, musicians, and other creators. AdAge reports Apple said the video “missed the mark,” and it has scrapped plans to run the commercial on TV. The video shows a series of musical instruments and other tools for human expression, including a guitar, drums, trumpet, amplifiers, record player, TV and much more being crushed to “All I Ever Need Is You” by Sonny and Cher. The crusher pulls up to reveal an iPad. Tonally, you could see how it could be misconstrued.

Apple is rumored to have more AI tricks planned for its next WWDC, while this new iPad Pro has a chip that boasts a lot of AI power, all with the looming threat of AI to creatives.

But — and imagine I’m using my indoor voice, here — it’s just an ad. However, Apple is such a huge company that it wields a huge amount of influence. And everyone is watching.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

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Bluesky was the Twitter spinoff.

In a rambling interview, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey claimed Bluesky was “literally repeating all the mistakes” he made while running Twitter. Dorsey’s complaints seem to boil down to two issues. First, he never intended Bluesky to be an independent company, with its own board and stock and other vestiges of a corporate entity. Instead, his plan was for Twitter — as it was called — to be the first client to take advantage of the open-source protocol Bluesky created.

Dorsey also didn’t like Bluesky’s form of content moderation, and how it has occasionally banned users for things like using racial slurs in their usernames. A lot of this isn’t particularly surprising. If you’ve followed Dorsey’s public comments over the last couple years, he’s repeatedly said Twitter’s “original sin” was being a company beholden to advertisers.

Continue reading.

The FDA has issued the highest level of recall for the app.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Class I recall for the t:connect mobile app on iOS, which people with diabetes use to monitor and control an insulin pump. The FDA received 224 injury reports as of April 15. Insulin pumps, like the t:slim X2, automatically deliver insulin under the user’s skin at set intervals and whenever needed. The bug excessively drained power from the pump, meaning it could shut down without warning and before the user expected it to, leading to the under-delivery of insulin.

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‘Mommmm, I want more corporate synergy!’

This simply sounds horrible.

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Tags apologizes, Apple, creativity, crushed, Human, iPad, Pro

Featured

Apple scraps iPad Pro ‘Crushed’ ad and issues rare apology – and it was the right thing to do

Post author By lisa nichols
Post date May 10, 2024
No Comments on Apple scraps iPad Pro ‘Crushed’ ad and issues rare apology – and it was the right thing to do

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Destruction may not be the best way to illustrate creativity. It’s the hard lesson Apple learned after significant backlash over its new “Crushed” TV ad promoting the all-new iPad Pro and its revolutionary Tandem OLED screen technology. Now, the company has issued an apology and scrapped plans to run the ad on TV.

In the ad, a wide collection of creative tools, from guitars to cameras, paints, a metronome, sculptures, and even emojis, are violently crushed down in a giant press. When the creative violence is complete, the steel plates pull back to reveal a beautiful iPad Pro 13 in its place.

The idea is that all this creativity can be combined into this one M4-running iPad Pro. But that message is quickly lost as you bear witness to the destruction of precious objects.

Apple played the video for the first time at its “Let Loose” event on May 7. I recall sitting with about 40 people at one of Apple’s New York offices and watching uncomfortably as the record player, guitar, TVs, and cameras all cracked, flattened, and sometimes exploded. My rational brain understood the point but my emotional one was disturbed and I barely noticed the iPad Pro at the end of it.

I was not the only one who felt this way and now Apple is responding.

On Thursday, Apple’s VP of Marketing Communications Tor Myhren told Ad Age it would not air the ad on TV (it’s still at this writing on YouTube), adding, “Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world. Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”

The similarities between these two videos – 15 years apart – are stunning. Both of them evoke a similar discomfort. pic.twitter.com/59uGugPxoXMay 9, 2024

Apple doesn’t offer a lot of apologies. Steve Jobs famously told iPhone 4 owners who were experiencing connectivity issues that they were “holding it wrong.” This, though, is no longer Job’s Apple. Apple CEO Tim Cook seems more open to regrets.

It’s not the first time, by the way, we’ve seen this bad idea. As The Verge pointed out in its coverage, 15 years ago LG produced an ad almost identical to Apple’s concept: An enclosure full of creative objects (paint and a violin, for instance), and all of it crushed down to one of LG’s latest phones. The similarities are stunning.

We can mark this as a rare misstep for the protean tech giant, and it’s unlikely to distract from the startling innovation we witnessed on May 7. As my iPad Pro 13-inch hands-on notes: “Apple’s iPad Pro experience now feels more premium than ever, with the 2024 model boasting almost shocking thinness, intriguing new power thanks to a new M4 chip, and dual-OLED-panel screen technology that offers stunning image quality, with near plasma-screen-level blacks.”

I’m sure that can be depicted in a new ad.

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Tags apology, Apple, crushed, iPad, issues, Pro, Rare, scraps

News

What’s New With the iPad Pro Magic Keyboard

Post author By miranda cosgrove
Post date May 9, 2024
No Comments on What’s New With the iPad Pro Magic Keyboard

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With the iPad Pro, Apple introduced an overhauled version of the Magic Keyboard to add new features that make using an ‌iPad Pro‌ feel more like using a Mac. If you’re thinking about buying one of the new ‌iPad Pro‌ models and don’t know if you should get a keyboard, this article walks through all of the new features.

magic keyboard 1

Design

Apple hasn’t changed the underlying look of the Magic Keyboard, and it continues to use the floating cantilever design introduced with the prior version.

magic keyboard 2
A magnetic back connects to the iPad, allowing for multiple viewing angles by adjusting the amount of tilt. The ‌iPad‌ hovers over the keyboard and palm rest, which is now made from aluminum, much like the MacBook.

The keys are backlit and use a scissor mechanism with 1mm of travel, the same as the prior-generation model. The outer cover provides front and back protection to keep the ‌iPad‌ safe when traveling.

Function Keys

The updated Magic Keyboard has a dedicated row of function keys for increasing and lowering brightness, changing the volume, controlling media playback, locking the display, initiating a search, turning on Do Not Disturb, starting dictation, and more.

magic keyboard 3
The function row is similar to the function row on the Mac.

Trackpad

Apple made the trackpad from glass and increased the size, making it easier to work with. The trackpad supports haptic feedback, allowing for multi-touch gestures and improving precision-based tasks like editing spreadsheets and selecting text.

Colors

The Magic Keyboard comes in black and white.

magic keyboard 4

Passthrough Charging

While the Magic Keyboard uses the Smart Connector on the ‌iPad‌ to connect, there is an included USB-C port that can be used for passthrough charging.

Compatibility

The new Magic Keyboard is compatible with the M4 ‌iPad Pro‌ models, and it comes in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes. It does not work with other ‌iPad‌ models, and the prior version of the Magic Keyboard does not work with the M4 ‌iPad Pro‌ models.

Price

The 11-inch version of the Magic Keyboard is priced at $299, and the 13-inch model is $349.

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Tags iPad, keyboard, Magic, Pro, Whats

Entertainment

Apple apologizes for its tone-deaf ad that crushed human creativity to make an iPad

Post author By lisa nichols
Post date May 9, 2024
No Comments on Apple apologizes for its tone-deaf ad that crushed human creativity to make an iPad

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Apple has reportedly apologized for its tone-deaf “Crush!” ad that sparked a furious backlash with artists, musicians and other creators. AdAge reports that Apple said the video “missed the mark” and has scrapped plans to run the cutesy-turned-cringey commercial on TV.

It’s clear that Apple intended for the ad to serve as a metaphor for all the myriad creative tools one has when they throw down $1,000 or more for a new iPad Pro. Run during Tuesday’s event, the video shows a series of musical instruments and creative tools, including a guitar, drums, trumpet, amplifiers, record player, TV and much more. “All I Ever Need Is You” by Sonny & Cher soundtracks the clip.

Soon, it’s revealed that the objects are all sitting on an industrial crusher. The crusher descends upon the scattered creative instruments, exploding in plumes of colorful smoke. But when the crusher pulls back up, it’s revealed that everything was transformed into a shiny new iPad Pro.

Creative objects arranged on a crusher. — Apple

A decade ago, this ad likely wouldn’t have been a big deal. But Apple’s marketers completely whiffed on the context of the moment. The ad comes weeks before Apple will take the stage at WWDC to announce its generative AI features that its investors have been salivating for.

Generative AI, as you may have heard, needs something to train on — and that means humans’ work. It trains on existing content to make algorithmically generated words, pictures, music or who knows what else. It also has the capability to put those same creators — most of whom don’t have cushy jobs at Apple or other Big Five tech companies — out of work as corporations and consumers eagerly adopt the robots destined to put creators on the unemployment line.

Context is everything, and Apple failed spectacularly there. Its ad serves as a spectacularly perfect metaphor for generative AI’s potential to crush human creation, turning us all into “prompt artists” who type words into text boxes to replace their years of training and experience. (Granted, generative AI has genuinely exciting applications, too, but much more needs to be made of the society-level chaos it can and will unleash.)

“Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world,” Tor Myhren, Apple VP of marketing communications, told AdAge. “Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”

Hey, an apology means something. But we’ll see what tone Apple adopts next month when it rolls out the tools that set the stage for the apology in the first place. Something tells me that train is out of the station and will be plowing forward full steam, no matter how much creativity the company has in its DNA.

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Tags apologizes, Apple, creativity, crushed, Human, iPad, tonedeaf

Entertainment

Get up to $450 off a Google Pixel Tablet when you trade in your old iPad or Android slab

Post author By lisa nichols
Post date May 9, 2024
No Comments on Get up to $450 off a Google Pixel Tablet when you trade in your old iPad or Android slab

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Google has an offer for iPad owners who are curious about the Pixel Tablet. The company has a trade-in promotion that covers at least the cost of the Pixel Tablet for iPad owners — if not more, depending on which model you have. It works with Samsung tablets as well, but those trade-in values are lower. The Pixel Tablet costs $399 (without deals) for 128GB storage and no charging speaker dock.

Google

Get the Pixel Tablet for free with an eligible trade-in.

with trade-in of an eligible tablet

$399 at Google Store

The promo works with iPads as old as the sixth-generation model from six years ago. For that, Google will give you a surprising $399 — matching the Pixel Tablet’s base cost. That iPad model only cost $329 in 2018, so Google is overpaying by a lot for that one.

However, Google balances that with much worse offers for modern, high-end iPads. For example, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with M2 chip (2022) only nets $450. Until this week (when the company launched a new iPad Pro and iPad Air), Apple sold that model for $1,099, so we don’t recommend that trade-in price. If you’re done with a high-end iPad from the last few years, you can likely sell it on places like eBay, Craigslist or Swappa for significantly more.

View of the Pixel Tablet on a shelf next to books and oddities. — Sam Rutherford for Engadget

The Pixel Tablet stands out from its Android-running competitors by working with a charging speaker base that lets the device double as a smart display, making it much more versatile. Engadget’s Cherlynn Low thought that part overshadowed its core functionality as a tablet. “As a smart display, the Pixel Tablet mostly shines. It has a useful dashboard, an easy-to-read interface and impressive audio quality,” she wrote in our full review.

The tablet has a 10.95-inch display with a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution (276 PPI) and runs on a Google Tensor G2 chip. It weighs slightly over a pound and is lighter than Android rivals like the Galaxy Tab S8 and OnePlus Pad. Its back has a nano-ceramic coating that gives it a premium, glass-like feeling that you may not expect from a $399 device.

Accessories are where the Pixel Tablet stands out the most. Google’s Pixel Tablet Case, sold separately for $79, has a built-in kickstand that makes the slate more versatile. “What I love about the kickstand-hanger-combo is that it allows you to place the Tablet pretty much anywhere,” Low wrote in Engadget’s review. “So when I want to hang it off a kitchen cabinet to follow along with a recipe video or keep watching Love Is Blind for example, I can. And though the 2,560 x 1,600 LCD panel isn’t as vibrant as the OLED on Samsung’s Galaxy Tabs, it still produced crisp details and colorful images.”

The star accessory is Google’s $129 charging speaker dock, which you can use without removing the kickstand case. This product transforms the tablet into a smart display, potentially voiding the need for other smart home control hubs. The speaker has impressive sound for its size, making it easier to hear its responses if you aren’t right next to it.

Google’s fine print notes that the trade-in value will be finalized after receiving the tablet, and it could be lower if it determines the condition doesn’t match what you selected during the trade-in process. The refund will be processed on the credit card you used to buy the Pixel Tablet (or through Google Store credit if you return your purchase during that time).

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

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Tags Android, Google, iPad, Pixel, slab, Tablet, Trade

News

Logitech Launches Keyboard Cases for New iPad Air and iPad Pro Models

Post author By miranda cosgrove
Post date May 9, 2024
No Comments on Logitech Launches Keyboard Cases for New iPad Air and iPad Pro Models

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Popular accessory maker Logitech this week announced new keyboard case options that are designed for Apple’s iPad Air and iPad Pro models, offering an alternative to the more expensive Magic Keyboard options from Apple.

logitech keyboard case 1
The Logitech Combo Touch is compatible with both sizes of the ‌iPad Air‌ and the two thin and light ‌iPad Pro‌ models. Logitech says that the Logitech Combo Touch is its lightest keyboard to date, improving portability and limiting the bulk added to a tablet setup.

The Combo Touch comes with a detachable keyboard and flexible kickstand for multiple use modes. It can be used for typing in the standard keyboard mode, or folded in a way that allows for sketching, reading, and Apple Pencil use.

logitech keyboard case 2
There is a multi-touch trackpad, which Logitech says offers intuitive and precise input and navigation. There are auto-backlit keys in a standard layout with sixteen brightness levels. Shortcut keys allow easy access to volume control, media playback, screenshots, and more, plus there is a Smart Connector for connectivity so there’s no need for Bluetooth.

The Combo Touch for the 11-inch ‌iPad Air‌ is $200, while the Combo Touch for the 13-inch model is $230. The ‌iPad Pro‌ versions are priced at $230 and $260, respectively, for the 11-inch and 13-inch models. The keyboards can be purchased from the Logitech website.

iPad Air vs. iPad Pro Buyer’s Guide: 30+ Differences Compared

Post author By miranda cosgrove
Post date May 9, 2024
No Comments on iPad Air vs. iPad Pro Buyer’s Guide: 30+ Differences Compared

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The iPad Air is now available in two size options, just like the iPad Pro. Yet after a significant update to the ‌iPad Pro‌ that introduces a thinner design and OLED displays, how different are the two product lines and which should you buy?

iPad Pro 2024 vs iPad Air 2024 Feature
The introduction of the fourth-generation ‌iPad Air‌ in September 2020 brought the device much closer to the ‌iPad Pro‌ in terms of design, and with the most recent model, the ‌iPad Air‌ gained the same M2 chip and Apple Pencil hover support as the previous ‌iPad Pro‌, bringing them even closer together. The latest ‌iPad Pro‌ models introduced a large number of significant new changes, such as the M4 chip, OLED displays, and a higher price point, and it means that the high-end iPad models are now further differentiated from the ‌iPad Air‌ than before.

Should you consider purchasing the ‌iPad Air‌ to save money, or do you need the high-end features of the ‌iPad Pro‌? Our guide answers the question of how to decide which of these two iPads is best for you.

‌iPad Air‌ (‌M2‌, 2024)	‌iPad Pro‌ (M4, 2024)
Liquid Retina display LED backlit Multi-Touch display with IPS technology	Ultra Retina XDR display Tandem OLED
	ProMotion technology for refresh rates up to 120Hz
SDR brightness: 600 nits max	SDR brightness: 1,000 nits max XDR brightness: 1,000 nits max full screen, 1,600 nits peak (HDR content only)
	Nano-texture display glass option on 1TB and 2TB models
‌‌M2‌‌ chip (5nm, N5P)	M4 chip (3nm enhanced, N3E)
8-core CPU	Up to 10-core CPU
	Hardware-accelerated ray tracing
Hardware-accelerated H.264 and HEVC	Hardware-accelerated 8K H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW
	ProRes encode and decode engine AV1 decode
100GB/s memory bandwidth	120GB/s memory bandwidth
8GB of memory	8GB or 16GB of memory
	Improved thermal design with graphite sheets and copper
Touch ID in top button	TrueDepth camera system for Face ID
	Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control
	Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High-Key Mono)
	Animoji and Memoji
	LiDAR scanner
	Adaptive True Tone flash
	Rear ambient light sensor
	ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 256GB capacity)
	ProRes video recording up to 4K at 60 fps with external recording
Two microphones	Four studio-quality microphones
	Audio zoom
	Stereo recording
Landscape stereo speakers	Four speaker audio
Weight: 462 grams or 617 grams	Weight 444 grams or 579 grams
Depth: 6.1 mm	Depth: 5.3 mm or 5.1 mm
USB‑C connector	USB‑C connector with support for Thunderbolt / USB 4
Supports Magic Keyboard	Supports Magic Keyboard for ‌iPad Pro‌ (M4)
128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage	256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB storage
Available in Space Gray, Starlight, Purple, and Blue	Available in Space Black and Silver
Price starting at $599	Price starting at $999

Overall, the ‌iPad Air‌ is the better option for the majority of users, simply on the basis of value for money. For most people, the additional $400+ needed to buy the ‌iPad Pro‌ is not justified to get the likes of ‌Face ID‌, four-speaker audio, and a ProMotion OLED display with refresh rates up to 120Hz.

Some ‌iPad Pro‌ features, such as LiDAR, up to 16GB of memory, and Thunderbolt connectivity are only practically useful to a small niche of users and most will never use some of these high-end capabilities. Many features such as Audio zoom and stereo audio recording may not be meaningfully utilized by many users.

Professionals who have a clear use case for needing larger amounts of RAM and storage, a matte display, Thunderbolt connectivity, and OLED for HDR content will clearly benefit from buying the ‌iPad Pro‌. That being said, “prosumer”-style customers who simply want the best ‌iPad‌ will enjoy features such as 120Hz ProMotion for smoother scrolling and gaming, deeper blacks and more vivid colors with the OLED display, and the Adaptive True Tone flash for document scanning, even if they are not necessary.

Beyond these individual circumstances, the ‌iPad Air‌ is the best value for money and will be more than ample for most users’ needs. With the ‌iPad Air‌, users can get a modern all-screen design, the ‌M2‌ chip, practical features like USB-C and 5G connectivity, and compatibility with the core Apple accessories for a price well below that of the ‌iPad Pro‌.

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Tags Air, Buyers, compared, Differences, Guide, iPad, Pro

Bisnis Industri

First M4 iPad Pro benchmarks show 21% performance increase

Post author By miranda cosgrove
Post date May 9, 2024
No Comments on First M4 iPad Pro benchmarks show 21% performance increase

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Benchmarks giving an early look at the performance of the Apple M4 processor in the 2024 iPad Pro reveal that the new chip is 21% faster than its predecessor.

The processor launched in the latest iPad but is expected to make its way to Mac later this year.

M4 continues long string of Apple performance improvements

The M4 is built on second-generation three-nanometer technology. It has up to four performance cores and includes six efficiency cores — two more than M3. It’s intended to be even more power efficient than its predecessor.

When Apple unveiled the chip on Tuesday, it didn’t compare it to the M3. Instead, it said, “M4 delivers up to 1.5x faster CPU performance over the powerful M2 in the previous iPad Pro.”

Those wondering how much the processor improves over the M3 that debuted in MacBooks just seven months ago now have a (preliminary) answer. Geekbench 6 scores found on the Primate Lab website (via X) show that the M4 earned a 14,677 on the Multi-Core test. For comparison, the M3 MacBook Pro scored 12,102 on that same test, according to Engadet, so the new one did 21% better. (Incidentally, M3 was 25% better than M2.)

The M4’s Single-Core score was 3,767. The M3 MBA scored 3,190, so the newer processor came in 18% better.

Note that these scores are preliminary. After its big announcement on Tuesday, the 2024 iPad Pro is just now reaching reviewers so the publication of their reviews won’t be for several more days. It’s possible final benchmark scores from reviewers will be even higher than these early ones. The tablet won’t get to customers until May 15.

Other specs revealed by Geekbench 6 show that each CPU core runs at 4.4 GHz. The chip has 16GB of RAM, which means the iPad Pro it’s installed in has at least 1TB of storage.

Apple M4: An emphasis on AI

Part of the upgrades in the new processor are intended to make it better at running artificial intelligence software.

At its announcement, Apple said, “M4 has Apple’s fastest Neural Engine ever, capable of up to 38 trillion operations per second, which is faster than the neural processing unit of any AI PC today. Combined with faster memory bandwidth, along with next-generation machine learning (ML) accelerators in the CPU, and a high-performance GPU, M4 makes the new iPad Pro an outrageously powerful device for artificial intelligence.”

We don’t yet have benchmark scores to indicate definitively how well the processor will run AI software. But Apple is expected to unveil iPadOS 18 at WWDC24 in June, and Apple CEO Tim Cook himself strongly hinted that new features in all the company’s operating systems will heavily focus on AI.

Coming to Mac

The M4 launched in iPad Pro — an unprecedented move — but leaks indicate it’ll appear in Macs starting this autumn.

The end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025 will bring “new iMacs, a low-end 14-inch MacBook Pro, high-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, and Mac minis — all with M4 chips,” reported Bloomberg in April.

Of course, these won’t all use the basic version of the processor that’s in the iPad Pro. Expect to see M4 Pro, M4 Max, etc. in the coming months.

Apple M4 processor specs — Highlights of the Apple M4 processor. (Click/tap for larger image)
Image: Apple

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News

iPod Nano Makes Rare Appearance in Apple Ad for Thinner iPad Pro

Post author By miranda cosgrove
Post date May 8, 2024
No Comments on iPod Nano Makes Rare Appearance in Apple Ad for Thinner iPad Pro

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The new iPad Pro has dethroned the iPod nano as Apple’s thinnest device ever, and the company has promoted this feat in a nostalgic ad.

iPod Nano vs iPod Pro Ad Feature 1
In a video shared on TikTok and other social media platforms, Apple highlights the new 13-inch iPad Pro measuring only 5.1mm thick, compared to 5.4mm for the iPod nano. The model shown is a seventh-generation iPod nano, which was released in 2012.

Apple discontinued the iPod nano in 2017, and this is the first time we have seen the device appear in an ad in quite some time.

Even the 11-inch iPad Pro is now thinner than the iPod nano, as Apple explains:

The new iPad Pro — the thinnest Apple product ever — features a stunningly thin and light design, taking portability to a whole new level. The 11-inch model is just 5.3 mm thin, and the 13-inch model is even thinner at a striking 5.1 mm, while both models are just as strong as the previous design. The 11-inch model weighs less than a pound, and the 13-inch model is nearly a quarter pound lighter than its predecessor — allowing pro users to extend their workflows in new ways and in more places.

The new iPad Pro models are available to order now and launch May 15.

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