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Apple

Apple Unveils Redesigned iPad Pro with OLED Display and M4 Chip 80

Posted by msmash from the feed-and-speed dept.
Apple revealed its refreshed iPad Pro lineup at its "Let Loose" virtual event Tuesday, featuring a slimmer design, OLED displays, and the company's latest M4 chip. The new 13-inch and 11-inch models boast enhanced brightness, color saturation, and contrast, with the 13-inch model measuring just 5.1 millimeters thick, making it Apple's thinnest device ever.

The M4 chip, which powers the new iPad Pros, delivers a 50% faster CPU and improved efficiency compared to the previous-gen M2 chip. Apple has also introduced updated accessories, including a redesigned Magic Keyboard with an aluminum palm rest and function key row, and the Apple Pencil Pro with squeeze gestures, Find My location tracking, and haptic feedback. The switch to OLED technology ensures consistent display quality across both iPad Pro sizes, addressing the previous disparity between the 12.9-inch Mini LED model and the smaller, traditional-screen version.

The base storage for both models is now 256GB, with prices starting at $999 for the 11-inch and $1,299 for the 13-inch. Both are available for preorder today and will be available in stores next week.
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Apple Unveils Redesigned iPad Pro with OLED Display and M4 Chip More

Apple Unveils Redesigned iPad Pro with OLED Display and M4 Chip

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  • It still has no fingerprint sensor. Face ID is a handy accessory, but some requirements need something that works whatever you look like or when you actually don't want the thing to unlock unless you actually do something instead of merely being present. It should have both, especially for such a price.

    • Re:Still no fingerprint sensor (Score:4, Insightful)

      by CoolCash ( 528004 ) on Tuesday May 07, 2024 @09:51AM (#64453870) Homepage
      Clearly you have never used Face ID for more than one try.

    • Re:Still no fingerprint sensor (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Anubis IV ( 1279820 ) on Tuesday May 07, 2024 @10:34AM (#64453962)

      It still has no fingerprint sensor.

      It dropped Touch ID, because it was easier to spoof and less convenient in the majority of real world use cases.

      some requirements need something that works whatever you look like

      Face ID already works well with protective masks, glasses, changes in facial hair, and other significant changes in appearance due to its use of three-dimensional scanning; learns from its mistakes anytime you log in with your passcode after a failed Face ID attempt, resulting in it getting markedly better with use; and supports multiple, distinct appearances as a first-class feature. It's also a lot less finicky than Touch ID, which, while fairly good, can still get things wrong if you position your finger on the sensor a bit too lazily.

      I don't doubt that there are edge cases where Face ID cannot be used, but in how many of those cases is it (a) safe to have an iPad in the environment in the first place, (b) without a protective case that precludes the use of Touch ID, (c) while your fingers are exposed to the environment so you can use Touch ID? Passcodes are the answer to cover those and other use cases where Face ID cannot be used, not Touch ID.

      when you actually don't want the thing to unlock unless you actually do something instead of merely being present

      I'm not sure what feature you think you're describing. Face ID requires eye contact to unlock, and scans are triggered in direct response to a user waking the device in whatever ways it's been configured (e.g. tapping the screen, lifting the device, etc.). It doesn't just randomly wake up and check for your presence in a room.

      It should have both, especially for such a price.

      That's fair. I honestly don't see the point, given that I overcame my skepticism for Face ID and fully adopted it within about a week of having it on a device, but I wouldn't mind them providing more value.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Malc ( 1751 )

        Face ID annoys the hell out of me. It's slow on my iPhone 15 Pro Max compared with the Touch ID on my regular iPhone 8 it replaced, although neither are as fast or work without an error as frequently as the Touch ID on my 2019 MBP. I have to pick the bloody phone up to use it when it's sitting on my desk, and how many times a day do I use MS Authenticator and I'm already putting my phone back down on my desk without realising it wanted to authenticate again?! And then with payments, why do I want to lift

        • Face ID annoys the hell out of me. It's slow on my iPhone 15 Pro Max compared with the Touch ID on my regular iPhone 8 it replaced, although neither are as fast or work without an error as frequently as the Touch ID on my 2019 MBP.

          I don't know what you're doing with FaceID. I just tried a few times on my iPhone 15 Pro and simply could not get FaceID to introduce a delay in unlock. Each time I picked up or looked at my phone FaceID had authenticated before I could even swipe up to unlock the device. That was the case even doing things like looking at the phone from an angle, having it flat down on my desk, etc.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by dgatwood ( 11270 )

            Face ID annoys the hell out of me. It's slow on my iPhone 15 Pro Max compared with the Touch ID on my regular iPhone 8 it replaced, although neither are as fast or work without an error as frequently as the Touch ID on my 2019 MBP.

            I don't know what you're doing with FaceID. I just tried a few times on my iPhone 15 Pro and simply could not get FaceID to introduce a delay in unlock. Each time I picked up or looked at my phone FaceID had authenticated before I could even swipe up to unlock the device. That was the case even doing things like looking at the phone from an angle, having it flat down on my desk, etc.

            *shrugs* I concur with the GP's feedback. Face ID is way, way slower than Touch ID for me, too.

            But the bigger problem with Face ID is that it does demand at least some of your attention, i.e. you have to have it in front of your face before it even starts trying to unlock. This makes it suck for:

            • Unlocking while doing literally anything else that needs your attention.
            • Wallet at drive-through locations (because you're double-clicking a side button while your phone is at arm's length, and your face isn't ou

      • Honestly, to me sometimes FaceID seems TOO frictionless.

        Also, I have a hard time believing Apple's extreme security claims. It works seemingly too easily. It works for me with various parts of my face intentionally obscured - even if I cover one entire side of my face with my hand (either side). I'm sure it's secure enough, but I doubt Apple's one-in-a-million claim (or whatever the exact number they quote is).

    • Fingerprint and FaceID are both vulnerable to physically overpowering the authorized user — trivially — to unlock it. Passwords are (well, can be, if you're competent) much more secure for circumstances short of actual torture.

      • On the phone, push power 5 times put it into emergency mode. No unlock without passcode.

        Also works by nailing the power and volume buttons and keep 'em down for a few seconds.

        And that's just the "tame' setting. The "wild" setting, if you do that -- trigger SOS mode -- it'll call 911 (or whatever emergency service your country uses)

        Dunno if ipad has that. Haven't tried it.

        • On the phone, push power 5 times put it into emergency mode.

          Yeah...in an emergency...you most likely are NOT going to have a chance or time to grab the phone and click anything accurately 1-2 times, much less 5.

          If the cops grab you for any reason, first thing they likely will do is immediately separate you from your phone....as would anyone wanting to get IN to your phone on a stop.

          Password/passcode all the time in place of biometrics is STILL the superior way to lock your items.

          • If you are that paranoid, just disable the biometric unlocking. Just don't complain that you "constantly" have to enter your passphrase.
      • In that case I prefer a security measure that doesn't require torture to overcome.
      • Well, I'm protecting against that vulnerability, by never getting mugged.
      • If someone was willing to physically overpower me and force me to unlock my device, surely they'd be willing to hold a knife/gun to me to get a password. In all seriousness, would you withhold your phone's passcode at the risk of grave bodily harm?

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by fyngyrz ( 762201 )

          If someone was willing to physically overpower me and force me to unlock my device, surely they'd be willing to hold a knife/gun to me to get a password

          I believe you've forgotten about the various police forces. They're not likely to comprehensively torture you (in the USA, anyway.) But they are likely to manipulate you physically to unlock your device(s.) The police do all kinds of underhanded things here.

      • Fingerprint and FaceID are both more secure than having no passcode at all, which was quite common before Apple introduced TouchID (and not just on iPhones), because people were too lazy to enter it every time they wanted to use the phone. And none of the invented horror stories of people getting their fingers chopped off by phone thieves came to pass, for that matter.
    • The fingerprint sensor uses space that can be used much better for other purposes.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by zlives ( 2009072 )

        ipad air has touch id...

      • There's no shortage of phones that have a functional fingerprint sensor under the screen, and have for years.

        What else you got?

        • Which are larger than normal fingerprint sensors, and thus use even more space in the phone. You seem to have missed he wasn't talking about surface area.

          Not to mention that they are easier fooled.

    • Re:Still no fingerprint sensor (Score:4, Insightful)

      by jpatters ( 883 ) on Tuesday May 07, 2024 @11:27AM (#64454134)

      If your security use case requires that it not unlock accidentally then you should just turn Face ID off and use a complex password.

    • It still has no fingerprint sensor. Face ID is a handy accessory, but some requirements need something that works whatever you look like or when you actually don't want the thing to unlock unless you actually do something instead of merely being present. It should have both, especially for such a price.

      Biometrics of any kind are a bad idea, especially if you want to keep it locked from authorities, etc.

      Passwords/passcodes work great still......I use them on all my electronics.

  • I was planing to upgrade my 2020 pro to the new model but with the redesign, my Logi keyboard won’t work and $250 extra?! No way, friends. I’ll hold on to my current iPad 2 more years.
    • I'm still using my iPad Pro, 1st generation, 10.5" ...it still works great, good battery life, etc.

      But I'd like to use some of the newer, resource intensive apps on my iPad like Resolve, FCPX, and the newer Affinity products, etc....Logic Pro.

      I'll likely keep my current one...maybe just keep it in the kitchen plugged in all the time just to have quick recipe reference there...and get the new one.

      I think the 13" would be a bit too large to carry around on travels or to neighborhood pool, or when out and a

      • Just was looking...my 1st gen iPad Pro is from 2015 I believe.

        Wow...nice how long these things last, it's only now looking long in the tooth to me, and that's only for some pretty resource intensive apps I want to use...for daily things most people would use, it would still be overkill for most things.

        How do the Android tablets stand up to the Apple I pad Pros as far as longevity?

        I use mine pretty much daily.

        • Android tablets suck. They're an afterthought, and so there's loads of apps that don't work properly, or are just scaled-up phone apps that give a terrible user experience.

          Google has paid very little effort to fixing these problems that have been there for Android tablets for years. They're basically there so companies not named Apple can say they have a tablet offering that isn't running a shitty Windows OS.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by erasmix ( 880448 )
        I got my refurb Logi keyboard combo for $80 something on Amazon and love it. I don’t often need a laptop and it fits the role perfectly. I also do not like the way we are treated (milked) as consumers by Apple and others. I’ll never buy an Android device but I can delay my iDevice upgrades for a very long time.
  • I switched my main Tablet to a Surface and now I can run the real Firefox and run other real apps instead of phone apps. While Windows 11 is still terrible it works well on a tablet.

    • I switched my main Tablet to a Surface and now I can run the real Firefox and run other real apps instead of phone apps. While Windows 11 is still terrible it works well on a tablet.

      How does the battery life compare? I think what you're actually saying is that iPadOS is shackled by Safari, which is mostly good but not perfect... after all, the Office365 apps are pretty good on an iPad IMHO.

    • I've had the opposite impression.

      I have a "convertible" HP laptop / tablet that I almost never use as a tablet, because the Windows 11 control widgets are so tiny on it's screen that you cannot actually close windows easily without multiple taps and frustration. And you cannot scale those controls independent from overall screen resolution. And it's very hit-and-miss when the on-screen keyboard is going to show up or not.

      I installed Ubuntu on the same hardware, and with the exception of the fingerprint re

    • So now you are shackled by Windows and the lack of apps written to be used on a tablet.

  • No need to upgrade (Score:3)

    by cerberusss ( 660701 ) on Tuesday May 07, 2024 @09:59AM (#64453892) Journal

    I have an iPad Pro from 2020 and use it daily. However, I don't see any need whatsoever to upgrade this device. A better display doesn't really attract me, these 2020 displays are really bright and very, very nice.

    If you choose to get one of these new ones however, I have one tip: DO NOT GET APPLE'S COVER. It only protects the front and back, not the sides. Ask me what happens when you drop it, and what a new display costs.

    • Ask me what happens when you drop it, and what a new display costs.

      Do you really need me to say it?

    • . Ask me what happens when you drop it, and what a new display costs.

      It costs what an applecare sub costs. You do have applecare on your itoys right? after destroying 2 iphone 8s I resolved to never go without. So, now my current phone (13pro) and ipad (2021 13 inch) both have applecare.

      Oddly enough, I've fumbled a number of phones over the decades, but never a pad.. not yet. And still, I have the coverage for it.. because you never know.

      • Same.
        I have seen it in action though.
        I got my niece an M1 MacBook Air, and she submerged the poor thing in macaroni and cheese.
        Apple charged $100 to "fix" it (which meant new device)

        I've been religious about AppleCare since.
        It's basically anything-goes insurance with a very low deductible.

        • I remember, easily 15+ years ago, when my daughter dumped milk all over her MacBook Pro. Badly borked the screen. This was back before AppleCare+, but fortunately I had an electronics rider on our homeowner's policy.

          Interesting thing was - my insurance company asked me to get a quote for the repair from Apple, and Apple came back with ~$1000. My insurance company sent me the check, no problem. Since, at the time, I could get a newer refurbished Mac for not much more than that, (with the approval from the in

      • What do you even do to break an iPhone? I keep mine until OS support gets dropped after 5 years.

        • The 8 was badly concieved. Glass back and front, verrrrry thin slab (if that's really a slab, it' smore like a tub I suppose.

          I had applecare on it and had to use it once. The 2nd time I broke it (in a case, natch..) it was the back that broke, and at that point I just got the 13pro and left the 8 to be the device left on the disc golf cart to film our drives, etc.

          8 is the only iphone I've broken. The rest of them had their scars, but never broken glass. Happened twice with the 8.

          The other iphone fail i

          • My iPhone 8 lasted a bit over 6 years with no issues, only replaced it because it no longer supported the latest OS version.
      • Nope, no AppleCare... the thing is, since I have mobile phones and iPads, I never dropped them. However when I lost my client last year, I got extremely stressed out, and first dropped my phone, then dropped my iPad next month. Maybe I'll bite the bullet, next time I buy an Apple device.

    • I have an iPad Pro from 2020 and use it daily. However, I don't see any need whatsoever to upgrade this device. A better display doesn't really attract me, these 2020 displays are really bright and very, very nice.

      Oh god, I hate that fucking display.
      I've been waiting for an OLED to upgrade it. MiniLED needs to go into the dustbin of bad fucking ideas.

      • Oh really? I'm very surprised to hear you say that. What do you think is bad about it?
        • The display is absolutely great about 90% of the time.
          However, occasionally you run into something like a bright point of light in a dark background (space ships in The Expanse did this a lot).
          Then it goes from absolutely great to absolutely fucking terrible.
          You can see a block backlit portion desperately trying to chase that light as it moves.
          If you've got a bunch of them, it's a school of square backlight fish chasing points of light. It's fucking terrible.
          No amount of "great performance when it isn'

  • Yay (Score:3)

    by 0xG ( 712423 ) on Tuesday May 07, 2024 @10:25AM (#64453934)

    delivers a 50% faster CPU and improved efficiency compared to the previous-gen M2 chip

    Hooray now I can do my builds on a tablet :/

    • Yep, the thing holding iPads back is its software, not its performance. Lots of power that you simply can't use.

  • No 15 inch? no sale. My 2021 13 inch will continue to do quite nicely for a year, or two, or three more.

    C'mon apple... get wit it.. painters, musicians, photographers, a whole bunch of people have a need (or at least a glorified want) for a larger screen.

    • 13 inch vs 15 inch is no big deal. Make it 27" at least.

      • 13 inch vs 15 inch is no big deal. Make it 27" at least.

        Let's be realistic. That would have to go on an easel, plus doesn't cisco already make bullshit like that? We hate 'em, and by using them it forced us into WebEx.

        Anyway -- the use case for my theoretical 15 incher is for musicians with old eyes -- me, and both my teachers -- so we can see music presented in the larger format which real piano books use. Whatever "it" is, "it" has to fit on a normal music desk, from spindly fold-out old tippy Hamiltons to the one built into the instrument.

        27 inch would be

      • That made me laugh. Back when phones with larger screen started to come out there was a Dilbert comic that had him carrying his phone on his shoulder the same way teenagers used to carry boom boxes.

        It's time for that idea to recirculate.

        Or maybe we need to go back further. Shield size screen? Tower shield screens?

        • Or maybe we need to go back further. Shield size screen? Tower shield screens?

          Comes a time when the correct tool is a projector. Sounds like this is one of those.

          My HT is 98 inches on the diagonal, or 7 foot side to side. It's fired by a projector. Flat-panels of that size are still prohibitively expensive, and the last 56" I saw had banding so horrible I swore to stay with my projector.

  • New processor line introduced on a tablet! (Score:4, Interesting)

    by ihadafivedigituid ( 8391795 ) on Tuesday May 07, 2024 @11:08AM (#64454086)
    The headline here is the (for me) unexpected M4 launch, and it's in a tablet. Apple talks about local-compute AI workloads in the writeup, which is where they are going to differentiate themselves as the full horrors of server-based AI's destruction of privacy start to manifest.

    • The headline here is the (for me) unexpected M4 launch, and it's in a tablet.

      Why unexpected? The M series processors are simply direct successors to A series, and they were *ALL* launched in tablets. This isn't the Pro, Max or Ultra variants of the processor. It's literally the processor designed for flexible use cases.

      • Why unexpected? Because the M3 was introduced a tad bit over 6 month ago, and was not only not introduced in an iPad, but didn't make it into an iPad yet (and still hasn't).
  • I am astonished at the capabilities of the new Apple Pencil. Should be a real winner for artists.
  • Other than as shiny objects or specialized use cases, what's the point of a super-fast iPad? I don't get it. Why not allow them to run MacOS and become a viable laptop replacement?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by smap77 ( 1022907 )

      Because Apple doesn't want a viable laptop replacement. If a company can sink that much $$$ into a car, a headset, and any number of other objects and OS, they definitely could make an iPad run MacOS.

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