In a surprise move, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports today in his Power On newsletter that the upcoming iPad Pro may actually be powered by the M4 chip, skipping the M3 altogether.
The company would tout the AI capabilities of the new iPad range, powered by the upgraded Neural Engine in the M4 chip. The M4 chip is scheduled to arrive in Macs later in the year.
The inclusion of the M4 is certainly a headline change, and will come along with other expected new features like the OLED display, repositioned FaceTime front camera and redesigned Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil accessories.
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I find it interesting that Apple put this event in the developer news section of their site. It is also featured prominently on the Apple developer front page right next to WWDC. It may be more relevant to developers than an ordinary Apple event since this is the first time they put a product event in developer news. Maybe the iPad version of Xcode that was rumored back when the iPad releases of Logic and Final Cut came out is ready to go. Possibly be the first app to use a language model as a code assistant. Possibly Apple felt the M4 processor release or updated pencil would be of interest to developers.
It’s unclear what AI features would be ready for the spring, as most of Apple’s AI software focus is planned for iOS 18 at WWDC in June.
As well as the new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro unveiling, we are also expecting the new iPad Air lineup, this time featuring a larger screened option. Updates to the other iPad models will follow in the fall. We are also anticipating new iPad accessories, including an Apple Pencil with haptic feedback.
Stay tuned to 9to5Mac for full coverage of Apple’s spring ‘Let Loose’ event, which kicks off on May 7.
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