Apple has just announced three new iPads including the 11-inch & 12.9-inch iPad Pros juiced up with Apple M2, the 10th Gen iPad with a complete redesign & USB Type-C, and an updated Apple TV 4K with double the storage. There was no media event this time around as Apple quietly unveiled the products via. Press Releases.
iPad Pro with Apple M2
Apple brought the new M2-chip to the iPad Pro this year and there are several improvements that came along with the new SoC. Just to give you a clear picture, this is in fact the full-fledged M2 with an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. Unlike the Macbook Air, you get the full power of this new chip, regardless of which variant you choose.
There's definitely a boost in performance, but that's not the most important thing for the new iPads. This year, the company introduced Apple Pencil Hover which works if you have the Apple Pencil 2. This allows the device to detect the pencil from up to 12mm away unlocking a bunch of new features for artists, professionals, and creators.
Text fields now automatically expand while using Scribble and Pointer Size (during drawing) can be controlled while the pencil is away from the display. The overall response time should also improve as a result of Apple Pencil Hover.
The new iPadOS 16 also introduces Stage Manager which should allow better multi-tasking on the new iPads, but all that extra power of M2 should really come in handy if you're plugging in an External Display using the USB Type-C (Thunderbolt 3 ) port. You can move multiple app windows around, between your iPad and the display, and work on them simultaneously using the trackpad on the Magic Keyboard.
The new iPad Pros also get 5G (cellular model), Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3 for faster wireless connectivity. The 11-inch iPad Pro is still using a regular IPS Display while the bigger 12-9-inch iPad gets a brighter and richer Mini-LED display. You also get Pro Res video recording capabilities and that's about it. The rest almost stays identical to last year's iPad Pro M1.
iPad (10th Gen)
The iPad has a design overhaul this year making it really similar in looks to the new iPad Air and iPad Mini. That means the iconic Home Button and the chunky bezels are gone and replaced with slimmer borders with the Touch ID now moved to the top power button.
The front-facing camera is now located on the right, so it will now stay at the top while making video calls in landscape mode. The camera sensors have been upgraded too with a 12MP f-2.4 unit on the front that also has a 122 degrees ultrawide view alongside a more advanced 12MP camera on the back rocking a faster f-1.8 aperture.
The new design finally brings new colors to the iPad. Alongside the forever-existing Silver, you also get Blue, Yellow, and Pink to choose from. There is also a new Magic Keyboard Folio case which should boost productivity.
The 10th generation iPad also gets an SoC upgrade to the A14 Bionic which powered the iPhone 12 series, so the performance should also improve significantly. The lightning port has also been replaced with a USB Type-C port, finally. However, while external displays are supported, you only get a 4K output signal at 30Hz while 1080P can go up to 60Hz.
Its 10.9-inch IPS display has a resolution of 2360x1640 and it still supports Dolby Vision HDR which is surprising to me as DCI-P3 is nowhere to be found on the specification sheet. It also won't get as bright (peaking at 500 nits) either, so you're definitely making some compromises here.
For wireless connectivity, you're getting Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, which are still more than good enough for fast and uninterrupted connections. You also get an optional cellular model with 5G support, but that's going to cost you more. Also, the iPad only comes with Apple Pencil Gen 1 support, so Apple will include a Lightning to USB Type-C adapter in the box as you'll need that to charge the pencil.
Apple TV 4K
There is also a new Apple TV 4K in town with upgraded internals, more storage, and better HDR support. The prices have also been reduced, which in my opinion, is a step in the right direction in 2022 as Smart TV operating systems have gotten really good these days.
The Apple TV has always been the fastest streaming solution out there, and with this new iteration, the company is taking things a step further. The A15 Bionic is now powering the 2022 Apple TV 4K and that is the same chip powering the latest iPhone 14 which honestly gives it way more power than what it actually needs.
To differentiate itself and to justify the considerably higher prices, Apple also provides more storage for downloading more Movies and TV shows. This year they have doubled down on that with the base variant now coming with 64GB and the upper-end variant featuring 128GB of Internal Storage.
It also introduces HDR10+ support which is great news for Samsung TV users as those still don't support the more mainstream Dolby Vision. If your TV already supported Dolby Vision though, this change means nothing to you.
The 128GB variant gets a Gigabit Ethernet port and Thread (Mesh) networking support as well while Apple skipped these on the 64GB base variant. For wireless connectivity, you're getting Wi-Fi 6 with Bluetooth 5 which is great for a Smart TV streaming box. The cases themselves got slimmer as Apple also removed the active cooling system (fan).
At the same time, the 1080P Apple TV has been discontinued, so if you're in the market for a new one, the new Apple TV 4K is your only option. However, the upgrades are so minimal this year, if you have an older Apple TV 4K, there absolutely no need to upgrade.
Pricing and Availability
The iPad Pro keeps the same price in the US starting at $799.00 (₹81,900 for India) for the 11-inch variant and $1099.00 (₹112,900 in India) for the 12.9-inch variant. The regular iPad (10th Gen) starts at $449.00 (₹44,900 in India) for the 64GB variant and costs $599.00 (₹59,900 in India) for the 256GB variant.
The Apple TV 4K with A15 Bionic starts at $129.00 (₹14,900 in India) for the 64GB variant and costs $149.00 (₹16,900 in India) for the 128GB variant. Now, do remember that you'll have to buy the HDMI 2.1 (4K 120Hz) cable separately.
Apple is taking Pre-orders for all of the above products on their website and you can start ordering in offline stores starting October 26th.
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