In contrast to its approach to updating smartphones, Apple took a relatively long time to launch new versions of the iPad tablet, to the point that it did not launch any new models during 2023, which allowed competitors such as Samsung and Microsoft to breathe a sigh of relief, according to a report by the German News Agency.
But the situation of these competing companies became more complicated with Apple launching the 11-inch iPad Pro tablet, and the practical test showed how difficult it is to score points against the leading Apple company.
This difficulty is due to three main reasons: First: The luxury models of the iPad Pro tablet have become thinner and lighter than previous models. Second: Apple relied for the first time in tablets on the new high-performance M4 processor, in addition to the fact that luxury tablets are full of bright OLED screens.
The thinnest tablet
The large iPad Pro (13-inch) weighs 582 grams and is only 5.1 millimeters thick, making it the thinnest tablet Apple has ever made. The practical test showed that the difference with the smaller 11-inch model is no longer significant in everyday life, as the smaller iPad Pro has been reduced in size. The iPad Pro (11-inch) weighs only 447 grams and is 5.4 millimeters thick. In the practical test, there were no flaws in the slim design, as there were no doubts about the solidity and durability of the device’s body.
The new M4 processor
Thanks to Apple’s reliance on the new M4 processor, it has given the new iPad Pro tablet real power, as the range within the processor system – which is responsible for artificial intelligence and is known as the Neural Engine – can perform up to 38 trillion calculations per second.
The power of the M4 processor is also evident in the quality of the screen, as Apple relied for the first time on OLED technology, which is characterized by displaying colors wonderfully with good contrast and black saturation.
Apple also seeks to get rid of the disadvantages of OLED technology, which is represented by the weak degree of brightness, and the American company confirmed that it relied in the new iPad Pro tablet on a tandem OLED screen, which is two OLED screens installed on top of each other to ensure a higher degree of brightness, but this also means that the M4 processor must control twice the number of pixels compared to previous models.
The M4 processor not only delivers superior performance, but it also helps save energy as it includes 6 cores for efficiency and energy saving.
After the introduction of the new and very thin iPad Pro models, some concerns arose about the battery life due to the reduced space available to install the batteries, but Apple explained that the average battery life is 10 hours.
However, the results of the practical test showed that the iPad Pro tablet has a longer operating period than Apple announced, as the battery operating period while browsing the Internet extended to 15 hours, and 16 hours when playing SDR movies stored on the hard disk, so a single charge of the battery is enough for the user to use it for a full working day.
Selfie camera
In addition to the big innovations, such as light weight, superior performance and energy efficiency, the new iPad Pro tablet features many small improvements, which are already long overdue, including, for example, the decision of the iPad developers to finally place the selfie camera on the long side of the device, so the user appears in video conferences via Zoom, WebEx, Teams or on other platforms in a more natural way because the user can look directly into the camera.
Among the other innovations is the lack of the camera system on the back of the tablet, the ultra-wide lens, which was available in the previous model; the user is now satisfied with only a wide-angle camera, but in return there is an adaptive flash that adjusts its intensity according to the subject of the photography and according to the distance, and this flash in the tablet facilitates the task of scanning documents.
Augmented Reality
In addition to the main camera, the new iPad Pro tablet includes a LiDAR sensor that helps with augmented reality (AR) applications to monitor the dimensions of the room and place objects in their place better.
Due to the slim design of the new iPad Pro tablet, there is no longer space to install a traditional SIM card, which has been replaced by an electronic SIM card (eSIM). In terms of technical aspects, this card is considered an improvement and update to the traditional card.
Data entry tools
The American company has upgraded the new iPad Pro tablet computer by relying on two data entry tools, the new data entry pen (Pencil Pro) and the Magic Keyboard.
The new Apple Pencil is no different from the old one, but the user can press it in the lower third and call up functions, thus bringing up the toolbar in the drawing program, so that the brush size can be quickly adjusted, in addition to the user feeling a tactile response, which makes the use process very intuitive.
The Apple Pencil currently recognizes rotation, so the user can change the brush stroke by rotating the pen around its axis, but unfortunately the new Apple Pencil does not work with older iPad models, and the old Apple pens cannot be used with the new iPad Pro.
The completely redesigned keyboard comes with an aluminum frame instead of coated plastic, and it is similar to the keyboard on the MacBook, and when the keyboard is folded, the thickness of the iPad tablet and the keyboard case increases by one millimeter over the thickness of the MacBook Air M2 and weighs 1026 grams, which is less than the weight of the lightest MacBook model.