Top Stories: Apple Event With New iPads, Apple Pencil Pro, and More

Apple's "Let Loose" event this week went off largely as expected, headlined by new iPad Pro and iPad Air models.

top stories 11may2024
The updated higher-end devices are complemented by some new accessories, while Apple also tidied up the lower-end of the lineup a bit, so read on below for all the details!

Everything Announced at the Apple Event

Apple held its first event of the year this week to announce several new devices and accessories, including new iPad Pro models with OLED displays and the M4 chip, new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air models, the Apple Pencil Pro, and a redesigned Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro.

Let Loose Everything Announced Thumb 2
The event ran for nearly 40 minutes, but we have shared a video recapping the key announcements in just eight minutes. Check out all of our event coverage to learn more about the new products.

Apple Announces New iPad Pro With M4 Chip, OLED Display, and More

The new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models feature the M4 chip, OLED displays with increased brightness, a thinner design, a new Space Black finish, a front camera/Face ID system moved to the landscape edge of the devices, and more.

iPad Pro M4 Silver and Space Black Feature 1
In the U.S., the 11-inch iPad Pro now starts at $999, while the 13-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,299. The devices are available to order now and launch on May 15.

Apple Announces New iPad Air Models: M2 Chip, First-Ever 13-Inch Model, and More

The new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air models feature the M2 chip, a front camera on the landscape edge of the devices, Wi-Fi 6E support, new color options, and a few other minor changes.

M2 iPad Air Hero Feature Orange
This is the first time that Apple has offered the iPad Air in two display sizes. In the U.S., the 11-inch model starts at $599, and the 13-inch model starts at $799. The devices are available to order now and launch on May 15.

Apple Pencil Pro Unveiled With New Squeeze Gesture, Haptic Feedback, Find My, and More

The rumored Apple Pencil Pro has arrived, and it includes several new features for the accessory.

Apple Pencil Pro Newsroom
You can squeeze the Apple Pencil Pro to bring up a tool palette, and a built-in gyroscope allows users to roll the Apple Pencil Pro's barrel for precise control of shaped pen and brush tools. You can also track the location of the Apple Pencil Pro in the Find My app if it is misplaced, and it supports haptic feedback for certain actions.

Apple Announces Redesigned Magic Keyboard for New iPad Pro Starting at $299

Key new features of the redesigned Magic Keyboard for the new iPad Pro include an aluminum palm rest, a larger trackpad, and a row of function keys with shortcuts for brightness, volume, and more.

magic keyboard 3
The new Magic Keyboard is compatible with the new iPad Pro models with the M4 chip only. It is available in black and white, with U.S. pricing set at $299 for the 11-inch model and at $349 for the 13-inch model.

iPad 9 Discontinued, iPad 10 Now Starts at $349

While only the iPad Pro and iPad Air were updated this week, Apple did make some changes to the lower end of the iPad lineup.

10th Gen iPad Feature Fanned Pink
First, Apple discontinued the ninth-generation iPad with a Lightning port. Second, Apple lowered the starting price of the tenth-generation iPad with a USB-C port to $349 in the U.S., compared to $449 previously.

There are no changes to the iPad mini.

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Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

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Top Rated Comments

RichHI Avatar
11 months ago
Why do so many people post to tell us they do not wish to or cannot afford to upgrade their iPad. It is everyone's right to choose what they want to do but it is not going to affect others.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tigger92 Avatar
11 months ago

Super Mid release. Zero reasons to upgrade if you already have a M chip ipad. Next question
Respectfully disagree. This is the opposite of a mid release, it is a significant major change with an entirely new OLED display that well outperfoms mini-LED and this allows it to be much thinner as well as lighter. It has a major upgrade on the processor that is much higher performance with better AI capabilities.

I do agree that from an entirely computational performance, it might not be the best choice for someone if they do not use any of the more CPU intensive programs or don't care about AI performance.

But for many of us, the lighter weight and switch to OLED is extremely compelling and a game changer. And I agree with the comment wanting an OLED Studio Display...that would be awesome if/when they decide to do that.

In full disclosure, I did make some of the very first OLEDs in the world in grad school in the late 90's and have been chomping at the bit to get an iPad with one.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lkrupp Avatar
11 months ago

Why do so many people post to tell us they do not wish to or cannot afford to upgrade their iPad. It is everyone's right to choose what they want to do but it is not going to affect others.
It’s all about maintaining forum cred. If you’re not negative, disappointed, or dismissive you’re not relevant. Been that way for years around here.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TechnoMonk Avatar
11 months ago
I won’t upgrade from my M1 iPad Pro. I usually keep my iPads for 6-7 years. But the new iPad Pro was anything but mid. One of the better new iPad Pro releases in a while. I can see why it may be important for others. Happy for those who will upgrade.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
11 months ago

Continuing to pack more and faster tech into the iPad is useless without a major iOS overhaul. All it's doing is jacking up the price without adding anything of real value.

It’s like having the most sophisticated fighter jet in the world being forced to run on a version of DOS…
Thats probably the most interesting challenge Apple faces, is how to market a M4 iPad Pro that they claim is built for AI, when there isn't the operating system bundled with it to show that off? The rumor mill has been hyping for a last few months that the next OS's will see AI enhancements.

iOS/iPadOS/tvOS 18 all arrive in Sept even if they show the very first developer's seeding of iPadOS 18 June 10th at WWDC 2024. First public beta tester version of iPadOS 18 (usually beta 3) is not out until end of June thru Mid July.

Yes the updated versions of some Apple software does help to mitigate that, but note it doesn't require anything more then the current iPadOS 17.x and MacOS 14.x.

Apple today unveiled the all-new Logic Pro for iPad 2 ('https://www.apple.com/logic-pro-for-ipad/')and Logic Pro for Mac 11 ('https://www.apple.com/logic-pro/'), delivering breakthrough professional experiences for songwriting, beat-making, producing, and mixing. Powered by artificial intelligence, the new Logic Pro introduces incredible studio assistant features that augment the music-making process and provide artists help right when they need it — all while ensuring they maintain full creative control.

Apple today introduced Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 ('https://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro-for-ipad/'), bringing huge updates that unleash the remarkable capabilities of the new iPad Pro and take creativity to the next level. Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 transforms iPad into a multicam production studio with Live Multicam, giving users the power to speed up their shoot by allowing them to connect and preview up to four cameras all at once, all in one place.

New artificial intelligence features come to Final Cut Pro for Mac 10.8 ('https://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/'), giving editors the ability to rapidly customize the look of videos or photos in a single click and retime visuals more easily than ever.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
11 months ago

Still waiting for OLED Studio Display. Damnit Tim I have $2k saved come take it!!
$2K won’t be enough for an OLED display that size from Apple. Luckily there will be a couple more years time to save up (is my guess).
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)