Apple is capable of everything, even turning a mundane and tiny microprocessor into the new star of the company. This is the M4, a chip capable of performing 38 trillion operations per second. Interestingly, the main selling point of the new generation of iPad Pro is not visible or tangible. On the contrary, it can be felt. And in a big way. In fact, the brain of the new tablets is well prepared to support the artificial intelligence that the iPhone manufacturer will embrace at some point.
The pace of innovation of the world’s second most valuable company-only surpassed by Microsoft- is exhausting for engineers. No matter what, they must design processors that consume half the energy of their predecessors, but with 1.5 times the speed, as is the case with the M4 chip’s CPU. To achieve this, the multinational has allocated 28,000 million transistors, designed with second-generation three-nanometer technology.
The subject of chips is strategic to differentiate itself from its rivals, especially in tasks of high graphic and processing demand. As explained by Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Technologies, “the efficient performance of the M4 and the new screen engine make the fine design and the revolutionary screen of the iPad Pro possible.” This Ultra Retina XDR display improves accuracy, brightness, and color levels from previous versions.
The same processor demonstrates its power in video games or with professional graphic or music editing programs. Among other technical achievements, the M4 matches the performance of the latest PC chip from a fixed and lightweight laptop, but using only 25% of the energy, as Apple emphasized yesterday in its presentation.
The new iPad Pro with M4 chip is available through Apple’s website in 29 countries and regions around the world. The tablet offers two models: iPad Pro of 11 and 13 inches, in silver and space black colors, with storage capacities of 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, or 2 TB. Thus, the 11-inch iPad Pro with WiFi-only connectivity starts from 1,199 euros and the WiFi and Cellular model from 1,449 euros.
On the other hand, the 13-inch iPad Pro is available in WiFi model from 1,549 euros and in WiFi + Cellular model from 1,799 euros. As is customary for the manufacturer, iPads come with the Magic Keyboard, which costs 349 euros for the 11-inch iPad Pro and 399 euros for the 13-inch iPad Pro.
At the same time, Apple unveiled the other members of the iPad family, although all of them are orphaned of the M4. They are the 11-inch iPad Air (from 699 to 869 euros) and the 13-inch iPad Air (from 949 to 1,119 euros), both with the M2 chip. Among the most striking novelties of the Air is the 12-megapixel ultra-wide front camera, which features edge-centric framing technology, ideal for video calls.
