The revolution of‘artificial intelligence embedded in devices bearing an apple logo will still have to wait. One month before its annual developers conference where AI should be the key word, Apple played the watch again this Tuesday, May 7 during his keynote express dedicated entirely to the iPad, its best-selling tablet whose sales have recently been declining. In his introductory remarks, Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, had nevertheless promised “the biggest event for the iPad since its launch” in 2010.
The Cupertino group has essentially updated its iPad catalog with new sizes and new components. Its entry-level touchscreen tablet, the iPad Air, comes in two Retina screen sizes for the first time: 11-inch and 13-inch.
It runs on one of the most recent chips, the M2, developed by the firm’s engineers. From a purely practical point of view, the front camera, which contains FaceID, switches (finally) to the edge of the device and therefore in practical landscape format for video calls.
A modification so logical that one wonders why the webcam of a device used mainly horizontally did not benefit from it before. Four colors (blue, mauve, starlight and space gray) and as many storage options (128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB) will be available for sale next week. No increase in prices on these tablets, the price of which starts at 719 euros for the historic 11-inch screen and 969 euros for the new 13-inch format.
More anticipated, the renewal of the iPad Pro has met several expectations, particularly on the screen which finally adopts OLED technology which brings out the contrasts of an image and the deep blacks. Apple took its time to optimize this screen – manufactured and patented by Samsung or LG – and named its version Tandem OLED.
The screen thus gains brightness when watching videos, one of the main uses. Like its little brother Air, the 2024 Pro arrives in two formats of 11 and 13 inches and loses weight as well as stomach circumference. Giving the illusion of a large sheet of paper, the largest is limited to 5.1 mm thick while the other displays 5.3 mm.
Designed to perform AI tasks, the M4 chip integrates and powers this new generation device whose webcam also passes on the edge. Apple also promises an iPad Pro four times faster than its predecessor. Sold from 1,219 euros for 11 inches and 1,569 euros for 13 inches, the large tablet offers two color choices on the back: silver or space black.
Two accessories, sold separately, accompany these iPad facelifts. The Apple Pencil electronic pencil is upgraded and goes into Pro mode with a new functionality: a sensor at the end of the white rod triggers task shortcuts just by pressing it. Compatible with the iPad Pro and the iPad Air, it is priced at 149 euros. The Magic Keyboard, a practical keyboard because it is magnetic, complements the iPad Air or Pro (349 euros and 399 euros) and almost transforms them into a MacBook.
After this first keynote of the year, Apple makes an appointment with its competitors — Google and Samsung in the lead — as with his fans for a high-risk month of June on his abilities to take the inevitable wave of generative artificial intelligence.
