Apple unveiled yesterday new versions of its iPads, including a budget iPad 10 and also two versions of the iPad Pro 2022 model: an 11 inch one and 12.9 inch one. These new model sport the brand new Apple M2 processor and also a new hover feature for the Apple Pencil.
The biggest change from the previous models is the new CPU, the M2 SoC. It’s also found on the 2022 MacBook Air and the 13 inch MacBook Pro. It features 8 cores, with 4 performance ones and 4 efficiency ones. There’s also a 10 core GPU inside, a 16 core Neural Engine for machine learning and AI workloads. Apple claims that the memory bandwidth is 100 MB/s. This CPU is supposed to bring a 35% bump in graphics performance, 40% improvement in machine learning and 50% greater memory bandwidth. That’s compared to the M1 CPU.
There’s also an updated touchscreen that brings support for Hover with the 2nd gen Apple Pencil stylus. The Pencil is detected up to 12 mm in height, above the screen, which activates extra apps. It works in first and third party apps. There’s also Wi-Fi 6E support, a bump up to 2.4 Gbps from Wi-Fi. Then we get Bluetooth 5.3 and 5G connectivity. The M2 brings a superior ISP, offering improved camera features, even though the camera sensors are the same.
We also get a new ProRes encoder, a jump from Smart HDR 3 to Smart HDR 4. The price stays the same as the previous gen models, with the 11 incher going for $799 in the Wi-Fi version and $999 for the 4G one. The 12.9 inch one is priced at $1099 for Wi-Fi and $1299 for 4G. Sales start on October 26th.
