Apple Holds ‘Let Loose’ Event, Unveils New iPad Products, Equipped with 10-core M4 Chip and Real-time Separation of 4K Video Subjects
On the 8th, Apple held a virtual event called ‘Let Loose’ and introduced the new ‘iPad Pro’. The 13-inch and 11-inch tablets are the thinnest in history, with a thickness of 5.1 millimeters for the 13-inch model and 5.3 millimeters for the 11-inch model. In this new model, Apple switched to OLED displays. Apple had switched to OLED displays for smartphones starting from the iPhone X in 2017, and this is the first time for iPads. Apple stated that a single (stack) OLED was not sufficient to provide the XDR (Extreme Dynamic Range) performance desired by iPad Pro users in terms of brightness, so they developed an advanced display that supports outstanding brightness by combining the light from two tandem OLED layers. Both OLED iPad Pro models support a maximum screen brightness of 1000 nits and peak brightness (HDR) of 1600 nits.
LG Display and Samsung Display Supply OLEDs for iPad Pro
The OLED displays for iPad Pro are supplied by LG Display and Samsung Display. LG Display offers 11-inch and 13-inch models, while Samsung Display provides a single 11-inch OLED model. The price of the 11-inch OLED is in the upper 200 dollars range, and the 13-inch OLED is in the upper 300 dollars range.
Camera Features and Upgrades
The rear camera has 12 million pixels and f/1.8 aperture. Apple emphasized that the document scanning performance has improved thanks to image stitching and adaptive flash. Additionally, the Face ID camera has been repositioned horizontally, allowing for more convenience during video calls. The Magic Keyboard now features an aluminum palm rest for a more premium feel, with a standout feature being the function key row allowing for easy brightness adjustment. Furthermore, a new Apple Pencil Pro is included, featuring squeeze gestures and pencil tracking for finding. It also includes a gyroscope for changing brush strokes with various movements and haptic feedback.
Fastest Neural Engine in Apple’s History with M4 Chip
A major highlight is the inclusion of the M4 chip, skipping over M3. With a process of 2 to 3 nanometers and 28 billion transistors, the M4 is Apple’s System on Chip (SoC) boasting industry-leading power efficiency, enabling the incredibly thin design. It is capable of up to 38 trillion operations per second with a maximum of 10 CPU and 10 GPU cores. Apple emphasized that the M4 features the fastest Neural Engine in the company’s history, surpassing any AI PC’s neural processing unit in terms of speed. It delivers 1.5 times faster CPU performance compared to M2 and rendering performance has improved by 4 times.
Neural Engine Enhancements and Performance
The Neural Engine includes the next-generation machine learning accelerator for the CPU, high-performance GPU, and high-bandwidth integrated memory (HBM), presumed to be from SK Hynix. The M4’s standout feature is its neural engine performance, claimed to be 60 times faster than the first A11 Bionic. It excels in tasks such as live captions for audio, visual lookup for identifying objects in videos and photos, and easy separation of subjects from the background in 4K videos within Final Cut Pro with a single tap. Additionally, it can generate sheet music in real time by simply listening to piano performances.