Apple introduces next-gen iPad Pro, supercharged by M2 chip
Apple has announced the new iPad Pro with the M2 chip, delivering the ultimate combination of portability, versatility, and unbelievable performance.
The new iPad Pro features a next-level Apple Pencil hover experience, superfast wireless connectivity, the world's most advanced mobile display, pro cameras, Face ID, Thunderbolt, and a four-speaker audio system.
New features in iPadOS 16, including Stage Manager, full external display support, desktop-class apps, and Reference Mode, take pro workflows on iPad even further.
Enabled by its advanced hardware and iPadOS 16, iPad Pro has an incredible ecosystem of powerful pro apps unlike any other device of its kind.
The new iPad Pro is available to order now, and available online beginning October 27.
Full external display support for Stage Manager on M1 and M2 iPad models will be available in a software update later this year.
"The next-generation iPad Pro pushes the boundaries of what's possible on iPad, bringing even more versatility, power, and portability to the ultimate iPad experience," says Greg Joswiak, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Apple.
"Powered by the M2 chip, the new iPad Pro features incredible performance and the most advanced technologies, including a next-level Apple Pencil hover experience, ProRes video capture, superfast wireless connectivity, and powerful iPadOS 16 features. There's nothing else like it."
M2, the start of Apple's next generation of M-series chips, brings even more breakthrough performance and capabilities to iPad Pro, with industry-leading power efficiency, a unified memory architecture, and custom technologies.
M2 features an 8-core CPU, up to 15% faster than M1, with advancements in both performance and efficiency cores, and a 10-core GPU, delivering up to 35% faster graphics performance for the most demanding users.
Combined with the CPU and GPU, the 16-core Neural Engine can process 15.8 trillion operations per second, 40% more than the M1, making the iPad Pro even more powerful when handling machine learning tasks.
The M2 chip also features 100GB/s of unified memory bandwidth, 50% more than the M1, and supports up to 16GB of fast unified memory, making multitasking and working with large assets even more fluid.
The performance of M2 turbocharges even the most demanding workflows, from photographers editing massive photo libraries and designers manipulating complex 3D objects to healthcare professionals taking advanced imaging and analysis to gamers enjoying graphics-intensive games.
The power of M2 also extends to the new media engine and the image signal processor, which, combined with the advanced cameras, enable users to capture ProRes video for the first time and transcode ProRes footage up to 3x faster. This means content creators can capture, edit, and publish cinema-grade video from a single device out in the field.
Powered by the new iPad Pro and iPadOS 16, hover with Apple Pencil (2nd generation) provides a new dimension for users to interact with their screen.
Apple Pencil is now detected up to 12mm above the display, allowing users to see a preview of their mark before they make it. This also enables users to sketch and illustrate with even greater precision, making everything users do with Apple Pencil more effortless.
For example, text fields automatically expand with Scribble when the pencil gets near the screen, and handwriting converts to text even faster. Third-party apps can also use this feature to enable new marking and drawing experiences.
The new iPad Pro supports the fastest Wi-Fi connections with support for Wi-Fi 6E, so users who need fast connections can take their demanding workflows with them everywhere.
Downloads are up to 2.4GB/s, 2x faster than the previous generation. In addition, Wi-Fi + Cellular models with 5G (sub-6GHz and mmWave) now support more 5G networks worldwide. So users can access their files, communicate with colleagues, and back up their data in a snap while on the go.
In addition to significant updates to Messages, new tools in Mail and Safari, the new Weather app, and more ways to interact with photos and video with Live Text and Visual Look Up, iPadOS 16 also introduces powerful productivity features that elevate the iPad Pro experience.
Stage Manager is an entirely new multitasking experience that automatically organises apps and windows, making it quick and easy to switch between tasks. Later this year, Stage Manager will unlock full external display support with resolutions of up to 6K. So users can arrange the ideal workspace and work with up to four apps on the iPad and up to four apps on the external display.
Desktop-class apps enable new capabilities optimised for the display on iPad Pro, making apps more capable with new elements and interactions. These include a consistent undo and redo, a redesigned inline find-and-replace experience, a new document menu, customisable toolbars, the ability to change file extensions, view folder size in Files, and more.
Reference Mode enables the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Liquid Retina XDR display to match the colour requirements in workflows like review and approve, colour grading, and compositing, where accurate colours and consistent image quality are critical.
That means pro users, including photographers and videographers, can edit HDR images and videos with every true-to-life detail right in their hands. In addition, cinematographers on set can preview content in a colour profile representing the final capture.
The new iPad models are designed to minimise their impact on the environment. They include 100% recycled gold - a first for iPad - in the plating of multiple printed circuit boards, as well as recycled aluminium, tin, and rare earth elements.
All iPad models meet Apple's high standards for energy efficiency and are mercury-, BFR-, PVC-, and beryllium-free.
Redesigned packaging in the new iPad Pro eliminates the outer plastic wrap, and 99% of the packaging is fibre-based, bringing Apple closer to its goal of completely removing plastic from all packaging by 2025.
Today, Apple is carbon neutral for global corporate operations, and by 2030, it plans to be 100% carbon neutral across the entire manufacturing supply chain and all product life cycles.
This means that every Apple device sold, from component manufacturing, assembly, transport, customer use, and charging, all the way through recycling and material recovery, will have net-zero climate impact.
The new iPad Pro is available to order beginning October 19, at apple.com/nz/store and in the Apple Store app in 28 countries and regions, including New Zealand, with availability starting October 27.
The new 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro will be available in silver and space grey finishes with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB configurations.
The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at RRP NZ$1,649 including GST for the Wi-Fi model and RRP NZ$1,949 including GST for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model; the 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at RRP NZ$2,299 including GST for the Wi-Fi model, and RRP NZ$2,599 including GST for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.
Apple Pencil (2nd generation), available for purchase separately, is compatible with the new iPad Pro for RRP NZ$279, including GST.
Magic Keyboard is available in black and white for RRP NZ$619, including GST, for the new 11-inch iPad Pro and RRP NZ$709 for the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro, with layouts for over 30 languages.
The Smart Keyboard Folio for the new iPad Pro is available for RRP NZ$389 including GST for the new 11-inch iPad Pro and RRP NZ$419 including GST for the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
The Smart Folio is available in black, white, and marine blue for RRP NZ$159, including GST, for the new 11-inch iPad Pro and RRP NZ$199, including GST, for the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
Education pricing is available to current and newly accepted college students and their parents, faculty, staff, and home-school teachers of all grade levels. The new 11-inch iPad Pro starts at RRP NZ$1,549 including GST, and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at RRP NZ$2,089 including GST. The second-generation Apple Pencil is available for RRP NZ$259 including GST, and the Smart Keyboard Folio is available for RRP NZ$339 including GST for the 11-inch iPad Pro and RRP NZ$369 including GST for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The Magic Keyboard will be available at RRP NZ$569 including GST for the 11-inch iPad Pro and RRP NZ$669 including GST for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. For more information, visit apple.com/nz-hed/shop.
iPadOS 16, the powerful operating system designed specifically for iPad, will be available beginning October 25, and ships for free with the new iPad Pro.
iPadOS 16 will be available as a free software update for iPad (5th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), and all iPad Pro models.
Engrave iPad with a meaningful mix of emoji, names, initials, and numbers, all free, available only at apple.com/nz/store or in the Apple Store app.
Apple provides customers with several services online. From personalised support and advice from Apple Specialists to convenient delivery options, Apple ensures the best way to buy Apple products is from apple.com/nz/store.
