Apple puts AI chip in most expensive iPads

The American technology group Apple will be placing the new models of its iPad on (American) store shelves from next week. With a powerful AI chip in the most expensive version.

“This is the biggest day for the iPad since its launch in 2011,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said during a half-hour video presentation. It has been October 2022 since Apple launched any new iPad models. No other product from the Californian technology giant has had to wait so long for an update.

Cook presented upgrades to two existing models. For both the iPad Air and the more expensive iPad Pro, buyers can choose from two screen sizes: 11 inches (27.9 cm) or 13 inches (33 cm). Although the iPad Pro has an OLED screen, which is also used on an iPhone. Both models are also thinner than the existing models, with a thickness of just 5.1 to 5.3 millimeters. Also thinner than two 50 euro cent coins on top of each other.

The big difference between the two iPads, however, is the chip used. The iPad Air, which is marketed for 720 to 970 euros, uses the same chip as in the MacBooks. Apple installs an M4 chip in the iPad Pro, whose price tag fluctuates between 1,200 and 1,600 euros.

This makes the new iPad Pro not only four times faster than the previous model. Thanks to the new chip, it also enables AI functions such as generating text and photos. Exactly which AI functions the chips can power won’t become clear until next month at Apple’s developer conference, where the company often shows off new capabilities for Siri, its voice assistant and the rest of its operating systems.

Yet it is striking that Apple is already installing chips in its iPads that are more powerful than any processing unit in its laptops. The Cupertino technology giant usually first places the new chips in its MacBooks. But according to analysts, Apple is eager to unveil its latest AI chip. It is more energy efficient and can handle AI tasks, but also allows Apple to warm up app makers in the run-up to its annual conference.