Key Takeaways
- Apple’s iPad Pro update channels the spirit of the 2021 MacBook Pro redesign, which was loved by fans.
- In a few ways, Apple changed direction with the iPad Pro to make it a better iPad — removing unnecessary features to make the core experience better.
- The iPad lineup overhaul brings better options for iPad users, with the iPad Pro sitting at the top with the M4 chip, an new OLED display, and an ultra-thin design.
From a distance, Apple’s new crop of iPads announced at a “Let Loose” event Tuesday, May 7 might not look all that different from previous generations. There’s now a 13-inch variant of the iPad Air and the iPad Pro sports a brand-new M4 chip, but we wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t think this was a big update for the iPad. However, once you start peeling back the layers of today’s event, it becomes clear that Apple made key moves regarding the iPad that signal a shift in direction for the product line. In fact, it’s the biggest overhaul to a product category since the memorable MacBook Pro redesign in 2021.
Instead of having a limiting universal design strategy, Apple is finally starting to take different design approaches with each of its products. For this reason, the new iPad Pro — and the rest of the iPad lineup — feels like it was truly designed for iPad users. The right feature additions (and feature cuts) were made to make the iPad Pro a better iPad, just like Apple added and removed features from the MacBook Pro to make it a better professional laptop. It’s a far cry from the Apple we saw in the middle of the last decade, which sought design thinness and simplicity no matter the cost to the user experience.
Apple Silicon is about more than just silicon
There’s been an overall shift in product design and strategy at Apple since 2020
It’s easy to cite the performance and efficiency improvements related to the Apple Silicon transition as the reason for Apple’s resurgence this decade, particularly with the Mac lineup. However, the driving forces behind Apple’s success can be traced far deeper than that. Apple is finally being receptive to user feedback, and generally giving users exactly what they want. We first saw this when Apple released the MacBook Pro in 2021 with the M1 Pro and M1 Max systems-on-a-chip. The company got rid of the large bezels and touch bar from older MacBook Pro models and added an excellent keyboard and more ports. These new MacBook Pro devices from 2021 onward have been well-received by Mac users, and are considered to be some of the best Apple laptops of any era.
The MacBook Pro isn’t the only product to receive a significant overhaul following the Apple Silicon transition, either. The iMac was also redesigned to feature a super-thin and colorful design. Apple created the Mac Studio and Studio Display from scratch, too. The one thing all these products have in common? They’ve given Mac users exactly what they wanted. This seems to be a trend you can trace through many of Apple’s moves post-2020, and it now extends to the iPad.
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Apple is giving each product what it needs
MacBook Pro got thicker, while the iPad Pro got thinner
The key to Apple’s success so far is not just making changes based on user feedback, it’s also making the changes each product needs. MacBook Pro models released between 2016 and 2019 largely sacrificed usability and feature set in favor of a thin form factor, and that was a mistake. Apple needed to make the MacBook Pro thicker and place function back on the same level as form. However, it isn’t as simple as applying that strategy to every product in Apple’s lineup. The iPad needed to be a better iPad, not a better Mac.
Before the M4 iPad Pro was announced, the iPad Pro was basically a mix of the iPhone and the MacBook. The iPad started out as a blown-up version of the iPhone and had a portrait-first design from the start. Then, Apple started pushing the iPad as a laptop replacement and decided to add some emphasis on landscape mode. But it didn’t change any of the iPad’s hardware characteristics that can be traced back to its portrait origins, like the front-facing camera placement. The iPad picked up a few abnormalities along the way, such as an unnecessary rear camera system largely copied from recent iPhone releases.
The iPad Pro’s system includes a 12MP wide, 10MP ultra-wide and a LIDAR scanner
The M4 iPad Pro replaces the M2 iPad Pro, which had those issues that seriously affected the device’s usability. For example, the giant rear camera system on the iPad Pro caused the tablet to rock back and forth on a desk while note-taking or drawing. To make the iPad Pro have a more appealing camera system, Apple ended up compromising the core user experience of the iPad. Sound familiar? It’s like when Apple added the butterfly keyboard to the MacBook to make it thinner, crippling the typing experience in the process.
Apple made it right by redesigning the MacBook Pro in 2021, and it’s making it right on the iPad in 2024. The company removed the ultra-wide camera from the back of the M4 iPad Pro, and on paper, the camera system is less versatile than the M2 iPad Pro. But it’s also smaller, and the cut helps make the iPad Pro the thinnest Apple product ever. To fix the landscape issue, Apple moved the front-facing camera to the horizontal position on the M4 iPad Pro.
Source: Apple
Apple rarely backtracks, but it ended up making great MacBook Pro and iPad Pro redesigns by reversing course. As a result, the iPad is more of a purpose-built device. It’s not trying to be an iPhone, iPad, and MacBook all at once. It’s just trying to be a great, thin tablet with superb portability and pen support.
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iPad users, rejoice
This lineup of iPads might be what the peak looks like
Image credit: Apple
Apple’s many moves related to the iPad sent ripple effects through the lineup today, and it’s great news for iPad users. The iPad Pro, of course, is now a better professional-grade tablet fit for creatives. Then, there’s the iPad Air, which now comes in a 13-inch size, so buyers don’t have to get the iPad Pro if they need a bigger screen. The ninth-generation iPad is finally discontinued, and the 10th-generation iPad gets a significant price cut to meet the $350 price point. Don’t get me wrong, the iPad still isn’t perfect for everyone. But for people who want an iPad, there’s a better lineup available today from top to bottom.