M1 chip and Thunderbolt come to Apple's 11-inch iPad Pro

Posted:
in iPad edited April 2021
The lines between Mac and iPad were further blurred on Tuesday, as Apple announced a next-generation iPad Pro lineup featuring the same M1 chip found in the new iMac, as well as the MacBook Pro, Mac mini and MacBook Air.




The new iPad Pro is "the fastest device of its kind -- it's not even close," Apple said in unveiling the new tablet at its "Spring Forward" event. In addition to the M1 chip, the iPad Pro also has a Thunderbolt port capable of USB-4, bringing it in line with the latest Macs.

The iPad Pro has also been upgraded with more storage, offering buyers a 2-terabyte configuration and storage that is twice as fast.




Apple has also added 5G connectivity to the cellular version of the iPad Pro, matching the blazing fast next-generation data introduced last year with the iPhone 12.

Apple says that with the M1 chip, the iPad Pro boasts graphics that are 40 percent faster than the last-generation model. In fact, Apple says the M1 makes the new iPad Pro 1,500 times faster than the first iPad released more than a decade ago.




The forward facing camera system has also been upgraded to a 12-megapixel sensor with a 120-degree field of view. This allows a new feature called "Center Stage," which recognizes a user and keeps them in the center of the view. The system automatically pans around and follows users while on a FaceTime call.

The 11-inch iPad Pro features the same LCD Retina display as its predecessor. That's different from the 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which gains a new mini LED Liquid Retina XDR display, offering greater contrast and improved battery life over legacy LCD technology.




Apple last updated its iPad Pro lineup in March of 2020, offering buyers a minor spec bump with an A12Z Bionic processor adding one additional GPU core over the A12X CPU that launched in 2018. The 2020 iPad Pro also added Wi-Fi 6, larger entry-level storage of 128 gigabytes, and a revamped camera system featuring a LiDAR scanner for improved augmented reality capabilities.
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Comments

  • Reply 2 of 39
    Slide said up to 16gb of ram. M1 has 8gb of ram minimum. macOS requires 8gb of ram to run. Maybe someone will get macOS or windows on arm running on this new iPad Pro. That would be epic!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 39
    That's the end of the X series then. It also further explains the A12Z choice in 2020. Wasn't just about introducing the LiDAR capability to developers. I didn't think that using an M1 made sense for the iPad Pro until I saw that they were using the Pro Display XDR as the template for the 12.9" screen. That makes sense.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 39
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    Huh so this is going to take some pondering. I had just about convinced myself to go with the Air, but this is a huge upgrade. RAM doubles from my iPP 10.5. I am surprised with the M1 in the 11 inch, I want to see benchmarks for this thing.  It’s enough of an update I’m now thinking of going with the bigger model. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 39
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    Does anyone know what they mean by 8 or 16 GB of RAM? I just went to the Apple Store and played with configuring one and there was no option for configuring RAM.
    edited April 2021 watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 39
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,857member
    DAalseth said:
    Does anyone know what they mean by 8 or 16 GB of RAM? I just went to the Apple Store and played with configuring one and there was no option for configuring RAM.
    1TB storage and over comes with 16GB RAM, under 1TB Storage comes with 8GB RAM. Not configurable.
    viclauyycwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 39
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    DAalseth said:
    Does anyone know what they mean by 8 or 16 GB of RAM? I just went to the Apple Store and played with configuring one and there was no option for configuring RAM.
    1TB storage and over comes with 16GB RAM, under 1TB Storage comes with 8GB RAM. Not configurable.
    Ah that’s how they’re doing it. Well 8GB is twice what my 10.5iPP has. I don’t think I need a TB of storage. Still if 16GB comes with it...maybe.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 39
    mjtomlinmjtomlin Posts: 2,673member
    FINALLY!!!! Time to upgrade from my original iPad Pro!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 39
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    DAalseth said:
    Does anyone know what they mean by 8 or 16 GB of RAM? I just went to the Apple Store and played with configuring one and there was no option for configuring RAM.
    If you order the iPad with up to 512GB storage, you get 8GB RAM. With 1TB or higher, you get 16GB.

    oops! Anonymous beat me to it.
    edited April 2021 watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 39
    k2kwk2kw Posts: 2,075member
    Slide said up to 16gb of ram. M1 has 8gb of ram minimum. macOS requires 8gb of ram to run. Maybe someone will get macOS or windows on arm running on this new iPad Pro. That would be epic!
    YES finally the Toaster-Regrigerator I’ve been Dreaming of.   SuperOS is here.
    muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 11 of 39
    j2fusionj2fusion Posts: 153member
    k2kw said:
    Slide said up to 16gb of ram. M1 has 8gb of ram minimum. macOS requires 8gb of ram to run. Maybe someone will get macOS or windows on arm running on this new iPad Pro. That would be epic!
    YES finally the Toaster-Regrigerator I’ve been Dreaming of.   SuperOS is here.
    Parallels or VMware....
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 39
    NaiyasNaiyas Posts: 107member
    Im looking forward to Wesley Hilliard's view on this announcement (and hopefully a future review) as he’s known to use an iPad Pro as his main machine and was potentially in the market for a new one if I recall from the last podcast.

    it does make you wonder what will be announced at WWDC in terms of pushing iPadOS forward as I’m pretty sure that’s the main constraint for the iPad Pro, especially now.
    radarthekatwatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 39
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,844member
    k2kw said:
    Slide said up to 16gb of ram. M1 has 8gb of ram minimum. macOS requires 8gb of ram to run. Maybe someone will get macOS or windows on arm running on this new iPad Pro. That would be epic!
    YES finally the Toaster-Regrigerator I’ve been Dreaming of.   SuperOS is here.

    applguywilliamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 39
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,258member
    Cool that Apple is pulling no punches with either Mac or iPad Pro. They're making both products the best versions of themselves. 

    I personally still prefer the Mac for work and the iPad for entertainment, but different strokes for different folks. 
    randominternetpersonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 39
    netroxnetrox Posts: 1,415member
    I wonder if they will ever bring macOS to iPad Pro. 
    williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 39
    applguyapplguy Posts: 235member
    Now just waiting for Xcode to come to the iPad Pro. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 39
    CheeseFreezeCheeseFreeze Posts: 1,247member
    An incredible powerful CPU on a device that doesn’t need it as long as the operating system is a limiting factor. 

    I have the 2nd generation iPad Pro and never ever I had the need for a faster device. On macOS that’s completely different, because the operating system requires more powerful hardware and the operating system opens up for you to do more.
    muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 18 of 39
    applguy said:
    Now just waiting for Xcode to come to the iPad Pro. 
    Could this be an announcement at WWDC?
    williamlondonapplguywatto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 39
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    An incredible powerful CPU on a device that doesn’t need it as long as the operating system is a limiting factor. 

    I have the 2nd generation iPad Pro and never ever I had the need for a faster device. On macOS that’s completely different, because the operating system requires more powerful hardware and the operating system opens up for you to do more.
    What does macOS require more powerful hardware to do that sets it apart from iOS?
    randominternetperson
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