Apple Reveals M2-Powered iPad Pro With Apple Pencil Hover And 5G

Apple has announced its new iPad Pro, complete with an M2 chip, a host of next-generation features, expanded capability with some of Apple's other tech, and a release date that is a bit sooner than you might expect. The M2 chip was announced earlier this year during the company's annual developer's conference. It features eight cores in its GPU, ten cores in its CPU, two million transistors, reduced power consumption, and greatly increased performance when compared to Apple's previous generation of silicon. 

The new chip's capabilities could make the iPad Pro one of the most powerful tablets ever commercially released, and Apple has implemented a number of other features to help make the most of its capabilities. From the information they've provided, it seems the company is aiming for desktop-level capabilities on a small, highly portable, device. As with many Apple products, these capabilities may make life easier for creatives, though there are applications in business fields as well. It may also be overkill if you're just looking to get a tablet for recreational use, as both the "pro" tag and the price tag suggest.

While the inclusion of the M2 chip may turn out to be a game changer, Apple says its flagship tablet's features go beyond that. The hover feature of the second-generation Apple Pencil has been expanded, with the iPad being able to detect it up to 12mm from the screen's surface. Apple says this feature will allow users to "sketch and create with even greater precision." 

Apps have been tweaked too, with Apple claiming Scribble's text fields expand when users bring the pen close to the surface. The Apple Pencil's functionality isn't purely limited to Apple's in-house apps, and third-party applications can take advantage of its capabilities. WiFi 6E capability is another big addition to the new tablet, granting users access to the 6 GHz band where it is available. The Wi-Fi + Cellular versions of the tablet now work with expanded 5G connectivity (sub-6GHz and mmWave) with support for "more 5G networks around the world" than in previous devices.

Video enthusiasts will be pleased to learn the tablet comes with "advanced cameras" and the ability to capture ProRes Video for the first time, with Apple claiming the tablet may be all you need out in the field.

There are also a number of "pro features" the device is capable of running, including Stage Manager for multi-taskers, "Reference Mode" for applications where accurate colors are essential, and what Apple calls "Desktop Class Apps." The new iPad Pro is available in two colors, space gray and silver. 

Two sizes are also on offer, with the iPad Pro getting both an 11-inch and a 12.9-inch version. You can pre-order the new iPad Pro now, or grab it from a store from October 26. The 11-inch iPad Pro retails from $799, while the 12.9-inch version starts at $1,099. Base versions are Wi-Fi only, and cellular-capable models cost $200 more.