The new M1-chip-powered iPad Pros and the new iMacs have just been announced. The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799, while the 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,099. The powerful iMacs start at $1,299, with the high-end model costing $1,499. All models are available in the second half of May, although preorders start April 30.
The first Apple event of 2021 was jam-packed, debuting a variety of other impressive new products that included a new $179 Apple TV 4K, a new $59 Siri Remote, and the $29 AirTag item tracker.
Here are the specs, pricing, and availability details to know.
iPad Pro
The iPad Pro has the M1 chip now, with a 8-core CPU that’s up to 50% faster than the A12Z Bionic. It also has 5G, Pro Display XDR at 6K, and a new 2TB configuration for the absolute file storage fiends out there. On the surface, its design is very similar to the previous iPad Pro model.
You’ll be able to play with PS5 and Xbox controllers, complete with haptics. A new AI software feature, called Center Stage, helps the Pro’s camera focus on the people in the frame during a video call. The Pro also supports Thunderbolt and USB 4 for the first time, and has four times more bandwidth for wired connections than the previous Pro model, at up to 40Gbps.
The lineup includes two models, the 11-inch and the 12.9-inch. The 12.9-inch device stands out with a Liquid Retina XDR display with 1000 nits and 1600 nits of peak brightness, as well as 10,000 mini LEDs and over 2,500 local dimming zones. It’s a really good display with noticeably improved backlighting, in other words.
iPad Pro specs
Here’s the core list of specs for the two iPad Pro models.
- 5G, with speeds up to 4Gbps
- Front camera: 12MP Ultra Wide
- Pro Display XDR at full 6K resolution
- Liquid Retina XDR Display with Extreme Dynamic Range (12.9-inch model only)
- Memory: Up to 16GB
- Storage: Up to 2TB
- ProMotion
- True Tone
- P3 wide color support
- Battery life: “All day”
- Support for Smart HDR 3
- ISP and LiDAR Scanner, for low-light images and videos
- Magic Keyboard now comes in White
You can preorder the new iPad Pros on April 30, with availability starting in the second half of May.
The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799, while the 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,099.
iPadOS 14.5
We also heard about the next iPadOS update. The 14.5 software version delivers these highlights:
- Expanded language support for Apple Pencil features like Scribble and Smart Selection
- Support for the “latest” gaming controllers
- Ability to share lyrics and see top songs in cities around the world with Apple Music
- New emoji
It’ll be rolling out to all iPad users next week.
iMac
A totally redesigned iMac is thinner and colorful, available in seven different bright pastels. Their vision is “for the computer to disappear.” Thanks to the power-efficient M1 chip, they’ve dropped their thermal system, replacing it with two thin fans that are barely audible. It’s 11.5 mm thin, more than twice as thin as the previous model.
The 4.5K retina display is 24 inches wide, with thinner borders than before and 11.3M pixels. With macOS Big Sur, everything on iMac is incredibly fast, from opening apps to gaming. The CPU is up to 85% faster than the previous model, and 50% faster than the fastest 21.5-inch iMac.
And the cameras and video are better, for all those Zoom calls we’re making these days: The new iMac has 1080p resolution and a bigger sensor. Touch ID is available for the first time on a Mac.
One interesting update: The power adapter has an ethernet port in it, so the back of the iMac will be less cluttered, with just the cord running from the power adaptor delivering both power and internet connection.
iMac specs
The new iMac comes in two models, depending on your memory and storage needs, although some of its seven color options are also reserved only for the pricier model. Here’s the list of specs for the new iMac:
- 24-inch 4.5K Retina display with 11.3M pixels, 500 nits of brightness
- P3 wide color gamut and True Tone
- Anti-reflective coating on display
- 11.5mm thin
- M1 chip
- 1080p FaceTime HD camera
- Three-microphone array — the best ever in a Mac
- Six-speaker sound system — also the best ever on a Mac
- Touch ID
- Memory: 8GB
- SSD: 256GB
- 7-core or 8-core GPU, depending on model
- 2 Thunderbolt USB-C ports (the high end model adds 2 more for 4 USB-C ports total)
- Support for up to a 6K display
- Wi-Fi 6
- Colors: Green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver
- Magic Mouse
- Power connector (with 1Gbps Ethernet port) that attaches magnetically
The new iMac starts at $1,299, with the high-end model starting at $1,499.
Preorders start on Friday, April 30, with availability beginning in the second half of May.
Apple TV 4K
The next generation of Apple TV 4K is here, powered with the A12 Bionic chip.
The new Apple TV 4K supports a higher frame rate than before, with High Dynamic Range and Dolby Vision video. AirPlay supports high frame rate as well, so your iPhone 12 Pro videos can be seen in all their 60-fps Dolby Vision glory.
A redesigned Siri Remote has a one-piece aluminum design, a five-way navigation clickpad for finer control, touch support, and adds jog control across the outer ring of the clickpad, so users can swivel their thumbs to scroll through a scene in their film or TV show.
The remote also has a power button and mute button, so you won’t need to bring along your second remote control just for those functions. Users in Austria, Ireland, and New Zealand will now be able to use Siri on Apple TV for the first time, too.
The new Apple TV 4K starts at $179, with orders available beginning Friday, April 30, and actual availability starting in “the second half of May” in the US and over 30 other countries and regions.
Apple TV HD with the new Siri Remote will start at $149, with the remote itself separately available for $59 (it’s compatible with the previous Apple TV 4K and HD models).
AirTag
AirTag is the latest item-tracking service from the company behind the “Find Me” feature that has been helping people find iPhones and iPads for years. The physical tag is attachable to anything, from backpacks to luggage, and is customizable with free engraving emoji.
Any iPhone with the new tech, (aka iPhone 12), will be able to track the AirTag and deliver visual and haptic feedback as you get closer to the tag.
AirTag costs $29 for one, or $99 for four. It’s available starting Friday, April 30.
How impressed should you be?
In a word, very. While the AirTag is kinda cool and it’s nice to have a Siri remote that isn’t terrible, the big news here are the impressive specs on the new iPad Pro and iMac models, which have both genuinely made big leaps forward. The new iMac camera, mics, and speakers are the best a Mac has seen to date.
The event made a few additional reveals: By 2030, Apple’s will be 100% carbon-neutral across its entire end-to-end business footprint. Apple Card was the most successful credit card launch ever (well, according to Apple). Apple is launching a new purple iPhone color, available for iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini.
They also offered up a trailer for the second season of Apple TV+ breakout hit Ted Lasso. Oh, and 90s kids will be thrilled:
This is really a victory for all 90s kids who weren’t allowed to have a colored iMac G3 pic.twitter.com/muGtCAjDsB
— ᒍEᗰ ᔕOᑭᕼIᗩ (@sheherenow_) April 20, 2021
Still, the big performance and display updates on the iPad Pro and iMacs will be what people remember here, particularly the improved iMac camera and the incredibly thin iMac design.
