The refreshed iPad Pro that’s expected to be unveiled during a special online event on May 7 could come with Apple’s M4 chip, prominent Apple tipster Mark Gurman claimed in the latest edition of his tech-focused Power On newsletter, shared on Sunday.
The news comes as a big surprise as everyone had been expecting a run-of-the-mill upgrade to Apple’s current silicon, the M3.
If Gurman is proved right, the new iPad Pro will be the first Apple device to get the more powerful M4 chip, beating the company’s line of laptops and desktops, which are expected to drop later this year with Apple’s latest silicon inside.
“I’m hearing there is a strong possibility that the chip in the new iPad Pro will be the M4, not the M3,” Gurman wrote in Power On on Sunday. “Better yet, I believe Apple will position the tablet as its first truly AI-powered device — and that it will tout each new product from then on as an AI device. This, of course, is all in response to the AI craze that has swept the tech industry over the last couple years.”
The Bloomberg reporter explained that by adding the M4 to the iPad Pro ahead of its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, the tech titan will be able to share its AI chip strategy “without distraction.” This will also give it the space at WWDC to fully explain how the M4 chip and new iPad Pros will take advantage of the AI software and services coming as part of iPadOS 18 later this year.
If Apple does ignore the M3 for the iPad Pro in favor of the M4, it wouldn’t be the first time that it’s made such a move as it also skipped the M2 chip with its 24-inch iMac, which launched with the M1 in 2021 before moving to the M3 with the release of the revamped desktop in 2023.
The refreshed iPad Pro is also expected to come with its first OLED display, while the iPad Air, which is also due a revamp, is strongly tipped to feature a 12.9-inch display for the first time. A new Magic Keyboard is also rumored, along with a refreshed Apple Pencil that Gurman claims will have haptic feedback in a first for the device. All will be revealed in just over a week from now.