Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports again, shortly before Apple’s iPad event on May 7, that the new iPad Pro models jump straight to the unlaunched M4.
The M4 and A18 Pro are the real starting point for AI-Apple
The reason is that the M4 is an AI-centric chip like the A18 Pro, and Apple’s big plan is that precisely these models will officially kick off the company’s big AI strategy. It’s not like Apple not has advertised AI with the M3 series and the new MacBook Air, but with the M4 chip we are probably talking next-generation NPU performance – perhaps up to 75 TOPS (“Tera Operations per second”.)
That Apple starts with the iPad as the starting point for AI makes sense because it is always-on devices, and for the first time with OLED screens that will probably also have always-on screens. In that way, Apple can, and we speculate, take advantage of the iPad Pro OLED to a far greater extent as an AI hub where Siri can take up larger parts of the interface by voice command use.
These are Apple’s Mac plans through the summer of 2025, as revealed by Gurman:
- A cheaper 14″ MacBook Pro with M4 – around the end of 2024.
- 24″ iMac with M4 – expected around the end of the year.
- New 14″ and 16″ more expensive MacBook Pro with M4 Pro/Max chips – coming from late 2024 and early 2025.
- Mac mini with both M4 and M4 Pro configurations – arriving between late 2024 and early 2025.
- 13″ and 15″ MacBook Air – estimated for around spring 2025.
- Mac Studio with advanced M4 chip – coming around mid-2025.
- Mac Pro with M4 Ultra chip – delivered in the second half of 2025.
Several Apple Pencil 3 gestures have also been revealed. The latest revelation, from Gurman, is that the pen will provide vibration feedback during use. Gurman repeats that Apple is in talks with AI partners for cloud services, including OpenAI in which Microsoft is a major shareholder. Gurman also backs up earlier reports that Apple will majorly upgrade its core apps, probably including iWork with AI.
There are also a couple of other revelations, such as the Beats Solo 4 launching on May 2nd, and that iOS 18, as previously reported, offers increased freedom on the home screen, but don’t expect as big a visual overhaul as iOS 7:
“The home screen on the iPhone and iPad will also receive a bit of a change. Users will be able to pin app icons anywhere, even outside the regular grid. The new iOS will also include design tweaks that make it more modular (easier to update and customize), but don’t expect an iOS 7-level design overhaul,” reveals Gurman.
