If you are looking to replace your aging iPad Pro and/or MacBook Air, well, the time is here. It has been a while since the last iPad Pro and MacBook Air were introduced. Today, the long awaited updates for both iPad Pro and MacBook Air have been announced, and there are actually pretty exciting.
The New Apple iPad Pro
At a glance, the 2020 iPad Pro looks identical as its predecessor, but under the hood, it is now powered by the A12Z Bionic chip, making it as Apple has claimed “faster and more powerful than most Windows PC laptops.”
Having said that, the new iPad Pro does indeed blur the line between a tablet and a laptop. Thanks to the trackpad support on iPadOS and a new Magic Keyboard designed for iPad Pro that features a floating design, backlit keyboard and trackpad. It feels like the new iPad Pro is straddling between a convertible and a tablet proper.
And then there’s the new dual-camera main camera system, featuring a 12 MP wide camera and a 10 MP ultra-wide camera, studio-quality mics, and a breakthrough LiDAR scanner that enable depth-sensing capabilities.
The new iPad Pro, which comes in 11- and 12.9-inch sizes, is outfitted with an edge-to-edge (read: not so narrow bezel) Liquid Retina display that touts P3 wide color support and ProMotion technology that automatically adjusts the display refresh rate up to 120 Hz.
Normally, imaging is not the focus with tablets, but in the case of the new iPad Pro, Apple is banking on the dual-camera setup, LiDAR scanner and powerful processor to make it as the device of choice for augmented reality (AR).
The new iPad Pro (2020) is offered in four capacities: 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB and a whopping 1 TB. Prices for the 11-inch WiFi-only model starts at $799 and $949 for the WiFi + Cellular model, and the 12.9-inch WiFi-only model starts at $999 and for the WiFi + Cellular model at $1,149.
Pre-order starts today with availability slated for next week.
The New Apple MacBook Air
And now for the new MacBook Air… it now boasts 2x faster performance – courtesy of 10th-generation Intel Core processors up to 1.2 GHz quadcore Core i7 with Turbo Boosts speeds up to 3.8 GHz, new Magic Keyboard and twice the storage, starting with 256 GB PCIe-based SSD.
The SSD storage is configurable to 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB, while the based RAM is an 8 GB LPDDR4X-3733, configurable up to 16 GB.
You may have noticed the keyboard is butterfly no more. The new Magic Keyboard (first introduced on the 16-inch MacBook Pro) features a redesigned scissor mechanism that delivers 1 mm of key travel.
Meanwhile, the display is a 13.3-inch LED-backlit display with IPS technology with 2,560 x 1,600 native resolution and true tone technology.
And then, there are, of course, the 720p FaceTime HD camera, wireless 802.11ac and Bluetooth 5.0. As before, the interface is limited. In this case, you are looking at two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, plus a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Rounding up the feature set is a gorgeous unibody wedge design made from 100 percent recycled aluminum in three finishes: gold, silver and space gray.
Finally, the new 2020 MacBook Air now has a lower starting price of $999. The new MacBook Air is available to order starting today and it will arrive at the stores starting next week.
All images courtesy of Apple, Inc..
