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This reminds me of March 2023:

Gurman: "Apple is scheduled to launch... between late spring and summer... the new MacBook Air... it’s plausible that Apple is gearing up for at least the new 13-inch model to be an M3 machine. That would make a lot of sense: The M2 chip was always designed as a stopgap processor ahead of the M3, which will mark the first time Apple is moving from 5-nanometer chip process technology to a 3-nanometer design in the Mac.... Having the new MacBook Air sport the M3 would also make sense from a timing perspective." Power On March 5, 2023

March 4, 2024: Macbook Air actually gets M3.

or how about April 21, 2023: Mac Pro won't launch at WWDC, Mac Studio won't get M2 Ultra
June 5, 2023: Mac Pro launches at WWDC, Mac Studio gets M2 Ultra.

March 3, 2024: "don't expect a launch event" for iPads
April 23, 2024: Apple announces iPad launch event

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy following his reporting and he's often right on, this is just one of those times when he's clearly shooting from the hip. M4 launching in iPad Pro in May 2024 obviously ain't happening. And I'm totally prepared to eat my words if he's right! :)
 
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It would be a bit silly launching the M4 and going on a big “AI-powered” marketing blitz if they don’t have a lot of AI-driven software features which make use of it (rumoured to be coming soon in iOS 18).

People will ask “oh, what’s this AI-powered thing about?” and then find it works exactly the same as their old iPad. Then when they actually do launch those software features, the marketing won’t have any impact.
 
I highly doubt it especially since they only just started to develop M4 series chip.
 
I’ve honestly tried the iPad as a laptop replacement thing and Keynote on the iPad is NOT a suitable option. Nowhere near as easy to create or edit presentations. The macOS version is an order of magnitude so much easier to use - especially to drag and drop images/screenshots into presentations. I would love to go iPad for mobile work but macOS is a better OS than iPadOS for many things.
yes. i feel much the same way.

but at this point, before we get to see the actual new iPad and new Magic Keyboard, it is looking hopeful that even apple seems to be thinking that the iPad can finally be allowed to become a full fledged work device.
if it is getting an M4 chip, and, the keyboard makes it more laptop-like, and, if the trackpad is larger, then apple just needs to make the iPadOS be allowed to make MacOS kind of simple tasks as simple on the iPad.

i think apple itself feels its time.
the retail price of the iPad Pros will finally be (especially with an M4 + an expensive new keyboard) at a level that can easily give AAPL a path forward to replace 1 for 1 its MacOS devices and realise even better profitability.
 
We’re officially two weeks away. The hype is going to continue to grow daily.

Personally, I’ve tried the “all iPad workflow” for 2-years and it did have its drawbacks. Lack of dual monitor support, lack of clamshell, pro apps lacking, lack of proper cooling.

if Apple can give us these with the M4 iPads I’ll be very happy.

While there is very little to no chance I’ll replace my M3 Max MacBook Pro with the M4 iPad Pro, I’m incredibly excited to see what Apple has in store.

I’d love to see the iPad Mini get the M2 chip at least.
I've tried using the iPad as a Mac replacement and it definitely leaves much to be desired. Multi user and multi-monitor, while nice... ultimately I just feel limited by iPad OS still feeling like a beefed up phone OS (which, in all fairness, even iOS needs to be more 'production' friendly). This schism where the iDevices are for consumption and Macs are for creation needs to die; the only thing keeping my from daily driving an iPad is... iPad OS.

Using sidecar on my iPad feels 95% the way to a MacBook; just rip off the band-app and give me macOS on the iPad, or bring xCode, the pro apps, and better RAM management to iPad OS.
 
Just a reminder that M3 Airs were released 55 days ago. Two months and it went second-class.

I mean sure, maybe. Though that makes plenty of sour grapes out there.
I doubt that Apple would care about the sour grapes and hurt feelings. They didn’t care that least little bit about those who were burned with the iPad three. And it wasn’t just that the 4 came out in six months it was that the iPad 3 was defective, but you never heard a word of apology.
 
Apple's not in a position to rest on their laurels this year and just do the regular old, hey it's a new screen, but we put in a chip that's outdated soon. Gotta swing big this year.
Yes. One more new Siri voice and I’ll go mad!
 
I doubt that Apple would care about the sour grapes and hurt feelings. They didn’t care that least little bit about those who were burned with the iPad three. And it wasn’t just that the 4 came out in six months it was that the iPad 3 was defective, but you never heard a word of apology.
I had that iPad 3, and I never once felt I was burned. It was a great little computing machine. I put a leather case on it with an aftermarket keyboard (back then, they didn't connect to the iPad, and they had to be charged separately), and I completed multiple ballroom dance teaching courses (including studying for and passing the exams!) with that little thing, its camera, and an app called GoodNotes.

Good times, and I'd do it all over again if my house burned down and all I had was my underwear and that old iPad!

Edit: Okay, maybe I'd have to buy pants first. And a shirt. But then, it's GAME ON! 🤣
 
Actually I've figured out a way to let Cook be the win-win:

1. release the M4 with 10% improvements overall & powerful AI;
2. Set the thermal ceiling low enough so that won't sustain longer than the M3 MacBook Air;
3. Sell the AI capabilities.

There, no more 2-month obsolesce!
 
Wait, what is "sidecar"?
I'm not sure if you're joking or not, but here ya go:


However, Sidecar was used to make my iPad into a secondary display for my MacBook. I rarely do this anymore since I don't travel for work anymore, but back when I did travel for work, I'd bring both my 12" MacBook and my iPad/iPad Pro. With Sidecar, suddenly the tiny 12" MacBook could work easily with super wide Excel spreadsheets, or could be used for dual screen PowerPoint/Keynote.

The main issue is that it is a bit unstable. For example, if I tried to give a PowerPoint presentation over Zoom with Sidecar enabled, sometimes Sidecar would lock up and the connected Zoom viewers would cease to see the presentation. Nowadays I will give these presentations from home on an M1 Mac mini with 28" screen instead. That screen is wide enough so that dual-slide presentation mode in PowerPoint works well. (Dual-slide presentation mode on a 12" MacBook makes the slides too small for comfort, unless you add a second monitor, or add an iPad with Sidecar.)

BTW, the one thing that really annoys me about traveling with a Mac is that you can't locally download anything off Netflix. This allowed on the iPhone and iPad, but not Mac.
 
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I had notice de slump in sales and the valuation drop … So one can hope …
The point is Apple is not intending for the iPad to replace the MacBook (I don’t know where people got that idea from), instead to complement the MacBook. (Or be an alternative for people who don’t want a traditional desktop OS computer in the first place.)
 
Maybe the AI assistant on the M4 will allow you to turn the iPad Pro into a MacBook replacement? “Hey Siri, turn this iPad into a Mac.” 😅
AI could probably create a macOS simulation on the iPad (for on the go), but it wouldn't be a full replacement.
Why on earth would Apple want you to stop buying MacBooks? There’s good money in that business!
 
AI could probably create a macOS simulation on the iPad (for on the go), but it wouldn't be a full replacement.
Why on earth would Apple want you to stop buying MacBooks? There’s good money in that business!
Of course they don’t, but eventually they will have to “think different” about it. Need a new product category of Surface-like tablet/notebooks in between Macs and iPads. Very expensive new products to make the shareholders happy 😊
 
Of course they don’t, but eventually they will have to “think different” about it. Need a new product category of Surface-like tablet/notebooks in between Macs and iPads. Very expensive new products to make the shareholders happy 😊
Looks like Apple is betting on Surface Pro to be that “new category” product. If that’s the case, then I’ll be left behind. Call me old fashioned, but I like my devices to have physicality, and I also like being in the real world while using them.
 
Looks like Apple is betting on Surface Pro to be that “new category” product. If that’s the case, then I’ll be left behind. Call me old fashioned, but I like my devices to have physicality, and I also like being in the real world while using them.
Hmm 🤔 What do you mean by physicality and being in the real world using them?
 
I wonder how many iPad users feel the CPU is problematic in any way. It seems to me that software is in most cases. For pretty much anything I want to do on the mac, there are plenty of well supported, often open source options. On the iPad, I see subscription based apps that interact poorly between each other or with the cloud that they crucially depend on. While this does not change, I do not understand the hype here. Why should I care the next gen gets M3 or M4 ?
Whilst I agree the cpu is already over powered for iPad what could be interesting is if the M4 has got the potential for on device AI ability without requiring an internet connection. This on an iPad form could be ( depending what they do with iOS 18) something of a differentiator where you can get either artistic work or general work done off line . So I guess whilst it does seem weird for Apple to release the m4 now if the pivot is to AI either they should release the iPad in November with m4 or they have practically a whole year where the device may not be able to perform the latest features or maybe just maybe the chip is already ready …. Who knows
 
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Any Apple processor with a Neural Engine should be "fit" for AI.
Sure but it about performance. Why double the NPU in A17 Pro. It seems it is without purpose.

What is so special with M4 that it must go into a Mac before the iPad? I mean, most people buying MacBook Airs use it for the same thing that most people uses an iPad: mail, social media, web, hobby photo and video editing, casual gaming, and yes the Finder, we must not forget the Finder. M1 handles all that perfectly well on Mac and iPad. I see Mx as a Soc for content consumer and not demanding compute and if it is in a Mac or a iPad does not really matter for the consumer or the Apple.
 
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