New iPad Pro Lacks mmWave 5G and Ultra-Wide Camera

[Chet-NYC]

That they removed a camera lens from it really isn't a big deal. I never came across a SINGLE customer in 4.5 years that was even remotely interested in the iPad cameras. I have an M2 11" iPad Pro and the few times I've used the camera, the photos have been awful.

If I need to take a photo, I'll use my phone.

As far as the mmWave 5G, as I'm sure most people know, the majority of iPads that are sold do not have cellular anyway.

 

[VisceralRealist]

Sounds like Apple removed a couple features to cut down on costs with the assumption that these features wouldn't really be missed.

I almost never use the ultra-wide on my iPhone, so I can't imagine using it on an iPad.

 

[TigerNike23]

Does anyone here actually shoot content on iPad regularly? I mostly use the camera as a glorified document scanner.

 

[someoneoutthere]

I wonder why there’s still a black circle in the space for the 2nd camera?

That is the LiDAR Scanner.

 

[barabba9174-bis]

I wonder why there’s still a black circle in the space for the 2nd camera?

It’s the lidar.

 

[barabba9174-bis]

Honestly: I don’t care too much about cameras on iPad, normally I use them only for QR codes.

 

[macduke]

I have never used the ultra-wide camera on my iPad Pro. I honestly forgot it even had one.

For that matter, I don't even remember the last time I used the back camera. Maybe during a FaceTime call to show something? I use my iPhone camera for everything.

As for mm-Wave, isn't that the same tech that if you open an umbrella between you and the antenna, it blocks the signal? Doesn't seem like a huge loss. I have gigabit fiber at home and websites and video load the same speed as they did when I had 300mbps cable. The reason I upgraded was because it was cheaper than I was paying for cable when they added it to my neighborhood, and because I upload and download a lot of multi-GB files to servers for work. So I doubt most people on an iPad will notice a difference. It's not like you're doing anything demanding on an iPad data-wise.

 

[tomtad]

Kinda crazy to remove features, also odd how midnight isn’t on the pros but is on the airs

It's using the Pro colour palette of black or silver, see also MacBook Pros.

The Airs get Starlight, Midnight and other colours

 

[jarman92]

Time to liquidate the company and return the money to the shareholders—APPLE IS DOOMED!

 

[Dj64Mk7]

Very weird that the cellular upcharge was $129 back in the OG iPad days and is now $200. It would seem the cost to add that functionality is minimal, maybe $50 for licensing fees. Hell, "Pro" Apple Watches (Stainless and Ultra) include cellular... you'd think the Pro iPads would too.

I noticed this, too. I had the thought that it’s been a $200 difference for a few years now, but I’m really not sure…

 

[Johnny365]

Honestly I love Verizon’s MmWave speed, this was a deal breaker for me to get the WiFi version only now

Yeah, with AT&T, I sometimes get it and it's certainly welcome when it connects. I'll always go for Cellular iPads.

 

[jimthing]

5G extra amounts are different...
Pros: +$£200
Airs: +$£150

Eh?

 

[jjk454ss]

I wish they would completely get rid of the rear cameras altogether

 

[KPOM]

The lack of mmWave cellular connectivity--no big loss. Especially with T-Mobile USA using the former Sprint frequencies with real 3GPP NR 5G mode and both AT&T and Verizon now using C-band for 5G.

This is why. It just didn’t get much traction even in the US.

 

[FranApple]

I had two iPads with cellular back in the days. Over the course of ten years I have used cellular to insert my phone sim card only TWO times: it was iPhone 6s and its battery was faulty, it gave up on me when I had to make few calls.

Honestly now I would not consider cellular iPad at all since my new phone has great battery life. Anyway wifi is thousands times better than any cellular can ever be

That's exactly why I never get cellular iPads. They were a novelty a decade ago, but ever since Apple made Personal Hotspot so seamless across devices there's no need for cellular on an iPad except in very limited use cases.

 

[Zwhaler]

Diluting the product to save $. What other explanation could there be?

 

[Sowelu]

I don't think I've ever used the camera on any of my iPads - I guess there would be use-cases for others, though.

I was hoping for a full aluminum style folding keyboard case, but this one is definitely an improvement. Hopefully it doesn't show markings and scratches as easily as the previous one does.

I was also hoping for thinner bezels... just a mm or two would've made a nice difference.

Let's see if WWDC give us a 'macPadOS', a macOS for iPad variant. Not likely I know, but one can dream.

 

[Slo Pesci]

who in the heck would use a wide camera on an ipad?

 

[KPOM]

Also has one less microphone vs last gen

My guess is that it won’t be noticeable. Perhaps the software and neural engine upgrades compensate for the lack of a fifth microphone.

 

[Fuzzball84]

Someone was asked to shave off a mm or so… but was misheard as remove mmWave 🙄

 

[Fraserpatty]

I would never brag about not getting the full use out of a function of a machine that I paid over $1000 for. I absolutely do use the rear camera on my iPad and have even used wide several times. This actually makes me glad that I have the M2 iPad Pro and will not be buying the M4. The big thing that I am concerned about is that the M4 more than doubles the capability of the neural engine and going forward for AI that is a feature that I am sad to be lacking. I hope the M2 neural engine with its 15 trillion operations capabilities will be enough .

 

[aevan]

The thin design disease strikes again

So do engineering experts at Macrumors Forums!

 

[Fraserpatty]

My guess is that it won’t be noticeable. Perhaps the software and neural engine upgrades compensate for the lack of a fifth microphone.

Yes, I noticed that. I assume that the one less microphone and the lack of the ultra wide camera on the back is how they manage to keep the price from going over $1000 for the base model.

 

[Fraserpatty]

The thin design disease strikes again

I can understand why many don’t want the thin design, but if it then translates to weight, it is actually better. I developed a ganglion cyst in my wrist and fingers from holding the iPad three because it was so heavy. I suspect Apple knows that weight is a risk for people, and that is why they have tried to get it down so. But bending is a problem too. I wonder how they will eventually work this out.

 

[retroneo]

The new iPad Pro only has 3 performance cores except on the top two sizes. CPU would be slower than the M2 in many circumstances.

The higher clock, more memory bandwidth and extra efficiency cores are supposed to compensate.