iPad Pro Shouldn't an iPad Pro have a M series pro chip? And, an iPad Air have the M series?

[nobullone1964]

It seems that Apple slowed down the Air by installing a M2 chip. I thought they wanted all products to be AI ready with the M4 series. Now I realize that there is a dilemma with the standard iPad and the Mini. They'll probably follow the iPhone perspective. But, why does a Pro product (Don't mention the MacBook Pro with M3 standard. That was a mistake.) not use a pro chip? I guess there was an overstock of M2 chips. Thoughts?

 

[klasma]

Battery life. It would need a larger battery and would be correspondingly heavier. The MacBook Pro with base M3 has roughly 25 % longer battery life than with the M3 Pro. Nobody wants a 20 % heavier (and thicker) iPad.

 

[nobullone1964]

Battery life. It would need a larger battery and would be correspondingly heavier. The MacBook Pro with base M3 has roughly 25 % longer battery life than with the M3 Pro. Nobody wants a 20 % heavier (and thicker) iPad.

The newly introduced iPad Pro was made thinner. They could have stayed with the thickness they had and made it happen.

 

[klasma]

The newly introduced iPad Pro was made thinner. They could have stayed with the thickness they had and made it happen.

Certainly not with the weight, they'd have to increase it. And that’s important for a lot more people than having an even more powerful chip. People already complain that the M4 is overkill for iPadOS.

 

[rkuo]

The base M series chip is the fastest chip we've seen Apple put in a passively cooled device. The faster chips go in bigger actively cooled devices.

 

[Abazigal]

Somehow, I don't think any new AI features Apple does end up announcing at WWDC will be limited solely to the M4 chip. Apple is keenly aware that upgrade cycles have slowed, nobody is going to run out tossing a perfectly good 1-2 year old device just for said functionality, and my guess is that these features will extend all the way back to the M1 chip.

After all, you want higher adoption so as to incentivise developers to incorporate those features into their apps. An M1 iPad that was purchased back in 2021 is good till 2026.

The reason why the airs didn't get the M4 chip is (my best guess) because they don't need them. My understanding is that the new iPad pros needed the custom M4 chip to power that tandem OLED screen, and maybe for the better thermal efficiencies since they are going into thinner devices. The iPad Air essentially recycles the previous iPad form factor, so M1 or M2 suffices.

I don't know if it's a cost saving measure as well. Would the M4 chip cost more to manufacture than the M2 chip at this juncture?

 

[nobullone1964]

Certainly not with the weight, they'd have to increase it. And that’s important for a lot more people than having an even more powerful chip. People already complain that the M4 is overkill for iPadOS.

I have read forums stating macOS should be implemented. This is why I asked the question. Well, I guess the other iPads will wait 5 years before they get an M series processor.

 

[klasma]

I have read forums stating macOS should be implemented. This is why I asked the question. Well, I guess the other iPads will wait 5 years before they get an M series processor.

MacOS not being implemented on the iPad has nothing to do with the SoC. It has to do with UI considerations and the app store. IMO it won’t be happening, regardless of the hardware.