Apple’s recent “Let Loose” event was a real barnburner—particularly with the revealing of the new iPad Air and iPad Pro. Most notably, this is the debut of Apple’s first M4 chip with AI in the iPad Pro, its first in a series that usually brings new silicon with its Mac lineup. It dictates the big shift in Apple’s strategy, highlighting a growing emphasis on AI capabilities—a space where Apple has generally preferred to keep its cards close to its chest.
The M4 chip has been specifically designed with the inclusion of AI using a new 3-nanometer chip architecture. This will make it the first Apple-designed chip ever to be designed from the ground up to take the best advantage of Artificial Intelligence. That is to mean, other than this iPad Pro, we will be seeing this AI processor be part of the upcoming Macs.
The M4 chip has a 10-core CPU, 4 for performance, and 6 for efficiency. This architecture brings a 50% increase in performance over the former M2 chipset. This is such a great leap from its predecessor and a good success for Apple. Apple touts the M4 as a big improvement forward from its M2, boasting a neural engine able to handle 38 TOPS (trillion operations per second)—just short of the 45 in Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite.
Backed by the CPU is a 10-core GPU which features dynamic caching, mesh shading, and ray tracing. The new iPad Pro will also come with a new display engine in the form of an M4 chip that makes sure the OLED display supports precision color and brightness. This technological improvement helps in making it thinner and experiencing the best change on display, which befits Apple’s reputation for leading cutting-edge product aesthetics and functionality.
While Apple did not announce any new AI features for the M4 chip on iPadOS, it was certainly something they looked forward to for their professional software, including Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro, on macOS. Look forward to updates that leverage the enormous AI performance of the M1 chip to promise way more invigorating developments for creative professionals.