Apple isn’t done with 2022 launches: new iPad, iPad Pro and Apple TV 4K incoming

The arrival of the iPhone 14 series and the updated Apple Watch line-up and the new AirPods Pro last month, by no means signaled the end of Apple’s launch cycle for the year. There is now the completely redesigned iPad, a new iPad Pro with the expected specs bump and a new Apple TV 4K that builds on the previous generation. In terms of pricing and availability (all these are up for pre-orders now), the redesigned entry-point iPad will cost ₹44,900 onwards and will be available from October 28. It is the same timeline for the 11-inch and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro too, with prices starting ₹81,900 for the former and ₹1,12,900 for the latter. The updated Apple TV 4K comes a bit later, that’s 4 November, with prices starting ₹14,900. The 10th generation iPad’s personality change Amongst the new arrivals, it is undoubtedly the iPad which has taken the most steps forward, year on year, in terms of evolution. The design changes are unmissable, with a larger 10.9-inch screen (up from a 10.2-inch screen) and the design that’s similar to the iPad Air and the iPad Pro series. Out goes the Lightning port, replaced by USB-C, and that means the entire iPad line-up is now on the same page as far as the charging standards are concerned. No longer making an appearance in the iPad is the headphone jack – that’s gone too, which means if you still want to go the wired route, you’d need to buy an adapter (that’ll be USB-C to 3.5mm). The redesign also means there is Touch ID fingerprint recognition integrated within the power button (much like the iPad Air), but no Face ID facial recognition (that’s limited to the iPad Pro series, for now). Also Read: Apple’s festive season sale begins. Check out deals, discounts on iPhonesIn terms of power delivery, there’s the A14 Bionic chip under the hood. Incidentally, that’s the same chips we’ve already seen in the iPhone 12 series, a couple of years ago. It does slightly complicate the larger Apple device ecosystem, if we are to consider the new iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are using the same chips used in last year’s iPhone 13 series. There will also be a new Magic Keyboard Folio, which will mean this iPad also stays at par with the iPad Air and the iPad Pro, in terms of versatility as a laptop replacement device. This keyboard is priced at ₹24,900 on the Apple India online store. Mind you, the 10th generation iPad does come with a significant price jump – it now starts at ₹44,900 while the predecessor, was priced ₹33,900 onwards. Does this mean the entry point to the iPad line-up has grown up? Apple confirms that the 9th generation iPad will remain around for a while, which means the iPad line-up becomes ever wider but doesn’t change the pricing dynamics all that much. The iPad Pro becomes even more powerful This is largely down the expected lines, with the iPad Pro series becoming up to date with the new M2 chip (we’ve seen this in the latest generation MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13). That definitely means a lot more power, which should make this more powerful than many of the latest generation laptops from the Windows ecosystem – and at par with the already updated MacBook, though platform differences (iPadOS vs macOS) will play a role. There’s not a lot that’s changed apart from this, except for what Apple calls support for “more 5G networks around the world” (this will be relevant only if you are buying a Wi-Fi + Cellular variant), Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 standard. It’s the same storage and RAM combinations as before – 128GB, 256GB and 512GB make do with 8GB RAM while the 1TB and 2TB options get 16GB RAM. Design remains the same as last year, and so do the colours (space grey and silver). That also means the accessory line-up, including Apple’s own Magic Keyboard, remains unchanged. Display technology remains the same as we’ve seen on the 2021 editions – both support the ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate, but it’s the larger iPad Pro 12.9 which gets the Mini LED display. Apple TV’s paced evolution continues There may be very different reasons for you to buy an Apple TV 4K. A streaming box, a smart home hub or a gaming console, this ticks off these three boxes. Straightaway, the 2022 edition of the Apple TV 4K gets a base storage increase from 32GB to 64GB, with a step up offering 128GB. But this is where the differentiation begins. Apple has removed the ethernet port from the entry spec Apple TV 4K, reserving the gigabit ethernet option only for the higher spec variant. For the base model, you’ll just have to use Wi-Fi (albeit that’s ticking off the Wi-Fi 6 standard checklist). The higher spec Apple TV 4K is what you’ll need to get for the Thread networking support for wider smart home device compatibility – that’s particularly true for those that use the Matter standard. Apple also says there’s expanded support for the HDR10+ standard, alongside Dolby Vision. The former is quite widely used by Amazon Prime for streaming 4K HDR content, while the latter is used by Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar, for instance. The Apple TV 4K is now powered by the A15 Bionic chip, but it isn’t clear whether it is the one originally found in the iPhone 13 series or the one that’s tweaked for use in the latest generation iPhone 14 series – the latter has one additional graphics core, but to be fair, that really shouldn’t be on your mind. The remote retains the same design and layout as before, but there is one small yet critical change – the Lightning port is replaced by USB-C, for charging.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vishal Mathur is Technology Editor for Hindustan Times. When not making sense of technology, he often searches for an elusive analog space in a digital world.
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