There was Apple’s second new product presentation (?) through the Apple Store early this morning. The announcement through the Apple Store means that the announcement was made on the Apple Store website, not offline and online video announcements such as the iPhone 14 series announcement last month. Apple sometimes releases new products through the Apple Store, which is how it did this time.
In the last post, I think there will be two fall events this year. One of them was a new product presentation in September, the iPhone 14 series, the Apple Watch series, and the AirPod Pro 2, and one will be in October. Unlike the first one, it is highly likely to be released online.
However, if you look at the released contents, you can roughly see why Apple did not make the keynote video as it did in the iPhone 14 series. Some of the products that were expected through the last posting were revealed, and I thought that the level would be a bit disastrous to put it worse than expected. Of course, the actual performance is not disastrous, but it is not at the level expected.
It sounds like a flattering story, but if you look at the contents below, you can see why such a reaction is inevitable. The main characters of Apple’s second new product announcement, unveiled at the Apple Store, are the new iPad Pro, iPad, and Apple TV, and Apple TV.
Now I’m going to talk about the gushing stories. I’m going to talk about iPad Pro, iPad, and Apple TV in the order of weight.
New iPad Pro with M2 Chipset
Apple unveiled the iPad Pro’s 12.9-inch sixth generation and 11-inch fourth generation. Compared to the existing 12.9-inch 5th generation and 11-inch 3rd generation, the biggest difference is the upgrade of the chipset. It is equipped with an M2 chipset.
It was already expected that Apple would release its M2 chipset in the first half of this year and install it in MacBook Air and MacBook Pro before installing it in the iPad Pro series. Since Apple installed the M1 chipset in the iPad Pro series and Air series, everyone expected that the M-series basic chipset will continue to be installed in the iPad series (for now, the Pro and Air series).
As expected, the M2 chipset, an upgraded version of the M1 chipset, was installed in the 12.9-inch sixth generation and 11-inch fourth generation. If you look at the introduction of the new iPad Pro at the Apple Store, the story of the usability of the iPad Pro due to the performance of the M2 chipset is the main story. In addition, the story of iPadOS 16.1 is included.
It is said that the second generation of Apple Panels is the same, but when Apple Panels are recognized, they are recognized even when they are about 11mm away.
But that’s all. Nothing has changed in appearance compared to the 12.9-inch 5th generation. Nothing has changed in design. Camera performance has not been upgraded, and miniLED displays are still installed. I understand that the battery capacity is the same as that of the 5th generation. 5G support and WiFi6 support have already been supported by 5G generations. Ah.. It supports WiFi6E.
The only thing that has changed is the process. Of course, there is a clear difference in usability because of differences in performance due to differences in processes, but it is true that the noticeable impact is relatively small. The design remained the same and only the chipset was changed. Of course, that alone is a significant change.
The 11-inch fourth generation is more. It was expected that at least 11 inches of 3rd generation display would be equipped with miniLED like after the 5th generation of 12.9 inches, but IPS LCD display will be used as it is. Perhaps it is because of battery efficiency, but nothing has changed except for the existing 11-inch third-generation process, so it is absurd beyond disappointment.
Oh, there’s one more thing that’s changed. It’s the price. The price has changed so incredibly that the exchange rate is increasing so much. The basic (WiFi, 128GB) model starts at 1,249,000 won for 11 inches and 1,729,000 won for 12.9 inches. If you meet the highest specifications, the 12.9-inch 2TB cellular model will be 3,604,000 won. Compared to the existing models, the basic model seems to be 250,000 won and the full-pack is more than 500,000 won.
Of course, it is true that the CPU has changed compared to the existing model, but it is too expensive to take into account that and even if the exchange rate has risen. Therefore, it is also true that it is said that buying a 12.9-inch 5th generation model and an 11-inch 3rd generation model will be a good move.
For this reason, if Apple announces it as a key note, it will be criticized by the media and various fans, so I think it was secretly released through the Apple Store. The sales date has not been released in Korea yet, but it is said that it will start selling on October 26 in the United States, so I think it was at least released in early November in Korea.
Lastly, I didn’t mention the color, but both the sixth generation of 12.9 inches and the fourth generation of 11 inches come in only two colors: space gray and silver. The capacity starts with the basic 128GB and comes in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB.