Apple unveiled the latest iteration of its popular tablet, the iPad Pro, at its event today. At first glance, it certainly looks like a beast. But how does it compare to the previous model, the iPad Air 2?
The new A9X chip is a substantial upgrade over the previous model, with twice the memory bandwidth and storage performance of the iPad Air 2’s A8X processor. Apple claims the A9X is more powerful than 80 percent of the portable PCs sold last year, which is fitting, as it is marketing the iPad Pro as an alternative for consumers who want the productivity of a laptop. Although both tablets will be iOS 9 compatible, the Pro’s superior processor will enable it to better use the multitasking features of the new operating system.
The Pro is a little heftier than the Air, weighing in at 1.57 lbs. The added weight is an understandable price to pay for the Pro’s substantially larger screen (an extra 3.2 inches diagonally compared to the Air 2) as well as a notable audio upgrade: the Pro features four stereo speakers built into the case, giving unparalleled audio quality. The speakers can adjust sound automatically based on how the user is holding the tablet.
Despite these additional features, the Pro manages to remain portable at about 0.27 inches thick. Moreover, despite the more powerful hardware, the Pro maintains the ten hour battery life of its predecessor.
There appears to be no difference in the cameras on the two tablets, with both having a 1.2 MP front and 8 Mp rear camera, although the increased power and screen size of the Pro should make streaming video better.
The iPad Pro is relatively large, which is great because it will make your wallet notably lighter. The cheapest model, with 32 GB of storage, comes in at $800. The highest price point is the 128 GB model (with LTE functionality), bearing a whopping $1080 price tag. The iPad Air 2 is far less expensive, with the 128 GB model costing $700, less than even the cheapest version of the Pro.
Apple also announced some attachments for the Pro that will jack up the price. For $100, users can get a stylus (despite Steve Jobs’ claim that styli were a sign of design failure), the Apple Pencil, which allows users to draw and write and anything else that a stylus generally does. Also, Apple will be offering a smart keyboard for the Pro at $170.
Aside from portability, there is really no category the iPad Pro doesn’t excel at in comparison to the Air 2. Apple managed to add substantial hardware upgrades without increasing the bulk of the tablet to much. The Pro is certainly costly, but anyone who can afford it will likely find it to be the best tablet on the market.
Affinity’s new all-in-one creative app is finally coming to the iPad, nearly a year after Canva launched the redesigned desktop version for Mac and Windows. Creatives have been asking for the iPad release ever since, especially because files created in the new Affinity app cannot be opened in the older V2 iPad apps.
Affinity already has Photo, Designer, and Publisher apps on iPad, but the new release combines those tools into the same unified app that Canva launched on desktop last year.
Touchscreen laptops have been around for years. You can get them in all sizes and shapes. Just not from Apple. For years, the Cupertino giant has treated the idea of a touchscreen MacBook the way I treat a meeting that could have been an email: with open contempt. However, Wednesday looks like the day the company could finally change its mind.
The latest Apple invite puts the “Pro and Tell” showcase in Los Angeles at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) on October 28, 2026. Instead of a regular live-streamed keynote, it is an invitation-only, hands-on event for a handful of press and creators (similar to what the company did for the MacBook Neo earlier this year).
Apple has just launched its latest iPad mini with a notable set of upgrades, including an OLED screen, improved speakers, and a more resilient build. It also gets a new chip, and the whole package costs $200 more than its predecessor. But if you look closely at Apple’s online store, you’ll realize that $699 isn’t enough to get you the most powerful version of the A20 Pro chip inside this tablet. In fact, even if you pay $800 for the 256GB model, you still won’t get the beefiest variant. Only when you jump to the 512GB trim, which costs an absurd $999, do you get the most powerful flavor of the A20 Pro.
The $999 model gets more than extra storage