The new Apple product release is scheduled, and all hardware upgrades are aimed at intelligence.

On the evening of April 23rd, Apple officially announced that it will hold a new product launch event on May 7th at 22:00. The event is themed "Let Loose" and will be held online, with live streaming on the official Apple website.

Compared to previous years, Apple's pace of releasing new products this year has been somewhat unexpected. In the past, Apple would typically hold special events at the end of March or the beginning of April to release spring products. However, this year, Apple first updated the MacBook Air product line without any prior notice, releasing the 13-inch and 15-inch M3 MacBook Air models. Then, they announced a special event in May, breaking people's inherent understanding of Apple product iterations.

Breaking the norm often means surprises. From the promotional materials released by Apple (6 new logos and an animation), the main logo prominently features elements of the Apple Pencil, leading to speculation that this could be a clear signal for the release of the third-generation Apple Pencil. In addition, the other 5 logos, all with a strong design sense, are primarily themed around brushes, possibly corresponding to different models of new iPads. After all, the Apple Pencil is also an accessory for the iPad, so it seems quite reasonable to revolve the new iPad product line around the Apple Pencil 3.

If the speculation from Lei Technology is correct, then the focus of Apple's "Let Loose" event will be on the new generation of iPad hardware and accessories, such as the long-awaited largest-size iPad Air, the M3 iPad Pro with an OLED screen, and the Apple Pencil 3.

Apple Pencil 3 staged a comeback in accessories?

As one of the protagonists of this special event, there is quite a lot to talk about with the Apple Pencil. The previous generation Apple Pencil was released on October 30, 2018, with a replaceable non-magnetic pen tip. The Apple Pencil 2 can magnetically attach to the iPad Pro released in 2018 and later, the iPad Air released in 2020 and later, and the latest iPad mini, with a retail price of 999 yuan in China.

The latest product in the Apple Pencil product line is the Apple Pencil (USB-C) released in 2023, with a retail price of 649 yuan. It is currently the cheapest Apple Pencil, although it has switched to a USB-C interface and has a relatively high cost performance, it has also removed features such as pressure sensitivity and wireless charging, making it a castrated version.

For professional creators, whether it's the outdated Apple Pencil 2 or the stripped-down Apple Pencil (USB-C), it's difficult to meet their creative needs. Therefore, the Apple Pencil 3 has arrived.

Leaked information indicates that the Apple Pencil 3 introduces interchangeable magnetic pen tips of different sizes, providing a richer input options for users' drawing needs, further enriching the user's drawing experience. In terms of design, according to the news shared by blogger Mac Otakara, the appearance of the Apple Pencil 3 basically follows the design of the previous generation, possibly shortening the length and making the surface more rounded, with other aspects remaining basically the same. In addition, it will also have a USB-C port like the Apple Pencil (USB-C), suitable for all iPads.

In addition to the basic information, Ray Technology also discovered the potential highlights of the Apple Pencil 3. In the beta version of iPadOS 17.5, multiple code segments point to an important update for the new Apple Pencil: the "squeeze" gesture. This will allow users to perform simple interactions by pressing the surface of the Apple Pencil's pen shaft, enabling users to flexibly add shapes, signatures, stickers, or text while performing other operations.

Combining the new patent about "interacting on surfaces without touch functionality" with the Apple Pencil, the Apple Pencil 3 may be used in conjunction with mixed reality devices such as Vision Pro, to some extent reducing the burden on users to interact through eye movements and gestures.

Of course, this feature is still in the testing phase, and following Apple's usual practice, it may not be immediately applied to the Apple Pencil 3. Even without the new interaction patent, it is believed that the Apple Pencil 3 will still bring some surprises to professional creators.

However, whether it will be a pleasant surprise remains to be seen, depending on how the Apple Pencil 3 is priced. Considering the price of the Apple Pencil 2, the body price of the Apple Pencil 3 may still be 999 yuan, but the replaceable magnetic pen tip is uncertain. Lei Technology predicts that Apple may set the profit point on the accessories of the Apple Pencil, but if it can truly bring more convenience to professional creation, even if the price is higher, it is believed that many Apple fans will be willing to purchase it.

The iPad is starting over, with two flagship products leading the way

Another protagonist of the special event is naturally the iPad product line, which has been silent for a whole year.

According to leaks, Apple will release a new iPad Pro/Air in this event, with the new iPad Pro expected to be equipped with the M3 chip, available in 11-inch and 13-inch screen sizes, and possible adjustments to the rear camera module and Face ID camera.

The code for "Face ID" in iPadOS 17.4 emphasizes the need for the iPad to be in landscape orientation when setting up Face ID. As the current only iPad product with Face ID, the iPad Pro will likely have a horizontally configured Face ID camera. Previously, Apple moved the front camera of the tenth-generation iPad to the side to enhance the user experience in landscape mode, and it is believed that the change in the iPad Pro is for the same purpose.

In addition, the new iPad Pro will be the first to adopt an OLED screen. According to industry insiders, the upcoming new iPad Pro tablet from Apple will feature a dual-layer serial OLED display. LG Display will supply the 13-inch OLED screen, while Samsung Display will supply the 11-inch OLED screen.

With the addition of OLED screens, the new iPad Pro's brightness, color, and other display effects will be further improved, and its thickness will also be significantly reduced. The CAD design sketches of the new iPad Pro shared by MacRumors show that the thickness of the 13-inch iPad Pro has been reduced by 1.4 millimeters, about 22% thinner than the current model.

The iPad Air has also undergone a significant upgrade, with the most noticeable change being the screen size. The new iPad Air comes in two models, with 10.9 inches and 12.9 inches, making it the largest standard size in Apple's history, and it's not an exaggeration to call it the largest iPad Air in Apple's history.

The impact of large screen sizes on consumer electronics is something we have seen in devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. It is believed that Apple's decision to downsize the maximum size of the iPad Pro to the iPad Air is likely driven by sales considerations.

In terms of core configuration, both sizes of the iPad Air will feature traditional LCD screens and are expected to be equipped with the M2 chip, with few other changes in configuration. Aside from the increase in size, the new iPad Air seems to have only undergone routine iteration, with the upgrade not as significant as expected. Considering the position of the iPad Pro in the iPad product line, it is believed that Apple's focus on upgrades will still be on the iPad Pro.

Last year's "zero update" for iPad products caused Apple to lose its title as the world's leading tablet computer market shipper. This year, Apple has chosen to inject new energy into the somewhat tired iPad product line with the iPad Pro/Air. While both have undergone different degrees of innovation, compared to the increasingly competitive Android tablets, the advantage of the iPad in high-end tablets is gradually diminishing. In terms of daily audiovisual entertainment, Android tablets with higher cost performance can also provide an experience that is not inferior to the iPad.

In the face of the above situation, Apple may focus on stabilizing and attracting users with professional creative needs through the integration with the new Apple Pencil, which may be the key direction for the future of the iPad. As for whether the iPad product line can regain the lost market share in 2024 and become the global shipment champion again, let's wait and see.

Is the hardware upgrade for better intelligence?

The Apple Pencil and iPad series products expected to be released at the May special event are indeed worth looking forward to, but in the view of Lei Technology, these products alone are not enough to reverse Apple's current decline. As mentioned earlier, Apple is facing challenges not only in the global tablet market, but also in its core revenue product, the iPhone.

Market research firm IDC has released the shipment volume of the global smartphone market in Q1 2024, showing that Apple's market share in Q1 has dropped by 9.6% year-on-year, losing the title of the global smartphone shipment champion it just won last year.

Therefore, all of Apple's moves this year are particularly noteworthy, and everyone is curious about how Apple will turn the situation around. Prior to the Let Loose special event, Apple had already announced the schedule for WWDC 2024, and it is expected that AI will be the focus of this year's WWDC.

It is expected that iOS and iPadOS will both incorporate new AI features. Lei Technology has previously provided relevant interpretations of iOS, so I won't go into detail here. As for how iPadOS will achieve AI integration, Lei Technology believes it can refer to the thriving AI PC market. Currently, the AI functions of most AI PCs are focused on professional creation and efficient office work.

Professional creation is the advantage of iPad and Apple Pencil. If it can be combined with professional models from different fields to achieve more convenient creation of drawings, music, and other works, it is believed that it will be favored by many users. This can be seen in the AI professional creation function of Lenovo ThinkPad, where the combination of AI intelligence and professional models in fields such as law, drawing, music, and programming greatly reduces the difficulty of creation for zero-based users. If this can be achieved, the target user group of iPad will further expand, no longer limited to professional creators.

The Apple M4 chip is highly likely to debut at the end of this year. By then, iPad products equipped with the M4 chip will usher in a new round of hardware upgrades, with improvements in AI computing core count, efficiency, and NPU quantity. Hardware upgrades are aimed at better realizing intelligence. Apple's progress in AI smartphones and AI PCs has already lagged behind other manufacturers. If it can achieve a comeback in the AI era through AI iPad, it will be Apple's turning point in the AI era.