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gusping

macrumors 68000
Mar 12, 2012
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Definitely not for the entire casing. Titanium is a lot heavier than aluminium, and I imagine quite a bit more expensive. Most I'd expect is for them to put it around the sides like they do with the iPhone for bending protection, but even that seems a bit far-fetched for a device this size.
I am worried about them making it thinner though. The current one is plenty thin, with enough reports of bending for me to not want it thinner. Hopefully they've completely redesigned the internals. But i'm not convinced, especially after handling the latest iPad Air which feels like it is made from plastic - simply holding it in one hand leads to the back bending and showing pressure spots on the screen. Worst built Apple product i've handled in years.
 
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Apple Mac Daz

macrumors 68030
Jun 2, 2011
2,941
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Manchester
I am worried about them making it thinner though. The current one is plenty thin, with enough reports of bending for me to not want it thinner. Hopefully they've completely redesigned the internals. But i'm not convinced, especially after handling the latest iPad Air which feels like it is made from plastic - simply holding it in one hand leads to the back bending and showing pressure spots on the screen. Worst built Apple product i've handled in years.
Didn’t think there is any reports of the Pro 2021 / 2022 having bending issues that was just 2018 / 2020
 

gusping

macrumors 68000
Mar 12, 2012
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Didn’t think there is any reports of the Pro 2021 / 2022 having bending issues that was just 2018 / 2020
That's a good point, thanks for mentioning. I think i'll be waiting for WWDC if I do upgrade, so will see how the initial buyers get on. I still think making the iPad thinner is absolute madness and just asking for trouble. But let's see...
 

Carrotstick

macrumors member
Mar 25, 2024
79
174
I am worried about them making it thinner though. The current one is plenty thin, with enough reports of bending for me to not want it thinner. Hopefully they've completely redesigned the internals. But i'm not convinced, especially after handling the latest iPad Air which feels like it is made from plastic - simply holding it in one hand leads to the back bending and showing pressure spots on the screen. Worst built Apple product i've handled in years.
Samsung already solved the the bending issue on their flagship tablets. The Tab S8/S9 series does not bend/crack all. They are very strong. It shocked me at how far ahead Samsung is with their Tablets in terms of structural integrity.
 

mtngal

macrumors member
Jun 28, 2015
51
22
As it relates to the question of whether to get the 11" vs 13", do folks have thoughts on if the keyboard size should influence your decision? My understanding is that the 13" has a "full-size" magic keyboard, but they have to shrink the one for the 11". I don't know if that gets annoying if you're frequently shifting from being on your laptop (in my case a 15" macbook air) and the smaller 11" iPad magic keyboard.
The size of the keyboard wouldn’t influence me, but I can see how it might drive others nuts. I don’t have a problem going between my 16” MBP and the iPad Air. Having said that, last fall I got the Air after having a 12.9 iPad Pro for a couple of years and it took a while (maybe a couple of days) to adjust to the smaller keyboard. I did, and now I don’t notice the difference.

But I can see how it could bother others.
 
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mebehere

macrumors 65816
Sep 21, 2012
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Definitely not for the entire casing. Titanium is a lot heavier than aluminium, and I imagine quite a bit more expensive. Most I'd expect is for them to put it around the sides like they do with the iPhone for bending protection, but even that seems a bit far-fetched for a device this size.

Yeah, I meant for just the side rails like the 15 pro.

Also, in one event image, there’s a dark blue Apple logo. Different from all the colorful logos. Makes me think the Pro will be offered in a dark blue/midnight color.
 

jazz1

Contributor
Aug 19, 2002
4,498
18,209
Mid-West USA
Well we are coming down to the wire (I hope) on the release of the new iPad Pro! Is there anyone out there with an M1 iPad Pro 12.9" who is wondering maybe the new iPad might not be the giant technology leap that some hope it to be?

Another consideration is price with the new Magic Keyboard. I'm guesstimating it is going to be much more pricier than a MacBook Air with similar RAM and SSD specs (again the new Magic Keyboard in the price).

Why do I ask? Well I've been looking at my spouses M2 15" MacBook Air and wondering if I should just keep the M1, and purchase the M3 15" MacBook Air? Yes, this is truly and "Apple and Oranges" kind of dilemma. The large screen of the MBA 15" beckons, but the on the lap weight does not. 🙃

I suppose I should just adopt the wait and see approach to see what the M3 iPad Pro really has to offer. I do wish Apple would offer a 14" version, but I doubt that is going to happen anytime soon.
 

Ludatyk

macrumors 603
May 27, 2012
5,500
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Texas
Well we are coming down to the wire (I hope) on the release of the new iPad Pro! Is there anyone out there with an M1 iPad Pro 12.9" who is wondering maybe the new iPad might not be the giant technology leap that some hope it to be?
M1 12.9" iPad Pro user here... I haven't wavered yet. If you are looking at from the angle of this being some giant leap in technological advancement... you might be disappointed.

I skipped the M2 iPad Pro because it wasn't much of an upgrade and let's be honest here... MKBHD one of the most successful Youtuber is still rocking a M1 Max MBP. He didn't feel the need to upgrade to a M3 Max MBP... but the fact that this upcoming M3 iPad Pro will have some noticeable upgrades (new chassis, OLED, landscape camera and more pins) that seems worth it to me.

Another consideration is price with the new Magic Keyboard. I'm guesstimating it is going to be much more pricier than a MacBook Air with similar RAM and SSD specs (again the new Magic Keyboard in the price).
Yeah, I'm not even considering purchasing the new Magic Keyboard at launch... I'd rather wait until I find it at a discount.

What are your predictions for the Pros?

If they really are getting OLED, I'm expecting always-on display and StandBy. :p
I believe StandBy mode will come in an iPadOS 18 update... I think we already have an idea of what to expect with the Pros. Thinner design, ever so slightly larger frame, OLED, landscape camera and more pins.

At this point, we are waiting to see how it actually looks and most importantly the price of it.
 
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mebehere

macrumors 65816
Sep 21, 2012
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What are your predictions for the Pros?

If they really are getting OLED, I'm expecting always-on display and StandBy. :p
  • Slightly different design
  • Thinner bezels
  • Titanium rails
  • Dark blue/midnight color option
  • OLED
  • Landscape FaceID/sensors
  • Always-on display
  • Standby mode
 
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Carrotstick

macrumors member
Mar 25, 2024
79
174
All I want Apple to catch up on the Pros is OLED screen and structural integrity that matches the Samsung Tab S9 Series. Those don’t bend and use a high end aluminium.

If Apple hasn’t implemented the structural improvements then they really are asking for more bad press.
 
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Jim Lahey

macrumors 68030
Apr 8, 2014
2,577
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It shocked me at how far ahead Samsung is with their Tablets in terms of structural integrity.

Can't comment on the Samsung but my 2022 12.9" iPad Pro had a very disconcerting 'click' on the wafer thin skin of the back panel when picked up one handed. Not always, but often enough to destroy the 'slab of glass' holy grail tablet illusion. Pretty poor engineering given Apple's alleged excellence in build quality. The sort of niggle that Jobs would have had people killed over. Yes I went there.
 

Carrotstick

macrumors member
Mar 25, 2024
79
174
Can't comment on the Samsung but my 2022 12.9" iPad Pro had a very disconcerting 'click' on the wafer thin skin of the back panel when picked up one handed. Not always, but often enough to destroy the 'slab of glass' holy grail tablet illusion. Pretty poor engineering given Apple's alleged excellence in build quality. The sort of niggle that Jobs would have had people killed over. Yes I went there.
If you want an idea on how Samsung fares. Take a look at this video. It’s regarding the Tab S8 Ultra but the Tab S9 is similar but it has added IP 68 rating.


You can start at 8:35 for the bend test.

What shocked me was the panel did not crack for a tablet that thin. A current iPad Pro would have bent and screen cracked.

It’s rumoured the iPad Pros coming next month are going to even thinner than Samsungs, so Apple better had improved the body.
 
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gusping

macrumors 68000
Mar 12, 2012
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If... they do that, how will they market it? It will include a fancy new chip with faster performance and much faster AI performance, yet WWDC is still a month away. New expensive iPad with the same question OS, or maybe it links with what Mark was saying about iPad software features holding up the release? Who knows.
 

Matcha

macrumors regular
Mar 30, 2021
190
219
wow, if this is true I'm very happy. I thought I would miss out on the AI features purchasing the m3 iPad Pro I hope it comes with M4 like Mark is saying.
 
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cmbarclay

macrumors 6502
Nov 9, 2009
472
383
In a surprise move, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports today in his Power On newsletter that the upcoming iPad Pro may actually be powered by the M4 chip, skipping the M3 altogether.

9 to 5 article
I am getting a new iPad Pro when they come out. Gurman’s track record in the last 6 months hasn’t been exactly reliable. M4 coming in the new Pros in about a week is 🙄 okay sure and they will have bullet proof glass and run macOS and be able to be used as a drone…

Am I bitter probably. Am I laughing 🤣 Yes! I would love to be wrong!
 
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xxray

macrumors 68040
Jul 27, 2013
3,077
9,298
M4, when M1 is overpowered for iPads?

At this point, its just spec-chasing until the software catches up to the hardware.

The main reason I care about M4 over M3 for the iPad is futureproofing. I'm usually of the opinion that trying to futureproof tech isn't worth it because it's cheaper just to buy base models more often than super high end models and try to keep them longer. But, there are definitely more opportune times to buy tech products sometimes. For example, the iPad 2 had a much longer life than the iPad 1 as far as software updates, iPad 3 obviously was a bad buy compared to iPad 4, and Intel Mac models seemed to be getting phased out much more quickly than usual for software updates.

If M4 and the A18 chip are going to be the hardware foundation for Apple's software development going forward due to the focus on AI, I really would rather not be stuck buying the last version of an iPad Pro before that hardware foundation is implemented - especially when AI features are going to start being announced a month later.

Also, any improvement in speed is good, whether it's actually needed now or not. Yes M1 iPads still perform well, but that chip is almost 4 years old at this point. It'd be a nice bonus to be getting the newest possible chip for the Pro, especially after a year and a half without any new iPads at all.
 

Lounge vibes 05

macrumors 68040
May 30, 2016
3,649
10,602
Can't comment on the Samsung but my 2022 12.9" iPad Pro had a very disconcerting 'click' on the wafer thin skin of the back panel when picked up one handed. Not always, but often enough to destroy the 'slab of glass' holy grail tablet illusion. Pretty poor engineering given Apple's alleged excellence in build quality. The sort of niggle that Jobs would have had people killed over. Yes I went there.
Steve let the original power book G4 Aluminum hinge ship, he was not totally without flaw.
 
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Jim Lahey

macrumors 68030
Apr 8, 2014
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Steve let the original power book G4 Aluminum hinge ship, he was not totally without flaw.

Thanks for the info. For what it's worth I wasn't being especially serious with the Jobs comment, but in my experience Apple build quality has been steadily trending downward for many years.
 
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