Apple overhauled its two best iPad accessories. Here’s what’s new

By Bryan M. Wolfe Published May 7, 2024

Apple Pencil Pro — Apple

Apple has unveiled two new accessories for the iPad Pro 2024 models, an upgraded Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil that offer significant improvements compared to their previous versions.

The latest version of the Magic Keyboard has undergone a redesign, making it thinner and lighter than its predecessor. It is now available in two colors to complement the new iPad Pro models. Some new features include a function row equipped with screen brightness controls, an aluminum palm rest, and a larger trackpad with haptic feedback.

Recommended Videos

The Magic Keyboard for the 11-inch iPad Pro is $299, while the 13-inch iPad Pro is $349. They will be available with layouts for over 30 languages. You can preorder your new keyboard now, and the first shipments will arrive next week alongside the new iPad Pro models.

2024 Magic Keyboard — Apple

Apple also announced the Apple Pencil Pro. The new stylus promises to take the pencil experience to a new level. It’s equipped with a sensor in its barrel, which allows for new capabilities, such as squeezing the barrel to bring up a new tool palette. This palette lets you quickly switch between tools, line weights, and colors. The Pencil Pro also features a built-in haptic engine that provides feedback whenever you squeeze, double-tap, or snap to a Smart Shape. The Pencil Pro’s internal gyroscope allows for more precise control by rolling the pencil.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The new Apple Pencil Pro is compatible with the new iPad Pro and costs $129. Preorders start now, and the first shipments will arrive next week.

On Tuesday, Apple also announced two new iPad Air models. These and the new iPad Pro models arrive a month before Apple is likely to announce iPadOS 18 at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

Topics

Mobile and A/V Freelancer

Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.

Mobile

Apple introduces new iPad Air with M3 silicon and unchanged price

M3 iPad Air 2025

Apple has just launched a refreshed version of the iPad Air, armed with the M3 silicon. The design language remains unchanged, and there are 11-inch and 13-inch sizes up for grabs, once again. There is, however, a new Magic Keyboard designed especially for the new iPad Air.

The big draw, of course, is the upgraded M3 processor, which Apple claims is twice as fast as the older iPad Air model with an M1 chip. The M3 silicon comes with an 8-core CPU and a 9-core GPU.

Mobile

New M4 iPad Air likely launching this week

The Apple iPad Air (2024)'s camera and volume buttons.

We may be just days away from the launch of the first new iPad of 2025. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, an M4 iPad Air could be revealed this week. This new version is expected to arrive less than a year after the release of the M2 iPad Air (2024). The new tablet has long been anticipated, but little is known besides its likely chipset.

The M4 chip, which is also expected to appear on a new MacBook Air, which could also launch this week, was first introduced on the iPad Pro (2024). Since then, the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips have appeared on last year’s MacBook Pro.

Mobile

The Apple iPhone 16e is here, and it’s everything we hoped for

A press image of the iPhone 16e.

Apple has launched the iPhone 16e, and if you’ve been looking out for a cost-effective way to get into iPhone ownership, it should probably be at the top of your list. The phone has been rumored, leaked, and discussed for years under the name of the iPhone SE 4, but now we have all the official details to help you decide if this should be your next iPhone.

Lets go through what to expect from the new iPhone 16e. It has a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR screen, which is the same as fitted to the iPhone 16 (and the iPhone 14, and iPhone 15), with Apple’s protective Ceramic Shield over it, encased in an aluminum frame with a glass rear panel. At the top of the screen is the familiar notch, housing Apple’s TrueDepth camera for FaceID. There's no Dynamic Island though, and the old Touch ID fingerprint scanner on the iPhone SE (2022) is also long gone. Inside is the Apple A18 processor, just like the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, but it's made unique by being the first with Apple's own in-house developed modem called the C1. The phone also incorporates the same 16-core Neural Engine as other 16 series models too, so it supports the latest iOS 18 software along with Apple Intelligence AI features. These include the Image Playground app, Writing Tools, image editing with Clean Up, and plenty more.

nproxy.org