M4 iPad Pro is impossible

When the iPad came out in 2010, it was immediately clear that Apple had done it right. The tablet wasn’t anything new, but the iPad’s design and interface were on another level, with a sleek form factor, a fast processor, multi-touch, and a satisfying experience. It looked like a device from the future.

Now that we’re in that future, the original iPad feels like a throwback, with giant bezels and a thicker chassis than the two latest iPads stacked on top of each other. The latest iPad Pro has a processor that’s light years ahead of the A4 that shipped in the original iPad, and a design that allows for a much larger display in a chassis that’s nearly 75 percent thinner:

Original iPad

• Height: 9.56 inch (242.8mm)
• Width: 7.47 inch (189.7mm)
• Depth: 0.5 inch (13.4mm)
• Libra: 1.5 pounds

M4 iPad Pro (11 inch)

• Height: 9.83 inch (249.7mm)
• Width: 6.99 inches (177.5 mm)
• Depth: 0.25 inch (5.3mm)
• Libra: 0.98 pounds

It’s nothing short of extraordinary. Yes, it’s been 14 years, but few other devices have evolved as much as the iPad. Just compare the 15-inch MacBook Pro from 2010 to the 15-inch MacBook Air from 2024:

15-inch MacBook Pro (Mid 2010)

Height: 0.95 inch (2.41 cm)
Width: 14.35 inches (36.4 cm)
Depth: 9.82 inches (24.9 cm)
Libra: 5.6 lbs (2.54 kg)

15-inch MacBook Air (M3)

Height: 0.45 inch (1.15 cm)
Width: 13.40 inches (34.04 cm)
Depth: 9.35 inches (23.76 cm)
Libra: 3.3 lbs (1.51 kg)5

Sure, today’s MacBook Air is thinner and lighter than the same-sized Pro from 2010, but keep in mind that Apple has also shed some features over the years to reduce the size, including Gigabit Ethernet and FireWire 800 ports and an 8x SuperDrive. That’s generally how it works — to make thinner devices, Apple removes older features like USB-A on the iMac and the 3.5mm jack on the iPhone. The result is almost always a compromise that tries to overshadow what’s lost in the stunning design.

Bucking that trend, the 2024 iPad is a significant improvement over the 2010 model in every way—display, design, connectivity, performance, and features. Pick it up and it’s hard to believe it’s a real device and not some movie prop. And once you dive into what’s inside, it’s practically impossible.

Lighter than air

At a quarter of an inch thick, the iPad Pro simply doesn’t make sense. The fact that Apple can fit an OLED display, Face ID, an M4 chip, a 1TB hard drive, 16GB of RAM, a 12MP camera, and 10 hours of battery life into a ridiculously thin and light body that outshines every other iPad is a miracle.

Even if you compare the iPad Pro to other Apple products, it stands out, it has a better processor than the MacBook Air, a better screen than the MacBook Pro and a nicer design than the iPhone 15. You could say that it is the best tablet ever made, and one of the nicest designs ever made in Cupertino. And the front camera is finally in the right place.

If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was the work of Jony Ive. Just holding it in your hand brings back memories of an iPod nano or the original MacBook Air. It’s shocking, especially considering it’s also one of Apple’s most powerful devices. Even the accessories are incredibly impressive. The Apple Pencil Pro improves on the 2nd-generation model with Find My, a new squeeze gesture, and the Magic Keyboard manages to add function keys and a larger glass touchpad while maintaining the amazing design with a floating cantilever.

Foundry

Foundry

Foundry

An unrealistic dream

So why doesn’t the iPad Pro get the same respect as the MacBook Pro or iPhone Pro? Yes, it’s expensive, but its entry-level price is significantly lower than the iPhone 15 Pro Max and MacBook Pro. The M4 iPad Pro should be Apple’s most popular tablet, and even computer, but by all accounts it’s by far the least popular.

The simplest explanation is the simplest: iPadOS. In 2019, Apple decided to split iOS 13 into two parts: iOS for phones and iPadOS for tablets. It was a watershed moment — or at least it should have been. But after an initial release that pioneered multitasking, iPadOS hasn’t separated itself from iOS in any significant way beyond the introduction of Stage Manager. Many of iOS’ best features are a year late, and they all feel like they were designed for iPhone first.

Foundry

Foundry

Foundry

At the other end of the spectrum, the iPad still hasn’t gained enough macOS features to challenge the productivity of the MacBook. It has everything — the keyboard, the trackpad, multitasking, the great display, the centrally located front-facing camera, extreme portability, great battery life — but most Apple users still reach for the MacBook when they need to get work done.

It’s not that people don’t love their iPads. Even in a bad month, Apple still sells about $6 million worth of iPads, but that’s the point. The $999 iPad Pro is obviously better in every way than the $349 10th-generation iPad, but that’s not as apparent in the things most people do with it. The things that make the M4 iPad Pro so impressive don’t matter as much on the iPad as they do on the iPhone or Mac. There are clear reasons to buy a MacBook Pro or iPhone Pro that you’ll use every day — and that’s not the case with the iPad Pro. Yes, it’s impressive to use, and you can definitely feel its speed, but ultimately, you don’t get to work faster or smarter.

And that’s where the problem lies. While the iPad Pro M4 should be the entry-level device, it’s still a back-burner to the MacBook and iPhone. We’ve come to expect the impossible from Apple, and with the iPad Pro M4, it’s truly delivered. But once the miracle wears off, you start to wonder where the possibility lies.