Apple’s new iPad Professional 2024 is right here and it is stunning, skinny, highly effective… however in the event you look intently you may discover some options are lacking. Even some fairly massive ones.
It is not nearly our want checklist (sure, I would like to see extra USB-C ports). No, there are some options and choices that had been current within the iPad Professional 2022 however have been taken away from the brand new mannequin. Let’s dive in.
iPad Professional 2024 hands-on: What the brand new “nano-texture glass” appears like subsequent to 1 with out it
No ultra-wide digital camera
On the left the brand new iPad Professional, on the fitting the outdated iPad Professional.
Photograph credit score: Apple
It is a fairly massive and weird step for Apple. The iPad Professional 2022 featured two cameras on the again – a 12-megapixel wide-angle digital camera and a 10-megapixel ultra-wide-angle digital camera. The ultra-wide digital camera is gone within the 2024 model of the iPad Professional.
We suspect the ultra-wide digital camera hasn’t been used very a lot, and most of the people most likely will not discover it is gone. But it surely seems like a (fairly massive) downgrade. Hey, no less than house owners of the outdated iPad Professional can brag that their system is best than the brand new one on this regard!
12.9-inch Apple iPad Professional (2022) within the check: highly effective, however nonetheless only a pill
No bodily SIM slot
Within the Mobile model of the brand new iPad Professional there isn’t any bodily SIM slot, solely an eSIM. Once more, most customers will not have an issue with this, and it is most likely one of many sacrifices Apple needed to make to make the brand new iPad Professional the thinnest iPad ever. Nevertheless, in the event you want a bodily SIM slot, that is a disgrace.
Solely 4 microphones
We’re undecided it will make a lot of a distinction, however the brand new iPad Professional has one much less microphone than the outdated one.
Photograph credit score: Apple
Sure, the 2024 iPad Professional solely has 4 “studio-quality microphones” whereas the 2022 had 5. One other factor I will hold mentioning as I proudly showcase my outdated iPad Professional.
Destructible pace of sunshine
“Do you hear this sound in crystal clear high quality? That is the fifth microphone that does the job.”
No stickers within the field
This has to do with defending the atmosphere: There isn’t any Apple emblem sticker on the brand new iPad Professional. Nevertheless, getting an Apple sticker to stay on the again of your automobile and showcase your nerdiness to the world is a long-standing Apple custom, and we’re a little bit unhappy that it is occurring.
No always-on show
There is no doubt about it: the iPad Professional 2024’s new Extremely Retina XDR OLED show seems to be a large enchancment during the last model’s show, and even perhaps any show on a transportable system on the market.
Nevertheless, there’s one factor that annoys us. The brand new show options ProMotion know-how, which permits adaptive refresh charges from 10Hz to 120Hz, however not like the iPhone 15 Professional, it does not have an always-on show possibility. Personally, I discover At all times On on my cellphone too distracting, however on the iPad Professional’s massive show it could be useful to have this selection, maybe to show calendar, climate, and different clear data. In any case, you possibly can’t have it as a result of the choice simply is not there. Perhaps subsequent time.
No Good Keyboard Folio
When you’re searching for a skinny and lightweight keyboard in your iPad Professional 2024, you may need to look elsewhere.
Photograph credit score: Apple
The brand new iPad Professional obtained a brand new Magic Keyboard, however misplaced Apple’s different keyboard possibility: Good Keyboard Folio. In accordance with Apple’s spec sheet, the brand new iPad is not suitable with the outdated Good Keyboard Folio, and the corporate hasn’t launched a brand new one, so… robust luck.
This hurts much more when you think about how skinny and lightweight the iPad Professional 2024 is. It will make sense to have an identical super-thin and super-light moveable keyboard, however Apple solely presents the reasonably cumbersome Magic Keyboard. Fortunately, there’ll seemingly be loads of third-party keyboards obtainable for the iPad Professional quickly.
The iPad Professional 2024is now obtainable for pre-order. But it surely’s not the one new Apple pill that misses out on options – this is what the iPad Air 2024 is lacking.