Integrators who have leveraged Apple’s iPads as smart home control tablets in their projects now have another option, as Apple has introduced an upgraded iPad Air featuring the M3 chip.
The tech giant says the new iPad Air features significant performance improvements and support for Apple Intelligence. Available in both 11-inch and a newly added 13-inch model, the latest iPad Air aims to provide users with greater power, portability, and versatility at the same starting price as its predecessor.
According to Apple, the transition from the M1 to the M3 chip brings a nearly twofold increase in performance, with up to 3.5 times the speed of the A14 Bionic chip. The M3 chip includes an 8-core CPU, a 9-core GPU with up to 40% faster graphics compared to M1, and hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing for enhanced gaming and rendering experiences.
Apple also announced an updated standard iPad featuring the A16 chip, offering up to 30% faster performance and more starting storage than the previous generation, with a starting price of $349. This model is available for pre-order, with sales beginning March 12. The 11-inch iPad Air starts at $599 for the Wi-Fi model and $749 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular version, while the 13-inch model is priced at $799 and $949, respectively
Apple says that the improved Neural Engine in M3 offers up to 60% faster AI-driven processing, which will be important for users who want to leverage Apple Intelligence, the company’s new AI initiative that integrates Siri and ChatGPT and other AI tools into the company’s devices.
Lightapalooza took place in late February, and the growth of the event has mirrored the rapid ascension lighting fixtures and controls.
Apple is reportedly planning to release its own smart home-focused displays that will likely also include AI, and the company made no mention of smart home use cases for the new iPad Air, which may signal that an announcement is indeed coming sometime this year.
Still, the iPad remains a popular home control interface, so we can definitely see the new iPad Air used for that purpose. iPadOS 18, iOS 18 and other new software updates across Apple’s portfolio also aim to bring new AI features, which only make Apple devices even better home control tools.
The iPad Air is compatible with the redesigned Magic Keyboard, which now includes a larger trackpad, a 14-key function row, and a machined aluminum hinge with a USB-C connector.
Apple says it has doubled the base storage of the iPad Air, starting at 128GB, with additional options up to 1TB. The device offers 5G connectivity for cellular models and supports high-speed Wi-Fi.
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