Apple just released a handful of products directly on its website without much fanfare. The glossy marketing pages for the new iPad Pro M2, 10th-generation iPad, and Apple TV 4K highlight all the new features, but there are plenty of little details that might be important to you if you take a closer look. Here are some of the little things you may have missed in Tuesday’s flurry of announcements.
The 10th generation iPad has a landscape-facing camera
The 10th generation iPad is the first to put the front-facing camera along the long edge, so it’s at the top when the iPad is in landscape orientation. Given the preponderance of keyboard docks for iPads, it seems silly for the front-facing camera to be mounted on the short side, at the top when in portrait orientation. You’ll find yourself constantly looking to the side during Zoom meetings or FaceTime calls.
While the new iPad Pro still has a portrait-oriented camera, we think that’s just because the body hasn’t changed at all; the landscape-facing camera will probably come to all iPad models as soon as each one gets a substantial amount. design update.
Look, the camera is in the right place!
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No more space gray iPads
The regular iPad has been coming in silver and space gray for years. The new 10th generation model has four vibrant colors in addition to silver, but the space gray color is gone. Fortunately, you can still get the 9th generation iPad, iPad Pro, and iPad Air in space gray.
Apple Pencil requires (and comes with) a $9 adapter
While the 10th-generation iPad has a similar design to the iPad Air, with flat sides, no home button, and Touch ID on the side button, it doesn’t support the second-generation Apple Pencil. Rather, you still have to use the first-generation stylus, which charges by plugging a Lightning connector under a cap at the end awkwardly into your iPad’s charging port.
But wait, doesn’t the new iPad have a USB-C charging port? Yes, it is! So now the first-generation Apple Pencil comes with a USB-C to Lightning adapter, which you can plug into a Lightning cable and plug your Pencil into to charge it.
In fact, first-generation Apple Pencils now come with two adapters, because there’s a Lightning-to-Lightning adapter that also allows you to charge it with a Lightning cable. If you already own a first-generation Apple Pencil, you can buy the USB-C to Lightning adapter separately for $9/£9.
The first-generation Apple Pencil now comes with two dongles, and you’ll still lose the cap.
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Bluetooth 5.0, 5.2, 5.3…
Apple products have had Bluetooth 5.0 for some time, but are starting to transition to Bluetooth 5.2 and beyond, as evidenced by the new iPhone 14, AirPods Pro, and Apple Watch Series 8, all of which support Bluetooth 5.3. It’s a bit of a beef with the new products: the new Apple TV 4K still has Bluetooth 5.0, the 10th generation iPad has Bluetooth 5.2, and the iPad M2 Pro has Bluetooth 5.3.
Why does this matter? It doesn’t at the moment because Apple isn’t doing anything obvious that requires the newer standards. But LE Audio is the next big thing in Bluetooth audio, and it requires at least Bluetooth 5.2.
The M2 iPad Pro is Apple’s first Wi-Fi 6E device
Speaking of newer wireless standards, the new iPad Pros M2 are the first Apple devices to support the Wi-Fi 6E standard. There aren’t many Wi-Fi 6E routers in use yet, but it’s nice to have a little future when you’re spending that much on a tablet.
The 10th generation iPad does not support mmWave 5G
If you opt for the mobile model of the new 10th generation iPad, you’ll be happy to know that it supports 5G. But note that it only supports sub-6GHz bands, not mmWave. If you want that super-fast (and short-range) mmWave 5G network, you’ll need to get an iPad Pro.
The 10th generation iPad has 5G support, but only the slower sub-6Ghz.
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The cheapest Apple TV 4K has no Ethernet or wire
We’re in the odd position of recommending the most expensive version of the Apple TV for once. Both models get double the storage of the previous generation, which most people won’t even need. But the 64GB ($129) model doesn’t have Ethernet or Thread wireless networking. Getting double the storage, Ethernet and Thread costs just $20 more ($149), so you might as well do it.
The new Apple TV 4K is smaller and fanless
Although it looks about the same in photos, the new Apple TV 4K is smaller than the previous model. It shrinks to 3.66 inches square (from 3.9) and 1.2 inches tall (from 1.4 inches). This reduces the volume to about 16 cubic inches, from 21 cubic inches, or 23 percent smaller. It also weighs half as much: 7.5 ounces instead of 15 ounces. And now it’s completely fanless, though at no point does the fan on the old Apple TV 4K come on loud enough to be audible, even in a quiet room.
The Siri remote is now USB-C
The 10th generation iPad isn’t the only product making the jump to USB-C: the Siri Remote for Apple TV 4K also has a USB-C charging port. Oh, and there’s no longer a charging cable in the box, so you’ll have to use one of the two dozen USB-C cables you have around the house to charge the remote every few months.
Apple’s transition away from lighting and towards USB-C will likely continue over the next year. Here’s a list of all the products Apple will have to change or discontinue to comply with an upcoming EU regulation.