Industry experts are reporting that Apple plans to hold a special event on May 7 to unveil the next generation of devices, including a ground-breaking new iPad with artificial intelligence at its heart.
The technology giant has gradually been making the shift towards AI in its products but we could soon see the first step into the world of AI hardware. In the past computer processing power has been a limited factor with AI developments but Apple looks set to announce a new range of revamped devices.
Bloomberg reports there is a “strong possibility” that a new OLED iPad Pro with a M4 chip and accompanying neural engine will soon be unveiled. The highly-anticipated new iPad has been heralded as the “first truly AI-powered device” from Apple.
All eyes will be fixed on Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, but the manufacturer could steal a march on the competition by making its this announcement at a special event a month earlier.
What is Apple’s M4 chip?
Apple’s M-line chips are used for devices like the MacBook and other high-end computing products. In the past the M chips have been updated fairly infrequently but Apple may be looking to move to an annual cycle that matches the speed of development in the chips used in iPhones.
One of the first devices using the new M4 chip could well be one of the new OLED iPad Pro. The device is though to be aimed at professional designers, photographer and videographers, those who need significant processing power along with the iPad’s portability.
The big progression with the M4 chip is though to be a focus on artificial intelligence, which looks set to be integrated into macOS in the near future. The next wave of AI feature may only be available on operating systems requiring the M4 chips, highlighting how intensive AI systems can be.
Alongside the M4 chip, reports suggest that Apple is introducing an upgraded neural engine to help deal with the AI tasks. If all of these developments are introduced in the new Mac Pro, for example, users could benefit from up to 500GB of unified memory, a huge increase on the 192GB maximum currently on offer.
