Apple unveils an M5-powered iPad Pro and makes the update all about AI

Apple's best and thinnest iPad is getting a major performance update that leans heavily into AI. On Wednesday October 15, Apple unveiled its new iPad Pro running the new M5 Apple Silicon, a chip that's simultaneously appearing in new 14-inch MacBook Pros.

That's notable because the last time Apple rolled out a major Apple Silicon update in the iPad Pro (the M4), it took months for it to appear in a line of new Macs.

The iPad Pro, both the 11-inch model and the 13-inch one, which are among the best tablets you can buy, offer virtually no design updates. The iPad Pro 11 is still 5.3mm thick, and the 13-inch model is still a stunning 5.1mm thin. Both offer the same Ultra Retina XDR screen featuring the tandem OLED technology that makes that thinness and the incredible blacks possible.