JAKARTA - Apple introduced a new chip called M4 on Tuesday 7 May which is claimed to outperform private computers designed for artificial intelligence. But Apple puts the new chip in the iPad Pro model rather than on the MacBook.
This move is considered unusual for Apple, which usually puts its newest chip into its Mac line, where the M3 chip started appearing in the fall last year. However, analysts say that Apple is likely to want to get its newest chip soon, which is more power efficient and has a larger share of the chip dedicated to handling artificial intelligence tasks, into app developers ahead of their annual software developer conference next month.
The launch event for the latest product of the iPhone maker comes as the Silicon Valley tech giant lags behind their Big Tech competitors, while they are racing to build artificial intelligence into their products across their business and dominate developing technology.
Apple says the iPad Pro - the highest-priced model - will have an updated look and will now be equipped with an M4 chip with a larger "neural engine". Apple's chips have been equipped with a neural engine since 2017, but competitors like Intel and Qualcomm have started promoting their competitive technology for private computers.
Apple also introduced a new model of iPad Air at a medium price, which will now come in 13-inch screen size for 800 US dollars (IDR 12.8 million), as well as a size of 11 inches that previously cost 600 US dollars (IDR 9.6 million). These models are equipped with an M2 chip from Apple, which was first launched on Apple's MacBook in 2022.
Apple often introduced a new iPad in May, when customers in the education sector make purchase decisions for the next academic year. But in recent years, Apple has started to turn its models at higher prices into devices for creative and business professionals with its iPad Pro model.
What exactly is the artificial intelligence features that new chips can support may not be completely clear to Apple's developer conferences, where the company often demonstrates new capabilities for Siri, its assistant, and other operating systems.
Currently, many artificial intelligence features - such as helping to enlarge user images during video calls and slightly changing their eye look so it looks as if they are looking directly at the camera - will likely not inspire a wave of upgrades, according to some analysts.
"Is it really enough for people to consider and buy it? Maybe not," said Mikako Kitagawa, an analyst at Gartner. "It should be quite an extraordinary experience."
Apple's rivals, Alphabet's Microsoft and Google, have plunged into the world of artificial intelligence, introducing chatbots aimed at acting as virtual assistants for tasks such as writing emails or typing computer codes.
While the company's stocks have soared to record highs, Apple's stock has fallen 6% this year due to a decline in iPhone demand and fierce competition in China, as investors wait to see how the company will leverage artificial intelligence technology.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook said last week that the company was "very optimistic about our chances in a generating AI" and plans to make further announcements later this year.
Carolina Milanesi, an analyst with Creative Strategies, said the updated iPad could be a way for Apple to get new chips to market ahead of their developer conference next month, where they might reveal more about how they plan to tackle AI.
It can come in the form of automation of general tasks to make it faster, or to let Siri, Apple's voice assistant, go deeper into the app to perform tasks on behalf of the user.
Apple's key question is how far they can go to improve their AI features while processing most of the information on the device itself, for privacy reasons.
"I always say that artificial intelligence is only as smart as data that can be accessed," said Milanesi.
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