Apple introduces the powerful new iPad Pro with the M5 chip (www.apple.com)

Apple announced a redesigned iPad Pro powered by the M5 chip, available to pre-order Oct 15 and in stores Oct 22. The update pairs a new silicon architecture with iPadOS 26 to push on-device AI and creative workloads: Apple says M5 delivers up to 3.5x the AI performance of the prior M4 and up to 5.6x vs M1, while bringing a third‑generation ray‑tracing engine for richer visuals. Models come in 11" and 13" sizes, thin chassis, Ultra Retina XDR display (1000 nits full‑screen, 1600 nits peak HDR), external display support to 120Hz with Adaptive Sync, plus new accessories and environmental improvements. Technically, M5 combines up to a 10‑core CPU (4 performance + 6 efficiency), a new 10‑core GPU architecture with a Neural Accelerator in each core, and a 16‑core Neural Engine aimed at energy‑efficient on‑device ML. Apple highlights large speedups for real apps: up to 6.7x 3D rendering (Octane X), up to 6x Final Cut Pro transcode, up to 4x diffusion image generation (Draw Things) and up to 3.7x AI video upscaling (DaVinci Resolve) versus M1. System upgrades include >150 GB/s unified memory bandwidth (≈30% up), faster storage (up to 2x), baseline 12GB RAM on larger configs, Wi‑Fi 7 / Bluetooth 6 via N1, and a C1X modem for ~50% faster cellular. The net effect: substantially more capable, low‑latency on‑device AI and graphics for creators, professionals and real‑time applications with improved privacy and offline capabilities.