Apple unveils an M5-powered iPad Pro and makes the update all about AI (www.techradar.com)

Apple unveiled a refreshed iPad Pro lineup powered by the new M5 Apple Silicon, marking a simultaneous rollout with new 14-inch MacBook Pros — a quicker cross-product appearance than past chip updates. The 11‑ and 13‑inch models keep the same ultra-thin OLED Ultra Retina XDR design but swap in a much faster chip Apple claims is roughly 3.5× faster than the prior M4. Key hardware highlights include a GPU with a Neural Accelerator in each core, a faster 16‑core Neural Engine, and 150 GB/s unified memory bandwidth (about 30% faster). The tablets run iPadOS 26, which leans into multi-window, desktop-like workflows, and new C1X/N1 radios add Wi‑Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread support. The M5’s on-chip neural upgrades make this release explicitly AI-forward: Apple says the performance boost will lift productivity and on-device AI ops, and the platform looks prepared for a broader "Apple Intelligence" rollout expected next year. While Apple hasn’t delivered a full generative-AI assistant yet, the M5’s architecture — combined with support for third‑party models — gives developers and users more headroom for local inference, multimodal tools, and faster model offloading. Pricing starts at $999 (11") and $1,299 (13"), with preorders open and shipping beginning October 22.