The much-anticipated iPad Pro set to be announced at the company’s “Let Loose” event could be powered by the yet-to-be-unveiled M4 chip instead of the expected M3. Apple also plans to market the iPad Pro as its first AI-focused hardware, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.

In the latest edition of the weekly Power On newsletter, Gurman states that there’s a real possibility that the iPad Pro could be the first Apple device to be powered by the M4 chip, which would be released just a few months after the M3 processor was unveiled last October. Apple plans to market the M4 iPad Pro as the company’s first hardware with advanced AI capabilities, taking advantage of significantly upgraded AI hardware thanks to the new Neural Engine.

The new M4 chip on the iPad Pro would take advantage of AI features the company plans to unveil as part of iPadOS 18 at WWDC 2024. With this strategy, Apple aims to lay the hardware out first, before shifting focus to what its new hardware is capable of with the introduction of software AI features at WWDC. Apple will also position the upcoming A18 Pro chip on the iPhone 16 Pro as an AI-first processor.

Apple will unveil the iPad Pro alongside an updated iPad Air on Tuesday, May 7 at its “Let Loose” event. Besides the M4 chip, the iPad Pro will see its display updated to an OLED panel, bringing it on par with the iPhone and the Apple Watch. The high-end tablet will also feature design changes that will make it thinner and a landscape orientation for the front-facing camera and Face ID systems.

As reported extensively, the updated iPad Air will gain a new 12.9-inch screen size alongside an expected upgrade to the M2 chip. Apple also plans to release redesigned Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard accessories, with the Pencil featuring haptic feedback for the first time and new gestures.