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Early Reviews Land for Apple’s M4 iPad Air and M5 MacBook Pro

Reviewers report meaningful speed gains plus storage and wireless upgrades as Apple stretches its lineup from the budget Neo to pro‑grade M5 laptops.

Overview

  • First-look reviews say the M4 iPad Air is substantially faster with 12GB of memory, Apple’s N1 chip for Wi‑Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and the C1X modem on cellular models, while the design and 60Hz display remain unchanged.
  • Benchmarks and hands-on tests indicate the M4 iPad Air narrows the CPU gap with the M5 iPad Pro yet still trails in graphics performance.
  • The M4 iPad Air arrives March 11 in 11‑inch and 13‑inch sizes starting at $599, with support for Apple Pencil Pro and Apple’s keyboard accessories.
  • Reviews of the new M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pros find up to roughly 15% faster CPU and 20% faster GPU performance versus the prior generation, along with up to 2x SSD throughput, 1TB base storage, Wi‑Fi 7 via the N1 chip, and modestly longer battery life.
  • Several outlets note the $599 MacBook Neo undercuts an iPad Air plus keyboard for productivity, positioning the tablet as best for those who value touch, Pencil support, and portability over total system cost.