This week marks a full year since the M4 iPad Pro arrived, and I’ve been using it as my full-time computer that whole time. Reflecting on the past year, there’s one feature upgrade that stands above the rest for me—and it’s strangely a little embarrassing to admit.
M4 iPad Pro brought the biggest changes since 2018
Apple’s M4 iPad Pro is without question the device’s biggest upgrade in a long time.
For many iPad Pro users, the 2018 model was the last such noteworthy upgrade. And the M4, with its variety of big and small improvements, felt like a 2018-style leap forward.
Last year’s iPad Pro upgrade included:
- ultra-thin new design, Apple’s thinnest product ever
- M4 chip, six months ahead of the Mac getting it
- tandem OLED ‘Ultra Retina XDR’ display, which Apple says is “the world’s most advanced display”
- upgraded Magic Keyboard with several key changes
- Apple Pencil Pro
- centered front-facing camera (finally!)
- nano-texture glass option
Overall, it was a massive update for the iPad Pro, the likes of which Apple products typically only get every 3-5 years.
But now that I have a year of use under my belt, I’ve asked myself: which improvement was most impactful?
The answer’s pretty simple, but comes with unpleasant implications.
New Magic Keyboard is my top M4 upgrade
My favorite M4 iPad Pro feature isn’t technically baked into the iPad itself.
It’s the new Magic Keyboard.
In my first few days with the iPad, I suspected this might be the case.
That’s because the upgraded Magic Keyboard came with several compelling changes:
- larger trackpad
- function row of keys
- aluminum palm rests
- haptic feedback in trackpad
- and improved weight balance
To sum it up: the new Magic Keyboard provides a more MacBook-like experience.
Even though the keyboard changes were an early highlight for me, I was still surprised to find that no other feature became my favorite over the course of a year.
That’s not to take away from any of Apple’s other changes.
The Ultra Retina XDR display is truly beautiful, the ultra-thin design impressive, the M4 boasts plenty of power, and I’m relieved to finally have a centered front-facing camera.
But I use the Magic Keyboard constantly in my daily computing. My iPad basically never leaves its keyboard case.
M4 iPad Pro favorite feature: wrap-up
I started this one year reflection by saying my top M4 iPad Pro feature was embarrassing. Here’s what I mean by that.
Despite all the technological advancements the iPad Pro made last year, what mattered most to me is something the Mac mastered many, many years ago.
Confessing that the Magic Keyboard is my favorite upgrade is, in a way, admitting that I really just want the iPad to be a better laptop.
And while the other improvements are nice to have, it took until 2024 for iPad-as-laptop to feel like it’s finally without compromise on the hardware front.
Software shortcomings, of course, still abound. Hopefully iPadOS 19 will address many of them.
Until then, though, I’ll continue loving my M4 iPad Pro. But my favorite feature feels a bit anticlimactic—even to me.
What is your favorite M4 iPad Pro feature? Let us know in the comments.
Best iPad Pro accessories
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
