A few days ago, Apple announced that it will hold a special event with the theme of "Let's Fly" at 22:00 on May 7. In the official warm-up poster that has been released, because the image of Apple Pencil has been clearly displayed, it also means that this accessory is likely to be updated at this event, and if nothing else, the new iPad series that is compatible with it is also very likely to be officially unveiled. Since the new iPad is bound to update the chip according to past practice, it is rumored that it may be the first to usher in a breakthrough in the implementation of AI.
In addition to this special event on May 7, Apple has officially announced that WWDC24 will be held on June 10, which is expected by many industry insiders to be very likely to announce the progress in AI.
In fact, for Apple now, the landing of AI on related devices is not only a technological innovation, but also an important weapon to promote product upgrades and consolidate its market position. With the increasing application of AI, how to better integrate AI with hardware products has also become the focus of attention of many manufacturers, and as the "lighthouse" of the consumer electronics industry, Apple's every move in this regard has obviously attracted considerable attention from the outside world.
Recently, a source revealed that Apple may release a new M4 chip at the end of this year. Since this chip may usher in a significant upgrade in AI computing power, there is a view that it may trigger a new round of hardware upgrades, and Apple's hardware products, including Macs and iPads, will also benefit from it and become an important carrier for subsequent AI landing.
All of the above signs seem to indicate that Apple may be "holding back its big moves", and the company may be accelerating the implementation of AI-related functions by further advancing the computing power of its hardware products.
At this stage, the application of AI in devices including PCs and smartphones is mostly focused on professional creation and improving office efficiency, and the iPad series models, especially the iPad Pro, which has the highest positioning, happen to have the conditions to give full play to the advantages of AI in this direction.
A significant number of professionals have already used the iPad Pro as their main productivity tool, and with its powerful performance, rich software ecosystem, and convenient and precise control with the help of Apple Pencil, it has seized the opportunity in the tablet market. By introducing self-developed or third-party large models, Apple can further enrich the productivity tool attributes of the iPad series models.
The introduction of AI into the iPad product line will not only lower the threshold for users to use and improve work efficiency, but also help Apple further expand the user base of such products by enabling more other types of applications or functions.
Just a few days ago, it was revealed that Google may "reboot" the Pixel series of tablets at the I/O developer conference held on May 14, and is expected to add a separate purchase option for it, no longer bundled with the speaker base, and may launch a stylus and Bluetooth keyboard specially built for it. Therefore, there is a view that this may be a sign that Google is ready to change the market strategy of its tablet products.
Previously, Google was more hoping to turn the tablet into a smart display through the base, but this strategy of bundling accessories not only raised the price, but also made it difficult to attract users who did not have relevant needs. Styluses and external keyboards are now commonplace accessories for tablets, meeting the user's need for productivity tools.
A stylus has already appeared in the warm-up poster for the I/O developer conference
Previously, the Android tablet can be said to have been comprehensively suppressed from the iPad series in terms of performance and ecology, but because Apple has adopted a near-"zero update" strategy for this product line in the past year, it also provides a rare opportunity for Android manufacturers. This allows the latter to have more time and space to re-plan and re-layout its tablet products. In an effort to improve product power, Android tablets are now challenging the iPad series and trying to grab more market share.
In the past, only a very small number of Android tablets insisted on being equipped with flagship SoCs of the same period, and the vast majority of others often used the previous generation or even the previous generation flagship main controller, but with the continuous improvement of users' demand for performance, many manufacturers have completely abandoned this strategy and regarded improving performance as the primary goal. This transformation will not only improve the user experience and enhance the market competitiveness of products, but more importantly, it will also lay a better foundation for the implementation of AI in tablets.
The perfect ecology has always been one of the "magic weapons" for Apple's series of products, including iPad, to occupy a competitive advantage in the market, and Android tablet manufacturers are gradually making up for this shortcoming, and by integrating various resources and related services, to provide users with a richer and more convenient experience.
Among them, Xiaomi, for example, takes the tablet as an important part of its "people, car, home" ecology, so that such products can play a role in scenarios such as car displays. This ecological advantage not only effectively enhances the market competitiveness of Xiaomi tablets, but also obviously provides a reference for other Android manufacturers.
"Productivity before buying, iQiyi after buying" was a phrase that many users jokingly called the use of tablets, among which Android tablets were the "hardest hit area". Nowadays, with the growing demand for mobile office, relevant manufacturers are also increasing the platform's investment in productivity tool attributes, through the launch of office suites, the introduction of AI large models, and the enhancement of cross-screen interaction, so that Android tablets can play more roles in office, creation and other fields.
It is worth noting that the current flagship Android tablet has also ushered in a significant improvement in battery life with the better energy efficiency ratio of the current top-of-the-line SoC and the configuration of a more 0 large-capacity battery. This is obviously more realistic for users who have mobile office needs, after all, no one wants to affect the work progress due to insufficient power at a critical moment.
When the Android tablet continues to improve its product strength, it is also gradually narrowing the gap with the iPad series models, due to the large number of participants in the Android camp, it has formed a "comprehensive siege" of Apple in this track. As competition intensifies, the tablet market is bound to become more diversified.