Apple loves to make its products thinner, even if no one asks for it. When Apple revealed the new iPad Pro it made its thinnest tablets ever–the 11- and 13-inch iPad Pro are 5.3 mm and 5.1 mm thick, respectively. But for longtime Apple users, proclamations about the slender profile bring back memories of Bendgate, which happened with the iPhone 6 Plus, the iPhone SE, and most importantly the 2018 iPad Pro.
Bendgate isn’t going to happen with these iPad Pros–at least that’s what Apple says. In an interview with YouTuber Mrwhosetheboss, Apple’s John Ternus describes a “cowling” over the metal logic board cover that dissipates heat and creates a “central rib” that runs through the whole iPad Pro Pro to “tremendously” improves the device’s stiffness. Ternus says the cowling is a new part of the iPad Pro.
As for why Apple keeps making products thinner, Apple’s Greg Joswiak said, “We love to kind of defy physics (if you will) and figure out how to make things smaller and lighter and make them that much better as well.” Joswiak also talks about how Apple doesn’t make feature compromises when it shrinks its products.
Whether the new iPad Pro is durable enough for everyday use remains to be seen. Pairing it with the new Magic Keyboard, which wasn’t available when the 2018 model was introduced, could provide a bit of structural reinforcement while the device is being stored or in a bag. Back in 2018, there were widespread reports of iPads that were bent in the center after being stored in a bag. Apple didn’t issue a recall for the affected units—and in some cases refused to fix them under warranty—but the issue quickly fizzles and subsequent updates haven’t had any structural issues.
Apple announced the new iPad Pro and iPad Air (which, despite the name, isn’t lighter or thinner than the iPad Pro) at the “Let Loose” event last week. The new iPads start shipping this Wednesday. Learn more about the new iPad Pro and iPad Air.
Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (M4, 2024)
Author: Roman Loyola, Senior Editor, Macworld
Roman is a Macworld Senior Editor with over 30 years of experience covering the tech industry, focusing on the Mac and other products in the Apple ecosystem. He is also the host of the Macworld Podcast. His career started at MacUser, where he received Apple certification as a repair technician (when Apple did that kind of thing). He's also worked for MacAddict, MacLife, and TechTV.