News

Apple Just Announced Two New iPad Pro Devices

The Cupertino company has also updated the Apple TV and added new functionality to the Apple Pencil.

Published

4 years ago

October 19, 2022

Nour Nasir

Apple

In a surprise product announcement yesterday, Apple revealed two new iPad Pro models. The 12.9 and 11-inch tablets have been updated with the company’s latest M2 chip, with support for new Apple Pencil functionality, plus other minor updates.

The announcement was much more low-key than the highly publicized iPhone launches, with CEO Tim Cook teasing the new products before the official press release was made public. The launch’s subtlety likely reflects that these new products are more refreshes than radical redesigns.

M2 iPad Pro

m2 ipad pro

The two new iPad Pro models feature Apple’s M2 processors, which the company claims will make the tablets 15% faster overall, with a 35% improvement in graphics performance. Overall, the new iPad Pros have only minor updates over the older models, with USB-C ports replacing lightning connectivity and Wi-Fi 6E making an appearance.

One notable update comes in the form of updated Apple Pencil behavior. A new hover mode allows the stylus to be detected when it’s around a half inch (12mm) away from the screen. Hover mode is aimed at artists, as it allows the pencil to be used as a finely-tuned brush, with the iPad showing a dot where the tip will touch down, allowing artists to achieve new levels of precision.

Pricing & Availability

If you’re an owner of the outgoing iPad Pro, these updates probably aren’t going to be big enough to tempt you to upgrade. However, for anyone looking to pick up a new tablet, the 12.9 and 11-inch iPad Pros are available to preorder right now, with delivery and general release in stores happening on October 26th. Prices for the 11-inch model start at $799, with the bigger 12.9-inch device coming in at $1,099.

Apple TV

apple tv 2022

As for the new Apple TV, fans of the premium streaming device will be able to pick between two models on the November 4th release date: One with a Wi-Fi connection ($129) and another with Ethernet ($149). The Wi-Fi version comes with 64GB of storage, while the Ethernet model bumps this to 128GB. Both models offer 4K visuals and Dolby sound and use Apple’s A15 chip.

News

Microsoft Plans $10 Billion-Plus Gulf Expansion Despite Iran Conflict

Security is shaping Microsoft’s approach, from resilience work with governments to what it will say about how the money splits by country.

Published

4 days ago

September 24, 2026

Nour Nasir

Microsoft

Microsoft is planning more than $10 billion of investment across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait through 2030, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told Reuters, calling the spending schedule aggressive. The Iranian conflict that began on February 28 has not persuaded the company to scale back.

“We’re sustaining all the investments we planned to make before this conflict started, and we are in fact adding to them,” Smith said. The $10 billion-plus total does not, however, show how large those additions are.

The investment, which Smith described as part of Microsoft’s continued infrastructure expansion, is aimed at cloud and AI infrastructure and at the company’s growing regional operations. Microsoft also intends to put more than $400 million into subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East by 2030.

The spending fits the region’s own ambitions too. Gulf governments have been investing heavily in AI infrastructure as part of a push to diversify their economies beyond oil and gas and turn themselves into global technology hubs. Major cloud and AI providers have been drawn in part by the land and relatively low-cost energy on offer.

Microsoft is widening its partnerships with regional AI companies, though not on identical terms. In 2024, it invested $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi-based G42 for a minority stake, and Smith currently sits on G42’s board. Saudi Arabia’s Humain and Qatar’s Qai are working with Microsoft on selected priority areas, but Smith said the company does not plan to make capital investments in either.

Also Read: Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power

The conflict has added another strand to Microsoft’s work in the region. Since it began, Smith said, the company has supported regional partners with digital resilience assessments, and it is now working with Gulf countries through a digital resilience initiative focused on preparedness and the protection of critical data.

So far, the company has given no country-by-country breakdown of the investment, citing security among other factors. So while the headline figure is public, how Microsoft divides the spending among the four countries is not.