The ultra-thin iPad Pro M4 features a new internal structure to improve rigidity and heat dissipation

The new iPad Pro is Apple’s thinnest product ever, with the 13-inch model measuring just 5.1mm thick (excluding the camera bump).

The last time the iPad Pro was redesigned, with the 2018 model, there was a lot of controversy as people noticed that it was relatively easy to fold their iPad, with some arriving folded right out of the box. For this ultra-thin redesign, the question of rigidity and durability is inevitably relevant again. But, in an interview with Arun Maini, John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president, addressed these concerns, pointing out that the new iPad has a redesigned internal structure intended to improve the device’s rigidity.

The 11-inch iPad Pro 2024 is 5.3mm thick and the 13-inch model is just 5.1mm, making it the thinnest Apple product ever. Greg Jozwiak, Apple’s senior vice president, told Maini that the new ultra-thin design is uncompromising, thanks to Apple Silicon and the intelligence of Apple’s hardware engineering.

Ternus revealed that the new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pros have a new internal structural layout, in which a new metal cover sits atop the motherboard (Ternus describes it as a “hood”) and extends down the middle of the device. forming a central rib.

According to Ternus, this change “significantly improves the rigidity of the product.” This also contributes to better heat dissipation.

During the keynote, Apple said the iPad Pro had 20% improved thermal performance thanks to the addition of graphite sheets in the main body and the use of copper in the Apple logo.

We should soon be able to see these hardware changes for ourselves, once companies like iFixit and others get their hands on the device to tear it down and reveal the new innards. The new iPad Pro is now on sale, with the first deliveries expected on May 15.