Buying a new M4 iPad Pro or M2 iPad Air? You'll need new accessories and maybe a new SIM

Apple today announced the new M4 iPad Pro and an updated M2 iPad Air, with both tablets now available for preorder. They'll both go on sale next week alongside the first Apple Pencil Pro and a refreshed Apple Magic Keyboard. And all of those things could make for an expensive upgrade.

Apple announced all of the new devices and accessories at the same time which should give you an idea of how intertwined they all are. And it turns out that buying a new iPad Pro or iPad Air could soon get expensive when you factor in that you could well need two new accessories. And then there's the matter of the SIM card you use in your old cellular iPad, too.

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Starting with the accessories, new M4 iPad Pro buyers need to know that they won't be able to use their old Magic Keyboard or Apple Pencil with their new tablet. Apple says that the older magnetic Apple Pencils won't work because of the change in charging and attachment mechanism required for the Apple Pencil Pro, so that's an extra $129 that buyers will have to fork out. The USB-C Apple Pencil will work, but you'll lose out on all those cool features of the Apple Pencil 2nd-gen let alone what the new Apple Pencil Pro has to offer. Considering many new M4 iPad Pro buyers will upgrade from older models with the Apple Pencil 2nd-gen, a new stylus will be in order.

Buying a new M4 iPad Pro also means getting a new Magic Keyboard, too. Apple's product page says that the existing Magic Keyboard is only compatible with the older iPad Pros, leaving the brand-new "Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro" as the only option. That starts from $299 for the 11-inch version.

Buying a new iPad Air? You'll have the same Apple Pencil issue, meaning you'll need to buy an Apple Pencil Pro for your iPad Air if you want something better than that budget USB-C stylus. Confused yet? Thankfully the existing Magic Keyboard will work just fine, at least.

While irritating, little of that will be a surprise to seasoned iPad buyers. But what's more notable is the fact that the new iPad Air and iPad Pro don't appear to have a SIM card tray. The result? Those upgrading from an older iPad will have to switch away from their physical SIM card and start using the eSIM offered by their carrier instead. Not all carriers offer eSIMs, especially internationally, so that's something to factor in here. We'd suggest reaching out to your carrier before you take the plunge and upgrade to a new iPad just yet.

Thankfully, the new iPads might be worth the expense. The M4 iPad Pro in particular is an impressive device, powered by the M4 and still somehow the thinnest device that Apple has ever sold. Adding that new Magic Keyboard will obviously add a little girth, however.