New iPad Pro, iPad Air to Get Key Day-One Software Updates

As the new iPad Pro and iPad Air make their way to customers within the next 24 hours, Apple has shared details about a special day-one software update.

While the devices will come with iPadOS 17.4 preinstalled, an immediate upgrade to iPadOS 17.5 will be available in the Settings app, according to MacRumors.

iPadOS 17.5, with a unique build number of 21F84 on the new iPads, introduces modified release notes focusing on improved document scanning.

Among the highlights are:

• Offline mode in Apple News+ for uninterrupted access.
• Quartiles, a new daily word game now available in Apple News+.
• Enhanced tracking notifications, including cross-platform tracking detection.
• Improved document scanning specifically tailored for the new iPad Air and iPad Pro.

The new iPad Pro models featuring the M4 chip boast an “adaptive True Tone flash” designed to enhance document scanning. Apple suggests that with AI assistance, this feature can eliminate shadows on scanned documents for superior results.

According to Apple’s press release, the adaptive True Tone flash automatically identifies documents and adjusts the flash accordingly. This ensures that even if a shadow obstructs the document, the scan is optimized with multiple photos and stitching, resulting in a dramatically improved scan.

While the new iPad Air doesn’t include adaptive True Tone flash, Apple promises enhanced document scanning capabilities. However, the specifics of these improvements remain unclear.