The new iPad Air and iPad mini are here: Apple’s next generation of iPads is getting a host of features that were previously just for users of the pricier Pro range. And yes, the iPad’s headphone jack hasn’t disappeared — yet.
Apple has launched the seventh generation of its iPad tablet computer with two new products: A new iPad Air with a screen diagonal of 10.5 inches, and a new iPad mini with a smaller 7.9-inch display.
Both unveiled in New York on Monday, the two devices will feature Apple’s new A12 Bionic Chip, which is said to make the devices significantly faster than predecessor models.
For the iPad Air, this means a 70-per-cent increase in overall performance and double the graphics performance. For the iPad mini, which is getting its first update in more than three years, Apple says it can even triple the performance.
The display on the iPad Air has also gotten better, with the screen area growing by almost 20 per cent compared to the last model and also offering over half a million more pixels.
The new iPad models now support Apple’s True Tone technology, something we only saw on the iPad Pro and iPhone, where the display is automatically adjusted to the colour temperature of the ambient light.
In contrast to the pricier iPad Pro series, however, Apple is sticking with its TouchID fingerprint reader in both new models and does without the more complex FaceID facial scanner.
Apple won’t be pushing you to buy the AirPods headphones and unlike iPhones, the new iPads will still come with a conventional headphone jack.
However Apple does want you to buy its new Apple Pencil (US$99). Like the Pro models, the two new iPads can be operated with Apple’s stylus, albeit only the first generation, not the modernised second one.
Use of the stylus has opened up possibilities for creativity and productivity, allowing iPad mini and iPad Air users to draw, jot down notes, mark documents and retouch photos.
According to Apple, the front and rear cameras have also been improved.
In addition, special sensors will help offer experiences in Augmented Reality (AR).
The new iPad mini starts at 399 dollars in the US, while the iPad Air costs US$499. Add another US$130 to get LTE use in either model.
You can also upgrade storage on the iPad Mini from 64 GB to 256 GB for an extra US$150.
The announcement comes amid weakening sales in Apple’s hardware business, mainly due to a drop in demand in China.
In addition, sales of Apple’s most important product, the iPhone, were worse than expected ahead of the key Christmas season.
Nevertheless, the iPad has held up well in a difficult climate with a 17-per-cent increase in sales to US$6.73 billion. – dpa
