Today is the big day. Apple is going “California Streaming” and taking us with them. And not just us! The company has some new products along for the ride as well.
Which is where the brand new comes in. Apple has just unveiled the new iPad, announcing its arrival into the fall season with a bang. There were some rumors that Apple would keep the iPad announcements shelved until October, but the company decided to prove those wrong right out of the gate.
Apple started off with touchstones regarding iPadOS and the apps made specifically for the tablet lineup. But, finally, Apple got into the nitty gritty.
The new iPad
The “new iPad” is a follow-up to the company’s last new iPad. Meaning, this is the entry-level tablet in the lineup. It will not be reducing the bezels, and it will retain the Home button. However, it starts with the A13 Bionic processor under the hood. It also retains the 10.2-inch display.
The chip has has 20% faster performance overall. It’s 3X faster than the best-selling Chromebook and 6X faster than the best-selling Android-based tablet. Apple has updated the front-facing camera, with a 12MP ultra-wide camera. It has a 122-degree field of view and Center Stage.
With Center Stage, which Apple introduced in the iPad Pro. It relies on the Neural Engine and A13 Bionic, which means it will dynamically adjust the frame as the person moves around, or as more people enter the image.
The new iPad also features True Tone, something the entry-level iPad has been waiting for. The new iPad also features support for the first-generation Apple Pencil.
The new iPad still relies on LTE for cellular connectivity.
Pricing, storage, and availability
It starts at $329 ($299 for education pricing). The storage starts at 64GB and goes up from there. You’ll be able to order the new iPad starting today.
The bullet points
Apple issued a press release regarding the newest iPad, which includes a few more bullet points for the newest entry-level tablet:
- Multitasking is even more intuitive, making features like Split View and Slide Over easier to discover, easier to use, and more powerful.
- New widget layouts for the Home Screen and App Library offer simple ways to personalize the iPad experience and organize apps.
- Notes goes systemwide with Quick Note, and offers new ways to collaborate and organize, whether typing or writing with Apple Pencil.
- The Translate app comes to iPad with new features that make conversations easier and more natural, including Auto Translate and face-to-face view.
- Live Text uses on-device intelligence to recognize text in a photo and allow users to take action. For example, a snapshot of a storefront may reveal a phone number and the option to place a call.
- Focus lets users automatically filter notifications based on what they’re currently doing, such as working, reading, exercising, playing games, or sleeping.
- FaceTime calls feel more natural with spatial audio and a new Portrait mode. And now, Group FaceTime provides the option to display participants in same-size tiles in a new grid view.
Are you going to buy the new iPad?