New iPad Air and iPad mini Introduced by Apple
When Apple quietly said their website was updating, people knew something was coming up. A few hours later, Apple announced the brand new iPad Air and iPad mini, two products which haven’t been updated in years.
As an unexpected update, Apple unveiled these two products via the website instead of a press event which indicated they hope the public to focus more on the upcoming Apple Special Event (March 25, 2019, 10 a.m. local at Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, CA).
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New iPad mini and iPad Air starting at $399 (USD) and $499 (USD) respectively for the 64GB Wi-Fi models
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Both iPads feature the new A12 Bionic Chip, an advanced Retina display, and faster more reliable graphics capabilities
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Advanced cameras with the ability to capture clear photos and 1080p HD videos
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View the main features and compare new iPad models
The new iPad Air comes with a bigger 10.5-inch screen and the new Mini stays the same with a 7.9-inch screen. The screen featured Apple’s latest Retina, laminated display with True Tone technology.
Compared to the 9.7-inch iPad, the iPad Air is nearly 20 percent larger with over half a million more pixels. More detail for photo and video editing, painting and drawing, or design projects.
For the past 4 years, people have been getting tired of the almost antique A8 processor used on iPad Mini 4. This time, with the A12 Bionic chip, the new iPads deliver dramatic power and capability. Also, you can now use the 1st-generation Apple pencil on the new iPads. They still have a Touch ID home button, headphone jack, and Lightning.
The iPad mini starts at $399 (64 GB WiFi model) while the iPad Air starts at $499. They are offered in 64 GB or 256 GB storage options, and comes in silver, space gray and gold finishes. You can order them today from Apple.com and will be in stores next week.
You can also get the Wi-Fi + Cellular models for the iPad mini and iPad Air starting at $529 and $629.
The iPad mini has received a much-needed spec boost which makes it the perfect take-anywhere notepad for sketching and jotting down thoughts on the go. The iPad Air, on the other hand, which has a similar depth and weight to the 11.5-inch iPad Pro, but with a cheaper price makes it an affordable option instead of the Pro line.
Apple’s new products break the fantasy of having an all-screen design iPad Mini or Air of many consumers. It is seemingly that Apple starts to use high-end features products with a breakthrough price to grasp a share of the sizable lower-end market. However, many features of the latest iPad Pro haven’t been implemented to the iPad Mini.
Meanwhile, price-wise, $399 for the Mini is more expensive than a 9.7-inch iPad. While the performance is much improved for the new iPad Mini, the choice is up to the consumer on whether they will pay a premium for it.
Tablet shipments have declined in the past few quarters, with less creative design for Apple’s most recent updates, how long will consumer stick with the iPad?
