As expected, Apple has launched a new iPad at its education-focused event today. The company’s online store had been taken down hours before the event which also suggested that a new product was on the horizon. The reports about this iPad have turned out to be true. The new product announced today is a 9.7 inch iPad with support for the Apple Pencil.
The new iPad is the successor to the 9.7 inch model it launched last year. There’s really not a lot of difference between the two as far as the display size and form factor are concerned. It looks almost identical to its predecessor.
Contrary to recent reports, the new iPad sticks with the Touch ID fingerprint sensor in the home button and doesn’t move to the Face ID facial recognition system that Apple debuted with the iPhone X last year and is expected to bring to iPads this year.
It’s powered by Apple’s A10 Fusion processor which promises to provide a 40 percent improvement in performance and 50 percent improvement in graphics performance. The cameras remain the same, it has an 8 megapixel rear camera and a FaceTime HD camera. Apple says that the battery life is good for ten hours.
It’s available for purchase starting today in silver, space gray, and gold colors. Apple will deliver it to customers later this week and that’s also when it will be available for purchase through its stores.
This is the first iPad outside Apple’s iPad Pro range to have support for the Apple Pencil. The stylus lets users draw on the tablet with pressure and tilt sensitivity. It remains an additional purchase priced at $99.
The new 9.7 inch iPad is available with 32GB of storage in Wi-Fi and LTE flavors for $329 and $459 respectively. Schools will be able to buy the Wi-Fi-only model for $299.