Just as expected, Apple has today announced an update of its popular 9.7-inch iPad, with the addition of support for Apple Pencil and improved performance, all for a lower starting price of $329.
Apple made the announcement at its Field Trip educational event in Chicago today, where it revealed that the regular, non-Pro iPad is now more versatile than ever, with the addition of Apple Pencil enabling users to take handwritten notes, sketch out ideas, and mark up screenshots.
The new iPad boasts a large Retina display, the A10 Fusion chip, and advanced sensors designed for immersive augmented reality features, as well as all-day battery life.
“iPad is our vision for the future of computing and hundreds of millions of people around the world use it every day at work, in school and for play. This new 9.7-inch iPad takes everything people love about our most popular iPad and makes it even better for inspiring creativity and learning,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of Product Marketing. “Our most popular and affordable iPad now includes support for Apple Pencil, bringing the advanced capabilities of one of our most creative tools to even more users. This iPad also has the power of the A10 Fusion chip, combined with the big, beautiful Retina display, advanced cameras and sensors that enable incredible AR experiences simply not possible on other devices.”
Apple Pencil was first introduced for the iPad Pro, and has become an incredibly popular tool for creators, students, and other professionals, hence Apple now making it available to a wider audience with a more affordable iPad.
Apple Pencil uses advanced sensors to measure pressure and tilt, and can be used with apps such as Notability, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and Microsoft Office. And thanks to the iPad’s palm-rejection technology, you can even rest your hand on the screen while using Apple Pencil.
The new iPad has the Apple-designed A10 Fusion chip with 64-bit desktop-class architecture, leading to 40% faster CPU and 50% faster graphics performance. The front- and rear-facing cameras offer great low-light performance and HD video recording for document scanning, moviemaking and FaceTime calls.
Apple is also promoting the new iPad’s ability to act as a large viewfinder for immersive AR experiences and the new generation of AR apps.
The iPad has an aluminum unibody, and ultrafast wireless capable of delivering 2x faster cellular date connections.
There are three colour options available, silver, space gray, and the new gold finish. The starting retail price is $329 (US) for the 32GB with Wi-Fi model and $459 (US) for the 32GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model.
Apple Pencil can be purchased separately for $99 (US).
The iPad and Apple Pencil are also available for schools to purchase for $299 (US) and $89 (US) respectively.
Pre-orders start from today in more than 25 countries, and will be on sale later this week.
Source: Apple