Apple introduced a new ultra light iPad, called the iPad Air, and a new 7.9 inch iPad mini tablet with a high resolution Retina display that gives it the same resolution as the larger iPad Air.
The Air, at 9.7 inches weighs only a pound (down from 1.4 pounds) and has a bezel that is 43 percent thinner than the previous iPad, while the entire product is 20 percent thinner. Apple said it has been working for years to get the device to the new slim form factor.
As with the new iPhone 5s, the new iPad Air uses a 64-bit A7 chip with twice the processing power as in the earlier iPad. Graphics speed is also twice as fast, as i WiFi and 3D rendering on the device. Battery life, however, remains at 10 hours. The new iPad has a 5 Megapixel camera and 1080P video capture and now uses two microphones for both audio recording and Siri.
Screen resolution is 2048 by 1536 pixels.
The Air replaces to the top of the line iPad at the same starting price of $499 and ships November 1.
The new iPad mini also uses the A7 chip so it’s four times faster than the previous mini in processing speed and eight times faster at graphics tasks. WiFi is also twice as fast. It also gets the 5MP camera with HD video and starts at $399 for the 16GB, WiFi only version. The former iPad mini stays in the line but drops to $299, down from $329, making it the lowest priced iPad. The new iPad mini will ship later in November.
Source: Apple
Big deal. Who cares?