New iPads, iPad Air 2 & iPad Mini 3, Unveiled at Apple Event

As expected, Apple has unveiled a couple of new iPads at their big event, the second such event in recent history. After about 45 minutes of patting themselves on the back for the previous event’...
New iPads, iPad Air 2 & iPad Mini 3, Unveiled at Apple Event
Written by Josh Wolford
  • As expected, Apple has unveiled a couple of new iPads at their big event, the second such event in recent history. After about 45 minutes of patting themselves on the back for the previous event’s achievements (as Apple is wont to do), Phil Schiller finally unveiled the first of the new iPads.

    The first is the new iPad Air 2. Here are some specs:

    – 6.1mm thick, which is 18% thinner than the first iPad Air. It’s the thinnest tablet on the market. There’s now no air gap between layers, which achieves reduced internal reflection. Apple has also put an anti-reflective coating on the new iPad Air 2, which they say can achieve a 56% reduction in reflections.

    “This will be the best tablet display you’ve ever seen, and the thinnest,” says Phil Schiller.

    Here’s a comparison: on the left, a 1st-gen iPad, and on the right, two new iPad Air 2s.

    – A8X chip, their 2nd-gen, 64-bit chip. It sports three billion transistors, which Apple says produces 40% faster CPU and 2.5x faster graphic performance. The new A8X chip has 12x faster CPU than original iPad and an impressive 180x faster graphics performance than original iPad.

    – 10-hour battery life

    – New accelerometer, barometer

    Surprisingly, the camera is one the the most-beloved features of the iPad, says Schiller.

    – The new camera is an 8MP iSight camera, 1.12µ pixels, ƒ/2.4 aperture, 1080p HD video. It can now take 43 megapixel panoramas. New to the iPad air 2 camera is burst mode for high-speed action photos, as well as timelapse and slo-mo video (120fps and 720p) capabilities.

    That’s an untouched photo taken with the new iPad Air 2.

    – Dual microphones

    – New Facetime camera on the front, with a larger ƒ/2.2 aperture and can do “burst selfies” and single-shot HDR.

    – Apple also touts faster Wi-Fi (2.8x faster) and faster LTE (up to 150 Mbps).

    – As rumored, the new iPad Air 2 has a Touch ID home button, just like newer iPhones. Now you can unlock your iPad with your fingerprints, as well. Schiller said this was “one of the most requested features.” You will be able to use TouchID to make online purchases with Apple Pay.

    The iPad Air 2 will be available in silver, space gray, and yes, as rumored, gold. It will run you $499, $599, and $699 for the 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB Wi-Fi-only versions, respectively. If you want a new iPad Air 2 will cellular, it’s going to cost you $629, $729, and $829 for the 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB versions, respectively.

    Here’s a gold one:

    The iPad Mini 3 didn’t get much stage time, but it is part of the new lineup. It’s got a 7.9-inch retina display, and 5MP iSight camera, and Touch ID as well.

    It will run you $399, $499, and $599 for the 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB Wi-Fi-only versions, respectively, and $529, $629, and $729 for the 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB Wi-Fi + cellular versions, respectively.

    Both new iPads will be available for pre-order this Friday, October 17. They’ll ship by the end of next week.

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