So much for “Apple can’t keep a secret any more.” As Phil Schiller introduced the new iPads today, and dropped a bomb on all of us – The iPad Air!
From the Apple iPad Air Press Release:
“iPad created an entirely new mobile computing experience, and the new iPad Air is another big leap ahead. It is so thin, light and powerful, once you hold one in your hand you will understand what a tremendous advancement this is,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPad Air with its 9.7-inch Retina display weighs just one pound and packs the incredible performance of iOS 7 running on a 64-bit desktop-class Apple A7 chip, and delivers all-day battery life in the lightest full-sized tablet in the world.”
The new “iPad Air” is just 7.5mm thin, 20% thinner than the previous model. It weighs just 1 pound, down from 1.4 pounds for the previous full-size iPad.
The new device boasts a 9.7-inch Retina display with a smaller bezel. 43% thinner.
The Air will be powered by the same 64-bit A7 processor found in the iPhone 5s, and does include the M7 motion coprocessor. The new Air will boast up to 8x faster performance, and will be 2x faster at opening files.
Battery life will come in at 10 hours, your mileage may vary.
It will sport a 5 megapixel iSight camera on the backside, and a 1080p FaceTime camera on the front. It will also boast dual microphones.
The iPad mini will “feature two antennas to support Multiple-In-Multiple-Out (MIMO) technology, bringing twice the Wi-Fi performance to iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display at a blazingly fast data rate up to 300 Mbps. Cellular models also come with expanded LTE coverage to accommodate even more LTE networks worldwide, while continuing to deliver comprehensive support for other fast cellular technology around the world (DC-HSDPA, HSPA+), all in a single model.”
iPad Air with Wi-Fi models will be available in silver or space gray starting on Friday, November 1, for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model, $699 (US) for the 64GB model and $799 (US) for the 128GB model.
iPad Air with Wi-Fi + Cellular will be available starting on Friday, November 1 for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model, $829 (US) for the 64GB model and $929 (US) for the 128GB model.
The iPad 2 will be hanging around for another year, and is available at $399 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and $529 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G model for either AT&T or Verizon.
Be sure to read our complete coverage of todays event here.
