Hot on the heels of Apple’s September event, which saw the announcement of the iPhone 14 range, AirPods 3rd-Gen and AppleWatch Series 8 and two other models, the tech giant has unveiled more product updates — this time to its iPad range.
At an event on Wednesday, October 19, the company unveiled a “completely redesigned”, 10th Gen iPad and a “supercharged”, 6th Gen iPad Pro.
“We’re so excited to bring the completely redesigned iPad to our most advanced iPad lineup ever,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.
“With a large 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, powerful A14 Bionic chip, a first-ever landscape front camera, fast wireless connectivity, USB-C, and support for incredible accessories like the new Magic Keyboard Folio, the new iPad delivers more value, more versatility — and is simply more fun.”
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The new iPad comes in four colours — blue, pink, yellow, and silver — and has a more squared design and more screen space than its predecessor. The home button has also been replaced with a fingerprint reader in the power button and a USB-C in place of the lightning connector. The iPad can come with WiFi only or with WiFi and 5G cellular.
Also in the line-up is an iPad Pro, which comes in an 11-inch model and a 12.9-inch. Both models use a 2nd Gen Apple Pencil — available to purchase separately — that can now detect up to 12mm above the display, as well as an M2 processor that Apple says will make it up to 15% faster than the M1 processor in the iPad Pro 2021.
“The next-generation iPad Pro pushes the boundaries of what’s possible on iPad, bringing even more versatility, power, and portability to the ultimate iPad experience,” said Joswiak. “Powered by the M2 chip, the new iPad Pro features incredible performance and the most advanced technologies, including a next-level Apple Pencil hover experience, ProRes video capture, superfast wireless connectivity, and powerful iPadOS 16 features. There’s nothing else like it.”
So, are the new iPads — both with heftier price tags — worth the upgrade? It all comes down to what you plan on using the iPad for. The new iPad runs faster, allows for better video calls and, if you want to use it as a laptop, can now be used with a better keyboard. The new Magic Keyboard Folio, which you have to buy separately, is a major upgrade from the Smart Keyboard offering with the 9th Gen iPad.
As for the iPad Pro, appearance-wise, it doesn’t look too different from 2021’s model. The most significant differences between the two are the M2 chip and Apple Pencil, which might not be enough to justify an upgrade. With that in mind, if you don’t already have an iPad Pro, though, and want one, you might want to look at a discounted 2021 model.
Both the iPad and iPad Pro will be available to order from Wednesday, October 19 online and from Thursday, October 27 in-store.
The iPad comes in 64GB and 256GB configurations and starts at $749 for WiFi models and $999 for WiFi + Cellular.
The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,399 for the WiFi model and $1649 for the WiFi + Cellular. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,899 for the WiFi model and $2149 for the WiFi + Cellular.
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