Apple has launched the thinnest ever iPad Air 2 with thickness of just 6.1 mm and it weighs just 437 grams. The iPad Air 2 has a 9.7 inch Retina display with resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels. This tablet features an improved Retina display for enhanced contrast and richer, more vibrant colors. Apple has also introduced iPad mini 3 tablet.This tablet has a 7.9 inch Retina display with 2048 x 1536 pixels.
Both the tablets come with Touch ID, which will enable users to unlock their iPad with just the touch of a finger and can be used as a secure way to approve purchases from the App Store, iTunes Store or iBooks Store, and with Apple Pay, when paying for physical goods and services within apps.
iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 come in three gorgeous metallic finishes including gold, silver and space gray.
The iPad Air 2 is powered by the new Apple-designed A8X chip, which is claimed to deliver a 40 percent improvement in CPU performance and 2.5 times the graphics performance of iPad Air. This tablet is capable of delivering upto 10-hour battery life. iPad Air 2 also includes the M8 motion coprocessor that was introduced on iPhone 6. It also has anti-reflective coating, which is stated to reduce glare by 56 percent for a clearer display in the office, the classroom or outdoors.
The iPad Air 2 comes with improved 8MP camera with new features including panoramic in Photos, time-lapse video, burst mode as well as HDR stills and video, slow-motion and 1080p HD video.
The iPad Air 2 has faster connectivity options with 802.11ac Wi-Fi with Multiple-In-Multiple-Out (MIMO) technology for 2.8 times the Wi-Fi performance of iPad Air at data rates up to 866 Mbps. iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi + Cellular integrates even more LTE bands and comes with expanded LTE for up to 50 percent faster cellular connections plus support for other fast cellular technology around the world (DC-HSDPA, HSPA+).
The new iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 runs on iOS 8.1 and comes with continuity features across iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite that enable all your Apple products to work together seamlessly.
“iPad is a magical piece of glass that runs more than 675,000 apps specifically designed for it, and is thin and light enough that you can comfortably hold it all day; the new iPad Air 2 is packed with amazing new innovations, weighs less than a pound, and at just 6.1 mm is the thinnest tablet in the world,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPad Air 2 has a new Retina display with anti-reflective coating, second generation 64-bit A8X chip, all-new iSight and FaceTime HD cameras, faster Wi-Fi and LTE wireless, and includes the revolutionary Touch ID fingerprint identity sensor.”
Pricing & Availability
Both iPads will be up for pre-order on 17th October and will be available in 29 countries starting later next week in the US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China (Wi-Fi models only), Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau (Wi-Fi models only), Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
Availability in Croatia, Greece, Puerto Rico, Russia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and elsewhere around the world, will continue through the end of October with additional global availability in the coming months.
iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi models will be available for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 64GB model and $699 (US) for the 128GB model. iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi + Cellular models will be available for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 64GB model and $829 (US) for the 128GB model. iPad mini 3 with Wi-Fi models will be available for a suggested retail price of $399 (US) for the 16GB model, $499 (US) for the 64GB model and $599 (US) for the 128GB model. iPad mini 3 with Wi-Fi + Cellular models will be available for a suggested retail price of $529 (US) for the 16GB model, $629 (US) for the 64GB model and $729 (US) for the 128GB model.
Apple has also announced the prices for India market. iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi models will cost Rs 35,900 for the 16GB model, Rs 42,900 for the 64GB model and Rs 49,900 for the 128GB model. iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi + Cellular models will have price tag of Rs 45,900 for the 16GB model, Rs 52,900 for the 64GB model and Rs 59,900 for the 128GB model.
iPad Mini 3 with Wi-Fi models will be sold for Rs 28,900 for the 16GB model, Rs 35,900 for the 64GB model and Rs 42,900 for the 128GB model. iPad Mini 3 with WiFi + Cellular models will be available at a suggested retail price of Rs 38,900 for the 16GB model, Rs 45,900 for the 64GB model and Rs 52,900 for the 128GB model.
Since Apple has revealed the Indian prices of new iPads, it is quite clear that they will be available very shortly in India. Apple is desperate to push its tablets not only in India but worldwide because of surge of Android tablets especially of Samsung and other players especailly companies like Lenovo, which have come out recently with very innovative tablet designs. Google has also launched two days ago HTC made Nexus 9 tablet to give competition to Apple’s new iPads.
As expected, Apple has slashed the prices of some older 16GB, Wi-Fi only iPad models. The iPad mini with Retina display will be available from Rs. 21,900, and the original iPad mini will now start selling at Rs. 17,900. The iPad Air will now be available starting at Rs. 28,900.
