Apple Unveils a New 9.7-inch iPad, Its Cheapest Yet

There are now enough iPhone and iPad models of nearly every size, storage capacity, and color (well, except for rose gold).

As mentioned numerous times, the new iPad is basically a cheap version of the iPad Air 2.

Why the company made a decision to add a cheaper tablet, while simultaneously dropping the iPad Air, can be attributed to several factors, according to the research analysts TWICE spoke with.

Lastly is Swift Playground, the app for iPad that lets you (and your kids) learn Apple’s Swift programming code in a fun and interactive game-like environment.

The 9.7-inch iPad comes with a 12-megapixel f/2.2 rear camera while the new iPad comes with an 8-megapixel f/2.2 camera. The new iPad is relatively bulky, measuring at 7.5mm thin and weighing 1.03 pounds. Well, the weight difference won’t make much of a difference, but it is something worth pointing out. It features a display resolution of 2,224×1,668 ppi, but in essence, shares the same pixels-per-inch configuration with the 9.7-inch model. To read about the rest of the range, turn to our iPad buying guide 2017, and our reviews of the iPad Pro 9.7 and iPad Pro 12.9.

Multitasking features including Slide Over, Split View and Picture-in-Picture.

The new iPad comes with an Apple A9 processor, while the iPad Pro comes with an A9X processor. This should present some modest uplift to performance over the iPad Air 2, but it will be nothing to get excited about.

The only information that the firm has are the identifiers of the alleged iPad Pro 2 variants, which are: iPad 7,4; iPad 7,3; iPad 7,2; and iPad 7,1. The camera can capture 1080p videos at 30fps.

The new iPad will also be more affordable than the previous model with the 32GB Wi-Fi model in Canada starting at only $449 and $619 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. On both slates, you get Apple’s high-quality aluminum unibody build, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the front, and the usual buttons and ports along the sides. “Apple’s decision to launch a more affordable tablet demonstrates that Apple can no longer exclusively rely on a premium assortment in a market that is facing falling prices”.

As written in DigiTimes, Apple has moved ahead of the production for its planned new 10.5-inch iPad Pro to March and is expected to unveil the new iPad at a product event to be held in early April according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers. The iPad gets the more powerful Apple 64-bit A9 chip, a step up from the iPad Air 2 A8X chip. It actually makes sense, If you think about the fact that past year we got to see the iPad Pro 9.7 inches on March 21. Sure, the usual fanfare of a launch was missing.

Has Apple shifted its product launch strategy?

The “cheap” iPad is part of a refresh of products that Apple already has been making but are probably not shifting that well.