This week, Apple announced the seventh generation of its entry-level iPad, and it’s a weird little beast. The screen is a little larger than last year’s model, and you can now use a full-sized Smart Keyboard, but the processor remains the same and the overall design has only slightly changed…
Let’s compare the new kid on the block to this year’s iPad Air, which has a 10.5-inch Retina display that’s now very close in size to what you’d get on the 10.2-inch iPad. The bodies of both models now measure exactly 9.8 inches by 6.8 inches, although the Air has a tiny advantage in thinness. The Air costs more, but unless you’re really just out to save money or you don’t think you’ll need more space, the iPad Air undoubtedly will be the smarter buy at this size.
MacDailyNews Take: iPad starts at $329. iPad Air starts at $499 [$469 at Amazon]. The difference between the iPad’s A10 Fusion chip and the iPad Air’s A12 Bionic chip alone is more than enough to justify the extra $140.