Apple on Monday unveiled the new iPad with an all-screen design featuring a large 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display. The new iPad is powered by the A14 Bionic chip, which delivers even faster performance with incredible power efficiency for demanding tasks while still providing all-day battery life.
Updated cameras include an Ultra Wide 12MP front camera located along the landscape edge of iPad for an even better video calling experience, and an updated 12MP back camera to capture sharp, vivid photos and 4K video. A USB-C port supports a wide range of accessories, Wi-Fi 6 brings even faster connections, and cellular models feature superfast 5G so users can stay connected on the go. With iPadOS 16 and support for Apple Pencil (1st generation), iPad offers users more ways to be creative and productive.
Samuel Gibbs for The Guardian:
The 10th-gen iPad is a great tablet, but one that is a little too expensive for what it is, particularly in the UK.
It finally brings Apple’s lower-end tablet up to scratch with the rest of the line, with a more modern design. It is responsive, lasts a long time and is well made. It is brilliant for video calls, watching video, browsing, emailing, shopping and so on. And it has access to a wealth of apps and services – more so than competing Android tablets.
But it is hard to wholeheartedly recommend for the best part of £500. Shop around and you will find the 2021 iPad for about £330 – a more sensible price for a still good tablet, particularly in this economy, making it the best version for just watching video, using apps or playing games. Those looking for a more capable machine would be better off buying the iPad Air with M1 chip, which can be found for under £600.
That leaves the new iPad caught in the middle – a great tablet that really needs to cost closer to £400. Maybe one to look out for in the sales.
MacDailyNews Take: As we just wrote yesterday:
Apple’s iPad lineup is currently a bit confusing. Not anywhere near as bad a “Get the Performa 6116, not the 6115!” bad, but it’s not easily apparent to the first-time iPad customer what’s what.
The 10th gen. iPad puts a stake in the ground for next year when the 9th generation iPad goes away, along with its Home button anachronism, and the 10th gen. price drops down to take its place as “last year’s model.” With the 10th gen. now in production, production costs will come down over time. At the lower 9th gen. price point, this new iPad will make sense as the entry-level iPad.
Apple kept the 9th gen. around for a reason.
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iPad 10th Gen $450, A14 Chip, 477 grams
iPad Air $$600, M1 Chip, 461 grams
Yes, this is a goofy lineup. Not sure what the point of the Air is right now, just get the Pro.
And for the 10th Gen iPad, couldn’t Apple have at least bumped the chip up to the A15 (last year’s processor) for that price premium?
I’m guessing it’s A14 because Apple reused the base design from the previous (before M1) iPad Air, which used A14. It cost $599 retail, so reusing existing design with some cheaper parts took $150 off old price tag to make it $449 for new entry iPad. However, the entry iPad was previously one gen back compared to the smaller but more expensive iPad mini, which currently has A15. So that may be why it has A14 and not A15.
A14 is perfectly fine for its intended “consumer” audience. The new iPadOS 16 supports basic entry iPads going as far back as 2017, iPad 5th gen with A9. It has 2 cores and 2GB RAM. This new one with A14 has 6 cores and 4GB of RAM.