Apple unveiled a thinner and lighter iPad at their event in San Francisco earlier today. The new iPad Air is just 1lbs and .30 inch thin, the new model has a 64-bit processor, similar to what the iPhone 5S has, and a 10-hr battery life. It will go on sale on November 1, wordlwide – including China, just in time for the holidays.
All-New Design.
At 1lbs and 7.5 millimeters, the bezels surrounding the new iPad Air has shrunk by 43%, resulting in a more streamlined, narrower width without sacrificing its 9.7-inch Retina screen display.
Advanced wireless.
Aside from two built-in microphones, the new iPad Air also uses two antennas ( MIMO or Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) technology to keep you connected faster on the new 802.11ac Wi-Fi networks
Increased capacity.
The iPad Air starts at $499 for 16GB and has released a 128GB version at $799.
These models come in black, white and a “space grey” version. It may be interesting to note that Apple will discontinue its iPad 4 in favor of its 2-year-old iPad 2 which starts at $399 for 16GB.
Unfortunately, the iSight camera on the new iPad Air hasn’t been updated. It still has the standard a 5-megapixel, f2.4 aperture lens of its predecessors.
iPad Air Smart Cover and Smart Case.
Due to the new iPad design, Apple changed their Smart Cover to a 3-fold (instead of the old 4-fold) cover to create a more stable triangular stand. The Smart Case has hinges that matches the new iPad Air’s shape to a T. Pricing remains unchanged at $39 for the Smart Cover and $49 for the Smart Case based on its online Apple Store.
