Wednesday, September 15th 2021
Apple Launches New iPads
Apple has launched a host of new products, with a pair of new iPads and no less than four new iPhones and a new Apple Watch. Whether you're a fan of Apple products or not, there's no denying that the company has business acumen and delivers products that its target audience likes.
Starting with the new iPad, which is technically the least exciting product announced, we're looking at a 10.2-inch display with a resolution of 2160x1620 pixels and 264 ppi with 500 nits brightness. The iPad also features an Apple A13 SoC, an 8MP wide angle camera with a ƒ/2.4 aperture and 1080p30 video support. Maybe more importantly, at least in current times, the front facing camera has been updated to a 12MP ultra wide camera that can record video at 1080p60.
Other features of the iPad includes optional LTE data support, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and oddly enough just Bluetooth 4.2 support. The LTE models also have a built-in GPS/GNSS receiver. Apple's Touch ID is also supported, alongside the usual sensors. The iPad will be available in either a 64 GB or 256 GB SKU and both come with a 20 W charger. The new iPad starts at US$329.
Somewhat more interesting, is the new iPad mini, which not only gets an updated design, borrowing the flat frame design from the iPhone 12 series, but also does away with the lightning connector in favour of USB-C. The new design means that the Touch ID has been moved to the top edge of the iPad mini, rather than sitting below the display. The display measures 8.3-inches and has a resolution of 2266x1488 pixels with a 326 pixel ppi and once again 500 nits brightness.
Processing wise, the iPad mini gets the new A15 Bionic, although Apple has stayed at six CPU cores, which presumably means two high-performance cores and four efficiency cores. Apple has also equipped the A15 with up to five graphics cores, all of which are in use in this case and a 16-core NPU.
The iPad mini gets a pair of 12MP cameras, the rear one with a ƒ/1.8 aperture and support for 4K video at up to 60fps, whereas the front camera goes ultra wide with an ƒ/2.4 aperture and 1080p60 video support. This time around, Apple has added support for 802.11ax/Wi-Fi 6, as well as Bluetooth 5.0. For those looking at the cellular model, 5G will be part of the package, but mmWave support doesn't seem to be included. As with the iPad, we're looking at 64 and 256 GB SKUs for the iPad mini and you still get a 20 W charger in the box. Pricing starts at US$499, with cellular connectivity starting at $649.
Source:
Apple
Starting with the new iPad, which is technically the least exciting product announced, we're looking at a 10.2-inch display with a resolution of 2160x1620 pixels and 264 ppi with 500 nits brightness. The iPad also features an Apple A13 SoC, an 8MP wide angle camera with a ƒ/2.4 aperture and 1080p30 video support. Maybe more importantly, at least in current times, the front facing camera has been updated to a 12MP ultra wide camera that can record video at 1080p60.
Somewhat more interesting, is the new iPad mini, which not only gets an updated design, borrowing the flat frame design from the iPhone 12 series, but also does away with the lightning connector in favour of USB-C. The new design means that the Touch ID has been moved to the top edge of the iPad mini, rather than sitting below the display. The display measures 8.3-inches and has a resolution of 2266x1488 pixels with a 326 pixel ppi and once again 500 nits brightness.
The iPad mini gets a pair of 12MP cameras, the rear one with a ƒ/1.8 aperture and support for 4K video at up to 60fps, whereas the front camera goes ultra wide with an ƒ/2.4 aperture and 1080p60 video support. This time around, Apple has added support for 802.11ax/Wi-Fi 6, as well as Bluetooth 5.0. For those looking at the cellular model, 5G will be part of the package, but mmWave support doesn't seem to be included. As with the iPad, we're looking at 64 and 256 GB SKUs for the iPad mini and you still get a 20 W charger in the box. Pricing starts at US$499, with cellular connectivity starting at $649.
9 Comments on Apple Launches New iPads
but yeah I need a little device for watching movies in bed, etc. this will last me a solid 4-5 years if not more.
my phone is so junky it can't even play magic the gathering arena... so yeah this will be nice... plus it has a nicer screen than the ipad $329 variant. I wouldn't mind that one but honestly its just to hard to hold in bed. the mini allows me to hold with one hand and still enjoy. plus it has a slightly better screen (p3 gamut vs srgb on $329 model) and that 5nm a15 chip will allow me to enjoy the latest mobile stuff for years to come.
there are some Apple only stuff I have been wanting to play for years, like the Infinity Blade games, Brandon Sanderson one of my favorite authors wrote the stories for them. but its Apple only.
Now the regular iPad is a joke, I get that it's the entry point but keeping the lightning port, the stupid original apple pencil that used said lightning port to charge, the huge bezels and front button, cmon, what a terrible product. They should just have made the mini slightly cheaper and/or get a cheaper variant of the air close to that price point, this is just out of place