Source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/technology/personal-tech/app…
APPLE has launched its 5th generation iPad with a new name and, as rumoured, has released an iPad Mini with a high definition display at an event in San Francisco overnight.
Instead of iPad 5, the new 9.7-inch screen iPad is called iPad Air to emphasise it being 20 per cent thinner than its predecessor. It also is lighter, weighing 20 per cent less than the iPad 4, with a narrow bezel that Apple says will provide a more immersive experience.
The iPad Mini meanwhile features Apple’s so-called “Retina” display that packs the same number of pixels, some 3.1 million of them, found on its 9.7-inch model onto the screen of its smaller 7.9-inch sibling. It offers 108-p full HD resolution.
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The iPad Air will sell in Australia from November 1 with the new iPad Mini coming to market later in the month. Apple is making larger 128GB storage configurations available for both as well as 16, 32, and 64GB storage models.
Their appearance on the market is timely for Apple, given the competition the iPad now faces in the lead up to Christmas.
This year, Apple faces not only refreshed Android tablets by the likes of Samsung, Google, Acer, Asus, Sony and Google, but also an Armada fleet of new Windows 8.1 tablets made by Microsoft, Nokia and Toshiba. Some of the new Windows 8.1 tablets include offering a full Windows desktop experience on an HDMI-connected display.
The competition couldn’t be hotter. Nokia announced its first Windows 8 tablet computer just yesterday.
Both iPads feature Apple’s new power-efficient A7 chipset with 64-bit desktop-class architecture, ultrafast wireless with faster built-in Wi-Fi and expanded 4G LTE cellular connectivity.
Apple said the A7 chipset offered up to twice the CPU and graphics performance on iPad Air, and up to four times the CPU and eight times the graphics performance on iPad mini with Retina display than predecessors.
As with the 5S, both iPads also feature a second M7 motion coprocessor that gathers data from the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass to offload work from the A7 for improved power efficiency.
However there was no mention of either having the fingerprint scanner for unlocking the device that Apple released with the iPhone 5S last month. It isn’t included.
Both devices have antennas that double the Wi-Fi performance with faster routers, offering transfer speeds of up to 300 megabits per second.
In Australia the iPad Air will be available in silver or “space grey” for $598, $699, $799 and $899 for W16, 32, 64 and 128GB storage Wi-Fi models. Corresponding cellular versions will cost $749, $849, $949 and $1049 for the same storage configurations.
iPad Mini will be available in the same colours and Wi-Fi models will cost $479, $598, $699 and $799 for 16, 32, 64 and 138 GB storage configurations, with cellular versions costing $$629, $749, $849 and $949 for the same configurations.
The original iPad Mini will be discounted to $349 and $499 for Wi-Fi only and cellular 16GB models and will offer price competition against the cheaper Android and Windows 8 tablets. - See more at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/technology/personal-tech/app…
I was really looking forward to this release. When they announced the iPad mini 2 would have a retina display, I was ecstatic but then they announced the price… I can't believe the iPad mini has risen by $100 of last gen's release price. With technology, you'd expect the iPad with retina would be cheaper.
I'm ditching the iPad mini 2 this year in favour of the $270 Nexus 7 (2013) tablets. My friend has 2 Nexus 7s bought from the Officeworks sale, one unopened, so I'll just pay him.