Apple unveiled its fifth generation iPad, now dubbed the "iPad Air," on Tuesday at its annual event in San Francisco. Below are five new features to know.
1. A new, aluminum unibody design makes the iPad Air even leaner and lighter than its predecessor. The new tablet weighs only one pound. The sleek design is 28 percent lighter and 20 percent thinner than the fourth generation iPad.
Height: 9.4 inches (240mm) Width: 6.6 inches (169.5 mm)
Depth: 0.29 inch (7.5 mm) Weight: 1 pound (469 g) WiFi / 1.05 pounds (479 g) Wifi + Cellular
2. While the iPad Air's overall size decreased, the Retina display size has remained the same. The display boasts a 2048-by-1536 resolution with more than 3.1 million pixels.
The 9.7 inch (diagonal) display is still LED-backlit with IPS technology to allow for a wide viewing angle.
3. The iPad Air is nearly twice as fast now with the A7 chip, which has a 64-bit architecture. The powerful processor also supports OpenGL ES version 3.0, which enables "detailed graphics and visual effects once possible only on desktop computers and game consoles," according to Apple.com.
A separate chip, the M7 coprocessor, is dedicated solely to measuring the motion from the device. By drawing data from the accelerometer, compass and gyroscope, the M7 creates a better, more accurate user-experience for apps relying on the movement of the tablet.
The A7 chip is the same chip used in the iPhone 5s. The graphics are 72-times faster than the original iPad, according to CNET.com
Even with the powerful processor, Apple promises the battery will still last up to 10 hours.
4. iOS 7 was designed to run seamlessly on the iPad Air. The new operating system features a new control center, an AirDrop and "smarter" multitasking. For more information about iOS 7, watch Apple's video HERE.
5. Two antennas and MIMO (multiple-input multiple-out) technology make the iPad Air's WiFi up to twice as fast. It uses the 802.11n Wi-Fi standard with dual-band technology (2.4GHz and 5GHz). Downloads can now reach close to 300 Mbps, nearly double the speeds of the iPad 4.
The iPad Air is available for purchase on Friday, Nov. 1.
PRICING:
WiFi: $499 (16GB) / $599 (32GB) / $699 (64GB) / $799 (128GB)
WiFi + Cellular: $629 (16GB) / $729 (32GB) / $829 (64GB) / $929 (128GB)
*Specs and information via Apple.com.
