Apple introduced two new tablets at its launch event Thursday, showing off the thinnest and most powerful iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 with advanced features.
Apple, the renowned tech company, is bidding to reignite the love for tablets among its consumers with the launch of two new iPads. During the company's special event Thursday, Apple unveiled the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 packed with the latest tech and features. The iPad Air 2 wins the title of being the world's thinnest tablet with its 6.1mm profile and the most powerful iPad Apple has ever released.
The Apple iPad Air 2 sports high-end features with an improved Retina display, better cameras and new flagship features like the Touch ID sensor and Apple Pay. The Retina display ensures improved clarity with richer and vibrant colors. The camera sensors are widely improved with 8-megapixel iSight camera. It captures videos at 1080p resolution, timelapses, 43-megapixel panoramas, burst mode shots and slow-mo videos.
"The new iPad Air 2 is packed with amazing new innovations, weighs less than a pound, and at just 6.1 mm is the thinnest tablet in the world," Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, said in a press release, Thursday. "iPad Air 2 has a new Retina display with anti-reflective coating, second generation 64-bit A8X chip, all-new iSight and FaceTime HD cameras, faster Wi-Fi and LTE wireless, and includes the revolutionary Touch ID fingerprint identity sensor."
The iPad Air 2 is powered by a second generation 64-bit A8X processor and a M8 motion coprocessor to help gather data from its built-in accelerometer, gyroscope, compass and barometer. The latest processor delivers 40 percent improvement and the graphics are 2.5 times more than that of iPad Air. Despite all this, Apple says the new iPad Air 2 can run up to 10 hours on a single charge.
Design-wise, the iPad Air 2 continues the company's signature look with an aluminum body and no air-gap between the display and the glass. It features anti-reflective coating to reduce glare by over 50 percent, best suited for outdoor usage.
The Touch ID integration is a great addition for the new iPads along with Apple Pay. The fingerprint scanner ensures security of the device and Apple Pay, which is a part of the iOS 8.1 update, brings a new payment solution for shoppers.
The iPad mini 3 with A7 chip, 5-megapixel iSight camera and superfast wireless carries an affordable price tag, starting at $249. The iPad Air 2 starts at $500 for the 16GB version and an additional $100 for 64GB. The LTE versions will cost buyers an extra $130 premium. Availability of both the devices through Apple online store begins Friday in 29 markets including the U.S. The tablets can also be bought through national carriers including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless with subsidized offers.
Apple has also brought the popular gold hue for its new iPads along with standard space grey and silver.
