Days ago, Apple announced a new iPad at its education-focused event in Chicago. The Cupertino giant launched the refreshed 9.7-inch iPad With Apple Pencil Support and upgraded with the Apple-designed A10 Fusion SoC with M10 motion coprocessor, the same chip powering the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
The new iPad runs iOS 11.3 and feature advanced sensors that enable immersive augmented reality (AR) experiences. It has the same 9.7-inch Retina display, aluminium unibody design, Touch ID, built-in front and rear cameras, cellular (LTE) option and 10 hours of battery life.
The new 9.7-inch iPad for a price tag starting at US$ 329 for the 32GB/Wi-Fi only model and US$ 459 for the 32GB/Wi-Fi + Cellular model. Apple is offering the new iPad to schools priced at US$ 299 and the Apple Pencil which initially costs US$ 99 separately for a reduced price of US$ 89.
The iPad is available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers as well as the Apple Store. It will arrive in Silver, Space Gray and a new Gold finish. Apple also released updates to its suite of apps including Pages, Numbers and Keynote. Also, iCloud education plans now includes up to 200GB of storage.
Despite the US$ 30, getting the iPad (US$ 299) along with the Apple Pencil (US$ 89) and Bluetooth Keyboard (US$ 100) could potentially cost up to US$ 500. This is very expensive considering leading competitor; Google has cheaper Chromebook options (starting at $150) for the education sector. Also, the search giant recently teamed up with Acer to launch the first Chrome OS tablet.
