By: iPadfanzz staff on October 23, 2013
As expected, Cupertino-based Apple has given a major design overhaul to fifth-generation version of its 9.7-inch flagship tablet.
It's now the "iPad Air" and has the same 9.7-inch display as all of its predecessors, but with an updated shape following the design language of the iPad mini.
It weighs just one pound, making it the lightest full size tablet in the world. It is .4 lbs lighter than previous generations. Also, the iPad Air only 7.5mm thick, which is 25 percent thinner than previous iPads.
The new iPad Air is 20 per cent thinner, 28 per cent lighter and has 43 per cent smaller bezels than last year’s iPad 4. According to the tech giant, the new tablet is the thinnest full-sized tablet in the world. The 9.7 inch iPad Air with Retina display looks a lot similar to the iPad mini.
The new tablet does not have the TouchID feature the company last displayed on the iPhone 5S.
Giving some performance boost, Apple has now upgraded the iPad’s processor to the A7. The iPad Air now has the same 64-bit A7 chip and the M7 motion co-processor that was introduced recently with the iPhone 5S. That means the new tablet is eight times faster than the original iPad and renders 72 times faster graphics as compared to first version. According to Apple, the iPad Air now comes with a 2x improvement in CPU performance and a 2x improvement in GPU performance over last year's fourth-generation model.
The A7 chip is accompanied by that M7 motion co-processor that was used in the iPhone 5s, which focuses on computing information generated from the sensors to make the device smarter all around. The 64-bit architecture chip contains more than 1 billion transistors.
The device also gets its Wi-Fi upgraded to MIMO technology, gaining multiple antennas that provide data transfer at up to 300Mbps over 802.11n.
On the camera front, the iPad Air just have a 5MP iSight camera. The 1.2 megapixel 720p FaceTime camera has been upgraded to a camera that can shoot in FullHD 1920 x 1080 resolution, though.
Overall, the new iPad has taken most of its design cues from the iPad mini and the more recent iPhones, starting with the chamfered edges and the new silver and "space gray" rear shells.
Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller hailed it as a "screaming fast iPad," noting that it is eight times faster than the original model that came out in 2010.
The iPad (fifth generation) will be available in black, white, silver, and space gray (no gold, for some reason), and will replace the current generation (fourth) iPad at a $499 starting price. Wifi + Cellular starts at $629.
Meanwhile, the iPad 2 will remain in the line up for $399.
New iPads will be available on November 1, just in time for the holidays.
As expected, Cupertino-based Apple has given a major design overhaul to fifth-generation version of its 9.7-inch flagship tablet.
It's now the "iPad Air" and has the same 9.7-inch display as all of its predecessors, but with an updated shape following the design language of the iPad mini.
It weighs just one pound, making it the lightest full size tablet in the world. It is .4 lbs lighter than previous generations. Also, the iPad Air only 7.5mm thick, which is 25 percent thinner than previous iPads.
The new iPad Air is 20 per cent thinner, 28 per cent lighter and has 43 per cent smaller bezels than last year’s iPad 4. According to the tech giant, the new tablet is the thinnest full-sized tablet in the world. The 9.7 inch iPad Air with Retina display looks a lot similar to the iPad mini.
The new tablet does not have the TouchID feature the company last displayed on the iPhone 5S.
Giving some performance boost, Apple has now upgraded the iPad’s processor to the A7. The iPad Air now has the same 64-bit A7 chip and the M7 motion co-processor that was introduced recently with the iPhone 5S. That means the new tablet is eight times faster than the original iPad and renders 72 times faster graphics as compared to first version. According to Apple, the iPad Air now comes with a 2x improvement in CPU performance and a 2x improvement in GPU performance over last year's fourth-generation model.
The A7 chip is accompanied by that M7 motion co-processor that was used in the iPhone 5s, which focuses on computing information generated from the sensors to make the device smarter all around. The 64-bit architecture chip contains more than 1 billion transistors.
The device also gets its Wi-Fi upgraded to MIMO technology, gaining multiple antennas that provide data transfer at up to 300Mbps over 802.11n.
On the camera front, the iPad Air just have a 5MP iSight camera. The 1.2 megapixel 720p FaceTime camera has been upgraded to a camera that can shoot in FullHD 1920 x 1080 resolution, though.
Overall, the new iPad has taken most of its design cues from the iPad mini and the more recent iPhones, starting with the chamfered edges and the new silver and "space gray" rear shells.
Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller hailed it as a "screaming fast iPad," noting that it is eight times faster than the original model that came out in 2010.
The iPad (fifth generation) will be available in black, white, silver, and space gray (no gold, for some reason), and will replace the current generation (fourth) iPad at a $499 starting price. Wifi + Cellular starts at $629.
Meanwhile, the iPad 2 will remain in the line up for $399.
New iPads will be available on November 1, just in time for the holidays.
