CALIFORNIA – US tech giant Apple on Tuesday launched its new 9.7 inch iPad featured with Apple Pencil support at a special event held in Chicago.
The new iPad is aimed at the education market as it tries to regain momentum lost to Google in the world of classroom technology.
Hardware-wise, there is likely some change in the display or digitizer to enable the pressure and tilt recognition, while using an Apple pencil.
The updated iPad features 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD with a resolution of 1536 x 2048 pixels (264 ppi density), powered by Quad-core 2.34 GHz (2x Hurricane + 2x Zephyr) processor with A10 Fusion Chipset run by PowerVR Series7XT Plus (six-core graphics) GPU.
The tablet featured an 8MP, f/2.4 main camera, HD (1.2MP) Facetime selfie snapper, GPS, compass, gyroscope and accelerometer, all wrapped up in a 470 gram, metal body, measuring 240 x 169.5 x 7.5 mm. An LTE version is available as well.
For storage, there is 2GB of RAM and 32/128GB building storage and 32.4 Wh of a battery.
The new iPad will start at $329, for a 32GB Wi-Fi model and $459 for a 32GB + cellular one. The other storage option is 128GB and costs $100 extra.
Colour options include silver, space grey and a new gold finish. There is an educational discount on the Apple Pencil now as well – $89, instead of the usual $99.
The Cupertino based company also showcased a more affordable Logitech Crayon stylus accessory, priced at $49 and 200GB of free iCloud storage for students, instead of the standard 5GB.
Apple also announced Schoolwork, a new app that helps teachers create assignments and see student progress.
