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Apple Announces Thinner, Lighter iPad Air With 64-Bit A7 Processor

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At today's media event in San Francisco, Apple debuted its much-anticipated fifth-generation iPad, re-named the iPad Air, which has been redesigned to resemble Apple's thinner-bezeled iPad mini. With its narrower side bezels and a slimmer form factor, the iPad Air is significantly lighter and smaller than the fourth-generation iPad, weighing in at only one pound. The iPad Air is 20 percent thinner and 28 percent lighter than the fourth-generation iPad.

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Along with a redesigned chassis, the new iPad includes a 2048x1536 Retina display with a film-based sensor and an upgraded 64-bit A7 processor alongside the M7 motion coprocessor, plus a 5-megapixel rear iSight camera and a next generation FaceTime HD camera with improved backside illumination for better low-light performance.

With the A7 chip, the iPad Air offers twice the CPU and graphics performance of the previous iPad. The 64-bit architecture supports Open GL ES version 3.0, for "game console-like visual effects."
"iPad created an entirely new mobile computing experience, and the new iPad Air is another big leap ahead. It is so thin, light and powerful, once you hold one in your hand you will understand what a tremendous advancement this is," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "iPad Air with its 9.7-inch Retina display weighs just one pound and packs the incredible performance of iOS 7 running on a 64-bit desktop-class Apple A7 chip, and delivers all-day battery life in the lightest full-sized tablet in the world."
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Available in white/silver and black/space gray, the iPad Air comes in both 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and LTE cellular models that feature two antennas to support Multiple-In-Multiple-Out (MIMO) technology, which offers twice the Wi-Fi performance and data rates up to 300Mbps. Cellular models also feature expanded LTE coverage for additional worldwide LTE networks.

The iPad Air continues to offer up to 10 hours of battery life and is available in capacities ranging from 16 GB to 128 GB. U.S. Pricing remains the same as previous models, at $499/$599/$699/$799 for Wi-Fi versions, plus an additional $129 for comparable cellular versions. The iPad Air will be available on November 1 at 8 a.m. local time in the United States and more than 40 other countries in Europe and Asia.

The iPad Air will replace the current full-sized fourth-generation iPad, but Apple will continue to sell the iPad 2 at $399 for the 16 GB model. Alongside the iPad Air, Apple has also announced new Smart Covers and cases designed to fit the smaller chassis.

Article Link: Apple Announces Thinner, Lighter iPad Air With 64-Bit A7 Processor
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2013/10/22/apple-announces-thinner-lighter-ipad-air-with-64-bit-a7-processor/
I definitely see a bigger 13-inch iPad Pro coming now. If not, what in the world is up with this name?
 
$400 for the iPad Mini? No Touch ID? No multi-user accounts? :confused: Hello Nexus 7.
 
So.. iPad Air got better dimensions and weight, and that's about it. Same processor as a phone. It may be a great processor, but iPad pushes a lot more pixels. Will it even be as fast?

Better wifi is pointless. It's wifi was already faster than the internet pipe, the limiting factor. No better camera. Same crippling base storage size. No fingerprint sensor. Probably same RAM (have to wait for a tear down).

Pretty incremental upgrade overall. Hardly impressive.
 
Why would anyone buy the iPad 2nd gen for $100 less than the 5th gen?

Surely far better off buying a used 4th gen for the same money
 
wow, ipad air and mini. now the only difference is the screen size with almost the same spec. seems like a great decision.
 
I think I'm going to jump in and get an iPad this year (never have had one so any would be a major upgrade to nothing). The Touch ID would have been great but this at least has the A7 processor.
 
Razeus said:
$400 for the iPad Mini? No Touch ID? No multi-user accounts? :confused: Hello Nexus 7.
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Comments such as this are ridiculous. If you haven't bought an iPad by now, you already have your reasons. I didn't think the trolls would come out on page one.

I've been building my arm muscles on the iPad 4. This is some much needed reduction in weight. Day one for me.
 
I like it a lot, but I think I'll be holding out for Touch ID and 802.11ac (though MIMO was a nice addition). Hopefully iOS 8 will bring a UI that takes better advantage of the iPad's screen real estate.
redscull said:
So.. iPad Air got better dimensions and weight, and that's about it. Same processor as a phone. It may be a great processor, but iPad pushes a lot more pixels. Will it even be as fast?

Better wifi is pointless. It's wifi was already faster than the internet pipe, the limiting factor. No better camera. Same crippling base storage size. No fingerprint sensor. Probably same RAM (have to wait for a tear down).

Pretty incremental upgrade overall. Hardly impressive.
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Better Wi-Fi is always welcomed. Not everything is done through the internet. Access to my in-home server, amongst other same network devices, will see improvement. And I appreciate that.
 
dcorban said:
Comments such as this are ridiculous. If you haven't bought an iPad by now, you already have your reasons. I didn't think the trolls would come out on page one.

I've been building my arm muscles on the iPad 4. This is some much needed reduction in weight. Day one for me.
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Oh, well good for you. Yes, I've owned every iPad since they debuted so I can talk about missing features that need to be on a TABLET device. Mulit-user accounts. Touch ID should have been added. Period.

iOS STILL doesn't optimize the iPad's display. I'm a troll? If that means voicing my concerns over a $500 device, so be it.
 
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