Apple provides the iPad Air with a new chip, a larger screen and some color for the first time in two years.
Apple launched a number of new tablets today. Great news, because it has been two years since Apple released an update to the iPad. The company is now making up for this with the launch of two new models.
This time there are two of them, the new iPads. In addition to a thinner and stronger iPad Pro, Apple is also updating the iPad Air. That device remains slightly weaker than the Pro version, and can therefore be considered the standard model for this generation. This time, Apple changes the strategy: instead of making the device available in one size, this time you can choose from two sizes.
Bigger and stronger…
As a result, there is not only an 11-inch iPad Air on the menu, but also one of 13 inches. In the previous generation, the larger size was reserved for the Pro model, but this time Apple is fully focusing on performance. This means you can now get a larger iPad at home, without paying extra for computing power that you don’t actually need.
As for the computing power, it is certainly improving in the new iPad Air. The new devices will have an M2 chip. The 2022 iPad Air still ran on an M1, which was much weaker. The new chip is about 15 to 25 percent faster, but the actual performance may be higher: Apple itself talks about an improvement of 50 percent.
…but still the same
The design and specifications of the new iPad Air will only change slightly. This means that the specifications of the main camera on the back and those of the selfie camera remain the same. “Never change a winning team,” they must have thought at Apple. What did change is the position of the selfie camera. On the previous model it was still on the short side, but that is no longer the case. The camera moved to the long side, so that you have it at the top when the device is in landscape mode. This should be especially useful during FaceTime. In both cases, the camera quality remains the same, with 12 MP front and rear.
Furthermore, you can now get the iPad Air in more colors, following the rest of the range. Just like with last year’s updated Macs, you should think of pastel colors. Space gray and starlight you can now also choose a brighter blue or purple.
Availability
The devices are immediately available for purchase. How much you pay for it depends on exactly which model you want. The 11-inch iPad Air is available in four different versions:
- 128GB: 719 euros
- 256GB: 849 euros
- 512GB: 1099 euros
- 1TB: 1349 euros
You can add 250 euros each time for the larger model. The prices for the 13-inch model will then be:
- 128GB: 969 euros
- 256GB: 1099 euros
- 512GB: 1349 euros
- 1TB: 1599 euros
Want to order an iPad Air now? Then you will have to go through the online Apple Store. Would you rather hold the device before you bring it into your home? Then you can go to the store from May 15: the devices will be available then.
