Apple has unveiled a new 9.7-inch iPad with Apple Pencil support at its education event. Prior to today, Apple Pencil support has been limited to Pro models of the iPad. Details below:
Apple previously offered a 9.7-inch version of the original iPad Pro which worked with Apple Pencil, but it was replaced a year and a half later with the 10.5-inch model. The new education-focused model brings support without the Pro label (and price).
Apple is also releasing new versions of its iWork suite with new Pencil features including a smart annotation feature in beta, and Pages will now support iBooks creation.
A few numbers shared during the keynote:
- 200,000 education apps made for iPad
- 1 million for iPad total
- 9.7-inch screen size most popular
Spec wise, the new model upgrades the A9 chip to the newer A10 Fusion chip while still offering both Wi-Fi and LTE models. A10 Fusion is the chip used by iPhone 7 series phones — the current iPad Pros use an A10X chip with beefier graphics but similar performance speed-wise.
Price wise, the new iPads will go for $329 for consumers and $299 for schools. New models will be available to order from today and ship starting this week. Specs are very similar to the original 9.7-inch iPad Pro — minus Smart Connector and True Tone display — with the chip actually being faster. That makes the $329 price quite interesting with the hardware being so similar to the $599 model that ships not so long ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckEnOBpksGs&feature=em-uploademail
Official press release follows:
Apple introduces new 9.7-inch iPad with Apple Pencil support
Featuring Even Greater Performance and Designed for Powerful AR Apps, Starting at $329
Chicago — Apple today updated its most popular iPad with support for Apple Pencil plus even greater performance, starting at $329. The new 9.7-inch iPad and Apple Pencil give users the ability to be even more creative and productive, from sketching ideas and jotting down handwritten notes to marking up screenshots. The new iPad is more versatile and capable than ever, features a large Retina display, the A10 Fusion chip and advanced sensors that help deliver immersive augmented reality, and provides unmatched portability, ease of use and all-day battery life.1
“iPad is our vision for the future of computing and hundreds of millions of people around the world use it every day at work, in school and for play. This new 9.7-inch iPad takes everything people love about our most popular iPad and makes it even better for inspiring creativity and learning,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of Product Marketing. “Our most popular and affordable iPad now includes support for Apple Pencil, bringing the advanced capabilities of one of our most creative tools to even more users. This iPad also has the power of the A10 Fusion chip, combined with the big, beautiful Retina display, advanced cameras and sensors that enable incredible AR experiences simply not possible on other devices.”
iPad now features Apple Pencil support, giving users the ability to be even more creative and productive.
iPad’s beautiful 9.7-inch Retina display delivers gorgeous detail and vivid colors, and features a higher-resolution touch sensor that enables Apple Pencil support. First introduced for iPad Pro, Apple Pencil has become a popular and versatile tool among students, professionals and creatives and is now available to even more customers.
Apple Pencil delivers a remarkably fluid and natural drawing experience. Advanced sensors measure both pressure and tilt, and provide pixel-perfect accuracy and low latency for activities from note taking to illustration in apps like Notability, Pages, Numbers, Keynote and Microsoft Office. iPad’s palm rejection technology even makes it possible to rest your hand on the screen while you use Apple Pencil.
The new iPad features the Apple-designed A10 Fusion chip with 64‑bit desktop-class architecture, delivering 40 percent faster CPU and 50 percent faster graphics performance for seamless multitasking and graphics-intensive apps.2 The front- and rear-facing cameras offer exceptional low-light performance and HD video recording for document scanning, moviemaking and FaceTime calls.
iPad is designed for powerful AR apps with its large Retina display, powerful chip, enhanced cameras and advanced sensors.
The new iPad is a stunning, large viewfinder for immersive AR experiences. Its Retina display, powerful chip, enhanced cameras and advanced sensors, including a gyroscope and accelerometer for accurate motion tracking, are designed to support the next generation of AR apps.
Built for durability and mobility, the new 9.7-inch iPad features an aluminum unibody construction and ultrafast wireless that can deliver two times faster cellular data connections, so it is even easier to stay connected anywhere.3 With Apple SIM, customers can connect to wireless data plans right from their device when traveling in more than 180 countries and regions.4
iOS 11 introduces powerful new features for iPad. The Dock provides quick access to frequently used apps and documents from any screen, and makes it easier to multitask with Split View and Slide Over. Drag and Drop makes moving images, text and files between apps easier than ever. Apple Pencil is more deeply integrated into iPad with support for inline drawing. The Files app provides a central place to access and organize files no matter where they are located — on iPad or in the cloud with built-in support for iCloud Drive and providers like Box, Dropbox and others.
Pricing and Availability
- iPad comes in silver, space gray and a new gold finish and starts at an Apple retail price of $329 (US) for the 32GB with Wi-Fi model and $459 (US) for the 32GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model at apple.com and Apple Stores. It is also available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers (prices may vary). For more information, please visit apple.com/ipad.
- Apple Pencil is available for purchase separately for $99 (US).
Schools can purchase iPad starting at $299 (US) and Apple Pencil for $89 (US). - iPad is available to order today and starts delivering to customers and arriving in stores later this week in more than 25 countries and regions: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the US. India, Russia, Thailand, Turkey and other countries and regions will follow in April, with South Korea and other countries and regions following in May.
Smart Covers for iPad are available for $39 (US) in charcoal gray, midnight blue, (RED), white and pink sand at apple.com and Apple Stores. - Every customer who buys iPad from Apple will be offered free Personal Setup, in-store or online, to help them set up email and iMessage, download apps from the App Store and more.
- Anyone who wants to start with the basics or go further with their new iPad can sign up for free Today at Apple sessions at apple.com/today.
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