Apple held its "We still have a lot to cover" event and the company didn't unveil the so-called "iPad 5" as expected. It has rebranded the fifth-generation as' iPad Air' instead, in a nod to its reduced size and weight.
The company unveiled its highly anticipated fifth-generation iPad and said that it renamed it to iPad Air because it is so thin and light. The iPad Air weighs 1 pound, while the fourth-generation iPad it is replacing came in at 1.4 pounds. The tablet is also significantly thinner than its predecessor: its dimensions are 240 x 169.5 x 7.5mm compared to the fourth-generation iPad's 241.2 x 185.7 x 9.4mm. The iPad Air is 28% lighter, 20% thinner, and 24% less volume when compared to last year's flagship tablet.
It will include Apple's signature 9.7-inch Retina Display, available in choice of Space Gray and Silver, like the iPhone 5s (no Gold this time around). It will be offered in a 16GB Wi-Fi model for $499, 32GB Wi-Fi for $599, 64GB for $699, and 128GB for $799. Apple will also sell the same tablets with on-board 4G LTE radios: the 16GB LTE model will cost $629, the 32GB variant will go up to $729, 64GB will sell for $829, and 128GB will amount to $999. The new iPad Air uses the same 64-bit power A7 chip found in the iPhone 5s, along with the same M7 coprocessor that includes the added benefit of saving battery life. Apple claims the iPad Air's battery will provide up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music.
Apple has also sped up its latest tablet's wireless; it has used MIMO technology, which incorporates 2 antennas to deliver up to 2x faster Wi-Fi performance. The iPad Air's camera capabilities include a 5-megapixel iSight Camera with autofocus, face detection, Backside illumination, and more. It also has the ability to capture 1080p Full HD video, 3x video zoom, and video stabilization. Its front-facing FaceTime HD Camera can take 1.2-megapixel photos and 720p HD video.
"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."
Apple will still keep the 16GB iPad 2 in is iPad lineup, which debuted in 2011. The tablet lacks a Retina Display, is available in a 16GB Wi-Fi model for $399 and a 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G variant for $529.
Apple will start selling the iPad Air on Nov. 1 at 8.a.m. local time.
