BLINK AND YOU might have missed the smug ass tweet from Apple’s Bossman Tim Cook at an ungodly hour last night! (Seriously, who is up so early! Maybe Tim Apple’s best friend Donald Drumpf!) The tweet showed him scrawling the word “Hello” on an “iPad mini” using an Apple Pencil. Show off much?
An updated mini wasn’t the only one coming back from the dead. Turns out the sleek iPad Air also lives again! Guess #ThrowbackThurday came early for Apple.
Small tablet fans with big hopes have been waiting for this resurrection since 2015, the year when iPad Mini 4 made an appearance. And the return of the “Air” moniker (Sans number this time) is an interesting twist for Apple, as the latest variant establishes a new mid-range line of iPads in the tablet lineup.
The revival of the two new models – iPad Air and iPad mini indicate that Apple isn’t nearly done with the lower-end iPad lineup. And it sure has made some significant changes. The first to catch our eye was dropping the number system. Truth be told, the lineup makes more sense as it goes from smaller to bigger – iPad mini, iPad, iPad Air and the iPad Pro – but it might take us all a while to get used to this new nomenclature.
The newly unveiled iPads are new in the accurate sense of the word. They come with a new processor, a new display, and supports the Rs. 8,500 Apple Pencil 1. But when it came to their names and built, Apple took the nostalgic route. The new iPads sport white bezels (the pricier iterations have none), flaunts a Lightning port instead of USB-C, and oh how happy we are with the familiar Home Button making a comeback in an era when Apple is doing away with them everywhere else.
Let’s move on to the individual details …
iPad mini
Just like we mentioned above, the shiny new iPad mini looks identical to its predecessor. Hence, we see the same 7.9-inch tablet with a Touch ID beneath the display as the one before it. But, now the display gets a boost from Apple’s “True Tone” color shifting technology, is 25% brighter, and can display a wider range of colors. Wondering what’s under the hood? Well, it’s Apple’s A12 Bionic chip with its own neural engine. Although it’s not as amped up as the A12X chip, it’s still something!
What’s more? Well, the mini still features a Touch ID, a lightning port, and a headphone jack. In terms of color options, you get the signature silver, space gray, and gold.
iPad Air
The new iPad Air is a bit of a head-scratcher. Since the original iPad Air was discontinued a couple of years ago, today’s launch is a true revival. Despite its new name, the iPad Air retained its predecessor’s design including the large bezels at the top and bottom. But the visible difference in size is what’s interesting. At 10.5 inches, it’s bigger than the iPad and just a tad bit smaller than the 11-inch iPad Pro. Other than that, Air comes with the same upgrades as the mini – the same A12 Bionic chip, the same home button and Touch ID, the same
Both the models feature eight-megapixel rear cameras, seven-megapixel front-facing cameras, and capture HD video. They both also come in two variations – Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi + Cellular and two storage options – 64GB and 256GB.
India Pricing & Release
For iPad mini, the pricing starts from Rs. 34,900 for the Wi-Fi only model and at Rs. 45,900 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. And the starting price for iPad Air is Rs. 44,900, and the Wi-Fi + Cellular version of iPad Air will retail at Rs. 55,900.
The exact launch dates aren’t announced yet, but both models are expected to be available in India ‘very soon’.
