Apple Announces New 9.7-Inch iPad and Increased Capacity for iPad Mini 4

[Maura]

Just as expected, Apple has today announced an updated version of its most popular-sized iPad, the 9.7-inch model, complete with a brighter Retina display with 3.1 million pixels and improved performance, all at its most affordable price ever, starting at $329. The iPad Air 2 has been discontinued.

“iPad is the world’s most popular tablet. Customers love the large, 9.7-inch display for everything from watching TV and movies, to surfing the web, making FaceTime calls, and enjoying photos, and now it is even more affordable,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “New customers and anyone looking to upgrade will love this new iPad for use at home, in school, and for work, with its gorgeous Retina display, our powerful A9 chip, and access to the more than 1.3 million apps designed specifically for it.”

The new iPad’s aluminum unibody case weighs just one pound. The Apple-designed A9 chip with 64-bit desktop-class architecture offers fast processing and graphics performance without sacrificing battery life.

The 9.7-inch iPad is available in silver, gold, and space gray, with prices starting at $329 for the 32GB with Wi-Fi model and $459 for the 32GB Wi-Fi+ Cellular model. You can order one from this Friday, March 24, for delivery the following week in the US and more than 20 countries.

Also hidden within the “Pricing & Availability” section of the 9.7-inch iPad is the news from Apple that it has increased the basic capacity of the iPad Mini 4 from 32GB to 128GB for the same starting price, making it $399 for 128GB for the Wi-Fi model and $529 for the 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model.


Sources: Apple, Apple Debuts New 9.7-Inch iPad With A9 Chip to Replace iPad Air 2, Starting at $329