Apple introduced a new iPad today at its education event in Chicago. Rumors of a new, cheaper iPad emerged recently, and Apple is making it official with a refreshed 9.7-inch iPad with Apple Pencil support. The updated iPad will be available in Apple stores today, in silver, space gray, and a new gold finish. The tablet will include Touch ID, an HD FaceTime camera, 10 hours of battery life, an 8-megapixel rear camera, LTE option, and Apple’s A10 Fusion chip.
The Verge.
Apple previously lowered the price of its 9.7-inch iPad last year, with a base model starting at $329, but today it’s going a step further for students. Apple is offering the new iPad to schools priced at $299 and to consumers for $329. The optional Apple Pencil will be priced at $89 for schools and the regular $99 price for consumers. This is obviously not the $259 budget iPad pricing that was rumored, but it does make it a little more affordable to students and teachers.
Still, an iPad with an Apple Pencil and keyboard is going to run close to $450, which is more expensive than cheaper Chromebooks that are starting to support styluses. Google is also starting to introduce Chrome OS tablets, so a $299 iPad could soon come under even greater pressure in classrooms.
This new iPad will be a key addition to Apple’s lineup as it seeks to fight back against Google’s Chromebooks. Apple’s iPads and Mac laptops reigned supreme in US classrooms only five years ago, accounting for half of all mobile devices shipped to schools in 2013. Apple has now slipped behind both Google and Microsoft in US schools, and Chromebooks are dominating classrooms with nearly 60 percent of shipments in the US.
The Verge.
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