TECHNO ITEM: iPad Air & iPad mini with Retina display launch

The big iPad gets smaller, thinner and faster, while the mini iPad gets more pixels and a new 128GB option BY Dan Miller

Apple unveiled a brand-new iPad model, the iPad Air, and added to the iPad mini a Retina screen and an A7 processor at a special event on 22 October. Contrary to rumour, no iPad 5 launched at the event. Rather, Apple launched a new iPad: the iPad Air. It’s significantly thinner than its already-skinny predecessor, the iPad with Retina Display, plus it receives a bit of a speed bump.

The new model is 20 percent thinner than the fourth-generation model, and 183g lighter (weighing just 469g). In addition, while the iPad Air has the same 9.7in Retina display as its predecessor, the bezel around that screen is much smaller: 43 percent thinner than the previous generation.

But inside that slimmed-down chassis rests the new 64-bit A7 chip first seen in the iPhone 5s and M7 co-processor. Apple says these processors provide twice the CPU- and graphics performance of the previous model, while retaining a 10-hour battery life. Among the other new features Apple touted include faster 802.11n Wi-Fi with MIMO support, expanded LTE networks, improved FaceTime and iSight cameras, and dualmics for better Siri and audio capture.

Both Wi-Fi and LTE models of iPad Air will start shipping on 1 November in silver/white and space grey/black colour choices. In the UK they’ll cost the same as the iPad models they replace: the iPad Air starts at £399 for 16GB Wi-Fi and £499 for 16GB Wi-Fi plus 3G/4G, with storage options up to 128GB. The full-size iPad 2 remains in Apple’s line-up at £329 for a 16GB Wi-Fi-only version. iPad mini with Retina display Apple also introduced a new generation of the iPad mini. Its marquee feature: a high-resolution Retina Display.

The iPad mini ups its screen resolution from 1024x768 pixels to 2048x1536 pixels, while keeping the same 7.9in (diagonal) screen size. That ups the mini’s pixel density from 163 pixels per inch (ppi) to 326ppi, which is almost identical to the screen density of the iPhone 5s.

The mini gets some upgrades on the inside, too, including Apple’s 64-bit A7 processor. Apple claims this processor makes the Retina iPad mini up to four times as fast as its predecessor for processor-intensive tasks, and up to eight times faster for graphics-intensive ones. Like the iPad Air, the iPad mini with Retina Display also features Apple’s M7 motion co-processor. And it gains the same upgraded Wi-Fi connectivity and camera improvements as the iPad Air.

The iPad mini with Retina Display will be available in silver/white or space grey/black later in November, according to Apple – our estimate is 29 November, in line with US Thanksgiving celebrations. The Wi-Fi versions will cost £50 more than their predecessors, at £319 with 16GB of storage, £399 for 32GB, £479 for 64GB and £559 for 128GB – a first in that capacity for the iPad mini. Cellular versions add £100 to the mini’s price.

Apple will continue to sell the original iPad mini as a lower-priced option: the 16GB Wi-Fi-only iPad mini is now priced at £249 (down from £269), while the Wi-Fi + Cellular version will retail for £349 (down from £369). It’s now available in space grey or silver, rather than the original black and white.

Synching files between iPad and Mac Apple also showed off updated iLife and iWork suites for Mac, iOS and iCloud.com. The iWork apps – Pages, Numbers and Keynote – now offer full file-compatibility between OS X, iOS and PCs (via the iWork for iCloud service). They’ve also been completely overhauled with new designs and new features. There are also updates to iLife – iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand – for both the Mac and iOS. The iLife software updates are free for Mac users.