Apple Unveils New 9.7-Inch iPad at Rs 28,900 in India, introduces red iPhones
Apple has quietly refreshed its iPad lineup by launching a new 9.7-inch tablet at an affordable price point. Called 9.7-inch iPad, it replaces the aging iPad Air 2 that was launched back in November 2014. The Apple iPad portfolio now consists of iPad mini 4, two iPad Pro models, and the new iPad
Apple unveiled 9.7-inch iPad through press releases Tuesday rather than a staged event, as it typically does for bigger product releases.
The latest 9.7-inch iPad with 32GB storage (Wi-Fi) only is priced at Rs 28,900, whereas the 32GB (Wi-Fi+Cellular) is priced at Rs 39,990. The standard-size iPad is now cheaper than the smaller Mini model, which starts at $399 (Rs. 34,900 in India) for a 128 GB model.
The new Apple 9.7-inch iPad looks and feels exactly the same as the Apple iPad Air 2. With the thickness of 7.5mm and weighing 469g, the new Apple 9.7-inch iPad is a bit thicker compared to Apple iPad Air 2 with the thickness of 6.1mm and weighing 437g. The display size and resolution remains the same, and also most of the hardware.
The key difference comes in the chipset, the new iPad now runs on Apple’s 64-bit A9 dual-core (Twister) SoC paired M9 motion co-processor and 2GB of RAM. Apple has also bumped the storage – you now get two options – 32GB base storage and the top-end model featuring 128GB storage.
iPad buyers will be able to buy a Polyurethane Smart Covers for their tablet. Buyers will be able to choose from colors options including charcoal gray, white, midnight blue, and pink sand.
“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.”
Apple is also releasing a red edition of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. For each phone sold, Apple is donating an unspecified amount to HIV and AIDS programs. And Apple is doubling the storage on the smaller iPhone SE while keeping the $399 starting price.
