Confirming many of the rumors leading up to its spring event, Apple has thrown the covers off a new iPad Air – the fifth generation of this version of the tablet device.
And there is certainly much to look forward to in the update, including the Apple-designed M1 chip – which the Cupertino company has said brings a “massive leap in performance” – as well as a broad range of available colors, namely space grey, pink, purple, starlight, and an entirely new blue hue.
On the outside, the design is the same as the last-generation iPad Air, but on the inside, there’s a lot for tablet enthusiasts to get excited about. The upgraded device now supports 5G connectivity, for instance, with Apple claiming peak speeds of as much as 3.5Gbps “in ideal conditions”.
The rest of the specification sheet encompasses such attractions as a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, a 100% recycled aluminum enclosure, and a front-facing Ultra Wide 12-megapixel camera with Center Stage. This means that all current iPad models now incorporate Center Stage – a feature that uses machine learning to adjust the camera to keep users in view as they move around during their use of video apps such as FaceTime.
Preorders for the iPad Air 5 will begin on March 11, ahead of the device becoming available on March 18. It will go on sale for a starting price of $599 in the United States.