Apple announces iPad Air, an all-new iPad
Apple just revealed the next evolution of the iPad, the iPad Air. It's 43 percent thinner than the current model -- which was already pretty thin. It's also a lot lighter, weighing in at a staggering 1.0 lb.
The most noticeable change is the new iPad's thinner bezel. Rather than the thick edge that the larger iPads have always sported, the iPad Air's side bezels are noticeably smaller. The Retina display itself remains 9.7 inches and features upgraded backlight illumination.
The iPad Air also includes the new A7 chip that debuted in Apple's recently released iPhone 5s. It boasts graphics processing power that is up to 72 times as fast as the original iPad.
The new iPad features upgraded WiFi as well, utilizing MIMO (multiple antenna) technology for the first time. This means WiFi speeds could double, depending on your setup. The rear camera remains a 5-megapixel module, with 1080p video recording, while the front-facing camera gets a slight pixel upgrade.
The iPad Air comes in silver/white and space gray/black color schemes, and will be available on November 1 for the same pricing tiers as the current iPad: 16GB WiFi-only for $499, 16GB WiFi+LTE for $629.
