New Delhi: Apple unveiled a thinner iPad on Thursday with a faster processor and a better camera as it tries to drive excitement for tablets amid slowing demand.
The iPad Air 2, at 6.1 millimeters thin, also adds many of the features previously available on iPhones. That includes the ability to take burst shots and slow-motion video and the inclusion of a fingerprint ID sensor for use instead of a passcode.
It also has an anti-reflective coating, a first for a tablet, which makes it 56 per cent less reflective, said Philip Schiller, senior vice president of marketing, on stage at the event at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California.
The rear camera is boosted to 8 megapixels, matching what's found in iPhones. Previous iPads had a 5 megapixel camera.
Apple also updated its iPad Mini device. The next-generation iPad Mini, iPad Mini 3, will come at a starting price of Rs 28,900. The new devices will begin shipping next week, with advance orders starting Friday.
Pricing
iPad Air 2 with WFi models will be available at Rs 35,900 for the 16GB model, Rs 42,900 for the 64GB model and Rs 49,900 for the 128GB model. iPad Air 2 with WiFi + Cellular models will be available for Rs 45,900 for the 16GB model, Rs 52,900 for the 64GB model and Rs 59,900 for the 128GB model.
iPad Mini 3 with WiFi models wil cost Rs 28,900 for the 16GB model, Rs 35,900 for the 64GB model and Rs 42,900 for the 128GB model. iPad Mini 3 with WiFi + Cellular models will be available for a suggested retail price of Rs 38,900 for the 16GB model, Rs 45,900 for the 64GB model and Rs 52,900 for the 128GB model.
Availability
iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 come in three gorgeous metallic finishes including gold, silver and space grey. Both iPads will be up for pre-order online in 29 countries and territories beginning Friday, October 17.
Both iPads will be available starting later next week in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China (WiFi models only), Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau (Wi-Fi models only), Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the US.
Availability in Croatia, Greece, Puerto Rico, Russia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and elsewhere around the world, will continue through the end of October with additional global availability in the coming months.
Others
Apple has been facing competition from cheaper tablets running Google's Android operating system. Ahead of Apple's event, Google announced on Wednesday that an 8.9-inch Nexus 9 tablet is coming next month at a starting price of $399. It will run a new version of Android, dubbed Lollipop.
Besides competition, there's been an overall slowdown in tablet demand. This week, research firm Gartner projected worldwide shipments of 229 million tablets this year. Although that's up 11 per cent compared with 2013, it's far less than the 55 per cent growth seen last year and the more than doubling in sales in 2012.
More than half of US households own at least one tablet, and the rest include people who may not want one or can't afford it, Gartner analyst Mika Kitagawa said.
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