Apple announces a new, cheaper iPad in hopes of stopping sales slump

By Ryan Whitwam

Apple doesn’t move iPads like it used to, but that’s true of all tablets. The Cupertino company has been hard at work trying to come up with reasons for people to upgrade. Make it bigger? Offer a stylus? Now Apple is just trying a lower price. The new iPad (it’s just “iPad”) was announced Tuesday without an event. Apple likes its events, but I can see why they’d skip it this time. The new iPad is almost an admission that tablets simply can’t cost $500-600.
This is not technically an entirely new piece of hardware. Most of what makes up the new iPad is actually an iPad Air 2. It still has a 9.7-inch display, but it’s been upgraded to a newer-generation Retina Display. It’s supposed to be brighter with more accurate colors. Meanwhile, the Apple A8X chip from the original Air 2 has been ditched in favor of the Apple A9. That’s the processor used in the iPhone 6s. So, not the latest and greatest, but still a step up.
It does make sense for Apple to make some changes to the iPad lineup, and the price is the easiest thing to change. The revamped iPad is $70 less than the iPad Air 2 was, and this undercuts many of the tablets that have been competing with Apple’s cheaper 9.7-inch device. The company says this is the size most favored by consumers.

Apple was very careful not to make the new iPad too good. It’s still clearly the entry-level model. This tablet lacks support for the Apple Pencil and the Smart keyboard Dock. Those are both reserved for the top-of-the-line iPad Pro, which comes in 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch sizes. The regular smart covers will work, though. Buyers of the new iPad will also have to make do with the bottom-firing stereo speakers. The Pro models have quad speakers.

Of course, you make those trade-offs for the price. Apple is only asking $329 for the base 32GB model of the new iPad. It’s $459 if you want to add LTE support to that. It comes in gold, silver, and space gray colors. So, you also miss out on that rose gold option.  You’ll be able to pick up the new iPad on March 24th. The iPad Pro and iPad Mini continue to exist, but the Mini is also gaining a new 128GB storage option. Still, if you want a full-sized iPad, the newly revamped one is your cheapest option.