Apple's New iPad Is Cheaper and Geared Towards Students

Tim Cook revealed the company's latest tablet on Tuesday.

Tim Cook iPad
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Image via Getty/Scott Olson

Tim Cook iPad

Reports that a cheaper iPad was on its way turned out to be true. Apple unveiled its latest iOS-powered tablet at an education event the company hosted in Chicago on Tuesday. "Macs and iPads are used throughout schools by students for everything from music to language arts and even advanced robotics," Apple CEO Tim Cook said during the event, according to CNET

The new 9.7-inch tablets are being call the most affordable yet, costing schools $299 each and everyday consumers $329 for the 32GB model. The new tablet is already available for order starting today and will be shipping out sometime this week.

Physically, the new iPad looks similar to the 2017 model, but it does include some added features that make it more desirable. The new model includes the ability to use Apple’s Pencil stylus, which is sold for an extra $99. It also has an 8-megapixel camera, 10 hours of battery life, and weighs just one pound, according to Apple. The iPad also has an extra cool feature involving its Retina screen, which will give users augmented-reality capabilities. Its use of an A10 Fusion chip allows the new iPad to function more powerfully than most laptops currently on the market.

Apple also revealed a number of other educational tools that cater to schools and students beyond the new iPad. The company is increasing storage in the iCloud for schools from 5 gigabytes to 200 GB, and releasing several programs that make it easier for teachers to use iPads in the classroom, including Apple School Manager, Classroom App for Macs, Schoolwork App, ClassKit, Apple Teacher, and Everyone Can Create. With the new iPad, Apple is hoping to gain back traction from Google and Microsoft, two companies that are beating Apple in the education market. 

 

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