It’s about dang time. During its Let Loose event, Apple announced it has updated the iPad Air for the first time in over two years. The latest model has an M2 chip, so it’s not getting one of Apple’s most recent chipsets, likely to keep costs down and differentiate it from the iPad Pro. Still, the M2 is about 50 percent faster than the M1, Apple says, and the tablet is about three times faster than the A14 Bionic-powered iPad Air from 2020.
Perhaps more significantly, the company has introduced an iPad Air with a 13-inch screen for the first time. That means there are two variants, as the 11-inch format is sticking around. As such, the iPad Air and iPad Pro effectively have the same display sizes.
The smaller model starts at $599 (the same as the previous gen Air originally cost), while the 13-inch version is $799. Both will be available next week, with pre-orders opening today. In a welcome decision, Apple is also doubling the Air’s base storage to 128GB.
Rumors initially suggested that the 13-inch model would have a mini-LED display. That turned out not to be the case as it has a liquid retina display, but analyst Ross Young says Apple may unveil an updated iPad Air later this year that does have such a display.
Another of the updates isn’t quite as notable, but it should be a great quality-of-life change for many folks. Apple has moved the front-facing camera to the landscape edge of the display. That means you should be more centered in the frame when your iPad is docked and you’re on a video call. The placement of the front-facing camera has been one of our biggest iPad bugbears for years, and it’s great to see Apple finally seeing sense and repositioning it.
Developing…
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