Apple Introduces New, Affordable iPads For Schools, Students

Apple on Tuesday held an education-focused event in Chicago where the tech giant unveiled a new, cheaper model of its iPad with Apple Pencil support. The device is targeted at students and educators.

The latest iPad has been touted by Apple as it’s most affordable tablet to date. The new device, sporting a 9.7-inch display, will cost students $329. Schools will receive a discount for the tablet and can purchase the new iPad for $299.

The new iPad, which is already available to purchase from Apple’s online store, is the first of Apple’s standard tablets to function with the Apple Pencil — a stylus that allows users to draw, write and interact with their device in new ways. Previously, only the iPad Pro line was compatible with the accessory.

Apple is updating its suite of apps to include word processor Pages, spreadsheet creator Numbers and presentation app Keynote, as well as new functionality for the Apple Pencil. Apple is hoping to target the apps and the accessory as essential tools for students and teachers.

From the look of the device, it will be hard to tell it apart from the previous models of iPads. It features essentially the same body build, same bezels and same home button with Touch ID sensor as the model that came before it.

However, Apple has updated the guts of the device to make it an upgrade over its predecessor, the fifth generation iPad introduced in 2017. The latest iPad will be powered by Apple’s A10 Fusion chip, the same processor found in the iPhone 7 — an update to the A9 chip found inside the previous generation of iPad.

The new iPad will also get a new 8.0 megapixel camera on the back of the device and a 1.2 megapixel camera on the front, designed for FaceTime conversations and selfies.

The new iPad will be available in a Wi-Fi only or LTE mobile internet model and can come equipped with 32GB or 128GB of internal storage.

While Apple has played up the supposed “affordable” price point for the new iPad, it’s worth noting that the 2017 model of the device launched for the same price, albeit without Apple Pencil support. That price point also doesn’t include the Apple Pencil, which costs an additional $99.