Apple's Brand New iPad Air And iPad Mini Announced Ahead Of March Event

The last few weeks have seen rumors flying around over what Apple could have in store for 2019. The tech giant has a scheduled event where it is suspected Apple will pull back the curtain on the new Apple TV and Apple News services. Beyond that, there have also been rumors about new products coming this year to the MacBook and iPod lines.

Well, Apple has finally unveiled the newest members of the iPad family in a press release.

First up is the all-new iPad Air. As the name implies, the new iPad features an ultra-thin body design that’s somehow slimmer than previous iPads. However, it is available for 10.5 inches, putting the display size on par with the iPad Pro. Under the hood, it sports Apple’s A12 processor with Neural Engine for double the graphical capability and over 70 percent boost to performance. The Retina display with True Tone is also 20 percent bigger with more than half a million pixels for a sharper and more detailed display.

Put for Apple owners who prefer a more portable iPad, there’s also the new iPad Mini. Coming in at 7.9 inches, it looks to be the ideal iPad for Apple owners who live life on-the-go. It doesn’t sacrifice on the power, though, since it also comes packing the A12 processor. Where it really looks to shine is the Retina Display with True Tone and wide color support. The new iPad Mini’s display is 25 percent brighter and has the highest pixel density of any iPad for one of the best overall displays on any iPad.

Both of these iPads will also support the Apple Pencil, which has become a staple accessory for iPads since the first was released in 2015. The iPad Air also supports the Smart Keyboard, putting it in line with the iPad Pro for flexible use at home or work.

In a statement on Apple’s website, the Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller spoke on how excited the company was to be dropping these new iPads. He said, “iPad continues to provide magical new experiences for a growing range of uses where it is the absolute best device, from playing games in augmented reality to note-taking and drawing with Apple Pencil, from streaming HD movies and editing 4K films to learning to develop apps with Swift Playgrounds.”

Schiller continued, “Today the iPad family takes two big leaps forward with an all-new 10.5-inch iPad Air that brings high-end size, features and performance at a breakthrough price, and a major upgrade to the 7.9-inch iPad mini, which also brings Apple Pencil, Retina display and the A12 Bionic chip to the many customers that love its compact size.”

The iPad Air and iPad Mini are available to order today from Apple. The iPad Air is available starting at $499 and the iPad Mini is available starting at $399.