14 DAY TRIAL // At its Town Hall event in Cupertino, Apple today launched the all-new iPad Air 2, calling it “the thinnest and most powerful iPad ever.” It’s not just the thinnest of all iPads, but the thinnest of all tablet computers out there: just 6.1 mm in depth.
The thing weighs less than a pound and features an improved Retina display with enhanced contrast and more vibrant colors, according to the announcement. The tablet further boasts a new iSight camera and it’s available in gold, silver, and space gray starting at $499 / €489.
Thinner than a laser-cut pencil
Apple introduced the new iPad Air 2 using one of its iconic demo videos where a laser beam cuts through a pencil – formerly the benchmark for iPad thickness across the board – making it even thinner, to match the depth of the new iPad Air 2, which is now just 6.1 millimeters thick.
“Engineered for unmatched portability and ease of use, iPad Air 2 offers a beautiful, precision unibody enclosure of anodized aluminum for durability and a solid feel,” says the Cupertino company.
The thin design was partially achieved thanks to the improved Retina display, which features a fully-laminated design. The display also sports an anti-reflective coating which, according to Apple’s Phil Schiller, reduces glare by up to 60 percent.
Touch ID, A8X, camera, wireless
iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 (also launched today) both feature the Touch ID fingerprint sensor for authentication (unlocking the device), App Store purchases, and Apple Pay.
The A8X is likely Apple’s most powerful mobile chip today. It reportedly delivers a 40 percent improvement in CPU performance and 2.5 times the graphical output of the A7X before it.
“Combined with Metal, the new graphics technology in iOS 8, the A8X chip unlocks realistic visual effects comparable to the most advanced gaming consoles,” Apple says.
The M8 motion coprocessor debuted in iPhones is also built inside the iPad Air 2 now. This sidekick processor of sorts gathers motion data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, and a new barometer. Apple was proud to confirm that its tablet “still delivers the up to 10-hour battery life users expect while working, playing games or surfing the web.”
As far as the camera is concerned, iPad Air 2 is essentially getting what was standard on the iPhone 5s: an 8MP sensor and advanced optics.
iPad Air 2 offers 802.11ac Wi-Fi, 20 bands of LTE, and comes pre-installed with iOS 8.1. Both tablets will start shipping next week in dozens of countries, including the US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China (Wi-Fi models only), Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, and many others.
