As expected, at today’s “California Streaming” Apple introduced the ninth generation iPad. Starting at US$329, the new tablet features a 10.2-inch Retina display with True Tone, a 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage, support for Apple Pencil (1st generation) and Smart Keyboard.
A13 Bionic chip
The new iPad comes equipped with the A13 Bionic chip, which purportedlly delivers a 20% performance boost over the previous generation. This makes the new iPad up to 3x faster than the best-selling Chromebook, and up to a whopping 6x faster than the best-selling Android tablet, according to Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. The Neural Engine in A13 Bionic also powers next-level machine learning capabilities, including Live Text coming in iPadOS 15, which uses on-device intelligence to recognize text in a photo that users can take action on.
Advanced 12MP Ultra Wide Front Camera with Center Stage
The Center Stage experience on iPad Pro is now available on iPad, enabled by the new 12MP Ultra Wide front camera and Neural Engine. As users move around, Center Stage automatically pans the camera to keep them in view. When others join in, the camera detects them too, and smoothly zooms out to include them in the conversation.
True Tone
For the first time, True Tone comes to the 10.2-inch Retina display on the iPad. A new, upgraded ambient light sensor enables True Tone, which adjusts screen content to the color temperature of a room. Joswiak says True Tone on the new iPad makes images appear more natural and provides users with a more comfortable viewing experience in all lighting environments.
Double the Storage
The new iPad starts with 64GB of storage; that’s double the storage of the previous generation. A 256GB option is also available.
Eco-friendly
Apple says the new iPad features 100% recycled aluminum in the enclosure — marking a major milestone where every single model in the iPad lineup now has a 100% recycled aluminum enclosure.The iPad also uses 100% recycled tin in the solder of the main logic board, and 100% recycled rare earth elements in the magnets in the enclosure.
Pricing and Availability
- The new iPad is available to order beginning today on apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app in 28 countries and regions, including the US, with availability beginning Friday, September 24.
- Wi-Fi models of iPad are available with a starting price of $329, and Wi-Fi + Cellular models start at $459, in silver and space gray finishes. The new iPad starts with 64GB of storage — double the storage of the previous generation. A 256GB option is also available.
- iPadOS 15 will be available beginning Monday, September 20, and ships for free with the new iPad. iPadOS 15 will be available as a free software update for iPad mini 4 and later, iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, and all iPad Pro models.
- Apple Pencil (1st generation), available for purchase separately, is compatible with iPad (9th generation) for $99.
- Smart Keyboard for iPad is available for purchase separately for $159 with layouts for over 30 languages, including simplified Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish.
- Smart Cover for iPad is available for $49 in black, white, and English lavender.
- Customers can buy any Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad model directly from apple.com/store or at an Apple Store and get up to $200 back from T-Mobile/Sprint or Verizon with activation. Terms apply. For eligibility requirements and more details see apple.com/shop/buy-ipad. Customers can also trade in their current iPad and get credit toward a new one.
- You can engrave the iPad with a mix of emoji, text, and numbers, all for free, at apple.com/store or in the Apple Store app.
- Apple provides customers with a number of services in store and online that make its retail experience uniquely Apple. With personalized support and advice from Apple Specialists, convenient delivery and pickup options, free engraving, and special ways to save with Apple’s carrier offers and great trade-in values, Apple ensures the best way to buy Apple products is from Apple Store locations and apple.com/store.
