It looks like an iPad Air 3, sounds like an iPad Air 3… but apparently it’s not an iPad Air 3. The new iPad drops the branding, ang does back to basics. It’s merely ‘iPad.’ Hello iPad.
This page was previously dedicated to rumours on the upcoming iPad Air 3, and it would be remiss not to mention that our Editor, Ian Betteridge called this earlier. Here’s what he wrote:
“So will there ever be an iPad Air 3? Here’s what we predict: the “iPad Air” branding will go away, so there may not be an iPad called the iPad Air 3. However, the rumours are that Apple plans to revamp its iPad range – possibly as early as March – to increase the number of models available.”
He was bang on the money. Apple did indeed quietly launch a new iPad yesterday at the expense of the iPad Air 2 which now leaves the store. It may be just called an iPad, but to all intents and purposes it remains the iPad Air 3 – right down to its looks and specifications.
New iPad: Release date
It was only announced yesterday, but you won’t have to wait long to buy one. The new iPad will be with us on Friday 24th March. Wallets at the ready.
New iPad: Design and specifications
It looks an awful lot like the 9.7in iPad Air before it. It’s still 9.7 inches across, though it does gain a milimetre of thickness in the process – bit harsh to lose its “Air” credentials over such minimal weight gain, mind.
It does get a modest specification boost as part of its upgrade though. The iPad Air 2 has the A8X chip, while this gets the A9 vesion which should provide a decent speed boost – bringing it in line with the iPhone 6S and SE. It’ll be available in 32GB and 128GB variants – if you want more than that, you’re looking at the iPad Pro.
New iPad: Price
The big headline, however, is the price cut. The new iPad starts at just £339 – and to put that into perspective, that’s £60 cheaper than the original iPad.
That price is for the 32GB version in silver, space grey or gold. If you want the 128GB version things rapidly heat up and you’re looking at an outlay of £429.
It gets more expensive if you want cellular data on top of your WiFi. The 32GB version shoots up to £469, while the 128GB edition hits £559.
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