Apple introduced an upgraded version of the iPad Air at its March event. The exterior of the device remains the same while the internals get a major upgrade. The iPad Air is now powered by the M1 chip – the same chip found inside the iPad Pro, the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro, and the Mac mini.
The M1 chip makes the iPad Air a beastly powerful device albeit with a much lower price compared to the iPad Pro. A starting price of $599 (USD) for the M1 iPad Air, brings high performance at a much more affordable price. For comparison, the M1 iPad Pro starts at $799. Of course, the iPad Pro packs a lot more to justify its higher price tag, not everybody needs all nifty features.
Minor improvements make it a fantastic tablet
“Whether it’s a college student taking elaborate notes, a content creator working on their latest project, or a gamer playing graphics-intensive titles, users love iPad Air for its amazing performance and versatility in such a portable design,” said Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak. “With the breakthrough M1 chip, Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage, and ultra-fast 5G, iPad Air is now more powerful, more capable, and simply more fun than ever.”
The front camera on the iPad Air has been updated – a new ultra wide 12 megapixel shooter makes it a fantastic device for video calls and making Instagram reels. The ‘Center Stage’ feature from other Apple devices, now makes it to the iPad Air which will improve video calling experience with auto zoom in and zoom out.
Other highlighted new features include faster USB-C port which can transfer data twice as fast compared to the previous generation iPad Air. Apple talked at length about how 5G will help users work on the fly without requiring to look for WiFi.
The new iPad Air powered by M1 chip will be available to order starting March 11.
