Apple introduces iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3; UAE pre-orders start today

Apple rolls out slimmer, more powerful new iPad Air 2 and Mini 3 even as pre-orders in the UAE are set to start from October 18 (Saturday).

The most significant upgrades in the iPad Air 2 is that it has not only lost some weight as Apple has built the 9.7 inch it at 6.1 thick and introduced an all new gold colour option (Samsung did it last year).

Just like it did with its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple has taken out the 32 GB option from both its iPad Air 2 and Mini 3. The new range of tablets will feature 16, 64 and 128 GB.

In the UAE the iPad Air 2 will start at Dh1899 for a 16 GB device, Dh2299 for 64 GB version and Dh2699 for the 128 GB device.

The iPad Mini 3 on the other hand will be Dh400 cheaper compared to its bigger counterpart and will start at Dh1499 for the 16 GB version.

Apple has dropped the prices of iPad Mini 2 and the original iPad Mini by almost Dh200. The Mini 2 will start at Dh1149 while the iPad Mini will start at Dh949 on the online Apple Store in UAE.

Feature wise Apple has improvised the devices in terms of both hardware and power. Most significantly it has boosted the anti-reflective coating, introduced a more powerful second generation 64-bit A8X chip, the camera features have been enhanced with an all new iSight and FaceTime HD cameras, faster Wi-Fi and LTE wireless, and has incorporated the the Touch ID fingerprint identity sensor into its new iPads.
 




In a media note Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing commented that “iPad is a magical piece of glass that runs more than 675,000 apps specifically designed for it, and is thin and light enough that you can comfortably hold it all day; the new iPad Air 2 is packed with amazing new innovations, weighs less than a pound, and at just 6.1 mm is the thinnest tablet in the world.”

According to Apple the custom-designed anti-reflective coating reduces glare by 56 percent for a clearer display and betters any other display of existing tablets in the market.

The iPad Air 2 it said is powered by the new Apple-designed A8X chip, which delivers a 40 percent improvement in CPU performance and 2.5 times the graphics performance of iPad Air, and delivers the up to 10-hour battery life and along with Metal - the new graphics technology in iOS 8 and the M8 motion coprocessor - that gathers motion data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, compass and an all-new barometer which senses air pressure to provide relative elevation makes the machine one of the most powerful devices in its category.

The camera enhancements include an 8MP sensor and advanced optics in the iSight camera and adds new features such as panoramic pictures, time-lapse video, slo-mo and 1080p HD video.

According to Apple, the FaceTime HD camera now captures over 80 percent more light than iPad Air’s camera, and features burst mode as well as HDR stills and video.

Apple has also boosted the wireless capabilities in the new tablets. The iPad Air 2 provides a faster connectivity with 802.11ac Wi-Fi with Multiple-In-Multiple-Out (MIMO) technology for 2.8 times the Wi-Fi performance of iPad Air and offers data rates up to 866 Mbps. “iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi + Cellular integrates even more LTE bands and comes with expanded LTE for up to 50 percent faster cellular connections, plus support for other fast cellular technology around the world,” the announcement said.

iPad Mini 3 on the other hand still retains the A7 chip and 5 MP iSight camera.

While the touch ID can be used to authenticate online purchases on the iPads, Apple has failed to incorporate NFC into the iPads. So currently the Apple Pay feature on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus cannot be used on tablets.

Apple also stressed that it has tied up with more than 500 partners including VISA to enhance its Apple Pay solution, which currently is only available in the United States.

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