Apple Unveils the iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina Display

Today, Apple announced two new iPad models: the iPad Air and the iPad Mini. Both have received a substantial upgrade in power and accessibility, but also the typical decrease in size and weight. The company also revealed new Smart Cover and Smart Case accessories for both. Let’s break it all down.

iPad Air

This is Apple’s newest full-size tablet, the iPad Air. It’s approximately 7.5mm thin (20% thinner than the previous iPad), and weighs in at exactly one pound (28% lighter than its 1.4 pound predecessor). It features a 9.7 inch 2048 x 1536 resolution Retina Display, all surrounded by a newly designed bezel that’s over 43% smaller than the previous iPad model.

The iPad Air is powered by Apple’s snappy new 64-bit A7 chip, which has double the CPU and graphics performance of the last iPad, and has an impressive battery life of 10 hours. The A7 chip is the same processor that can be found within the recently released iPhone 5S.

This new iPad also has improved wireless range and capability, with 2 built-in antennas instead of 1, enabling what Apple claims is a 100% increase in Wi-Fi speeds over the previous iPad. This is based on Apple’s implementation of MIMO technology, which is short “multiple-input and multiple-output,” referring to the use of double antennas for increased performance in the device.

As you might expect, the iPad Air runs the latest version of iOS 7.

As usual, the iPad Air will come in a variety of color options and price points. Colors include silver, white, space gray, and black, and you can choose between a Wi-Fi-only model and a Wi-Fi + 4G LTE model. There’s also a new 128GB flash memory option, for those of you who require more storage space.

Wi-Fi-only iPad Air models will start at $499 for the 16GB version, while the 4G LTE models will start at $629 for the 16GB version. The full price breakdown can be found at the bottom of this article.

iPad Mini

The new iPad Mini, now referred to as iPad Mini with Retina Display, features what the title implies: a new, higher resolution 7.9-inch display with gorgeous image quality. The display density clocks in at a resolution identical to the iPad Air, that being 2048 x 1536, and contains 326 pixels per inch of screen.

The iPad Mini with Retina Display also includes the same “desktop-class” 64-bit A7 chip that’s found in the iPad Air, meaning you can expect a four-fold increase in CPU speed, graphical performance that’s 8 times better than the previous iPad Mini, and the same impressive 10-hour battery capacity.

This new Mini contains the same MIMO technology implemented in the iPad Air, meaning it now has two wireless antennas instead of 1, doubling the Wi-Fi speed and performance compared to the former Mini.

Similar to the iPad Air, the new iPad Mini with Retina Display runs the latest version of iOS 7.

Smart Cases and Smart Covers for Both

Apple also announced today a newly redesigned Smart Cover as well as a Smart Case for both the iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina Display.

The Smart Cover is similar to its predecessor that released alongside previous iPads, but is now available in more colors, including a new design by (Red). It’s designed to cover and protect the screen of your iPad without adding extra bulk, and also folds into different positions for different scenarios of use.

It snaps on and snaps off with ease, and wakes up your iPad from sleep upon opening. The Smart Cover for iPad Air and iPad Mini costs $39.00 and comes in six colors.

The Smart Case, on the other hand, encompasses the entirety of your iPad of choice, and also comes in six colors. It does everything a Smart Cover can, but with simply more protection. You can snag one for your iPad Air for $79.00, and one for a new iPad Mini for $69.00.

Here’s the price breakdown for the new iPad lineup: