Apple today started shipping its latest budget iPad to those who pre-ordered this tablet after it was unveiled earlier this month. It will hit Apple Store shelves later this week; Apple isn’t saying exactly when, however.
This is the first 10.2-inch iPad, and it replaces the last 9.7-inch model in Apple’s lineup.
Despite the increase in size, the newest iPadOS device costs precisely the same as its predecessor: $329.
10.2-inch iPad is more than a tablet
Apple’s latest has the same size casing as the 10.5-inch iPad Air that debuted in the spring and so can use the Apple Smart Keyboard Folio designed for this model. This transforms the tablet into a 2-in-1 laptop. Or the recently-announced Brydge 10.2 can do the same.
Speaking of accessories, this tablet supports the original Apple Pencil.
On the inside is a dual-core 2.32 GHz Apple A10 Fusion processor — an older chip and the same as was in the 9.7-inch iPad. Still, there’s 3GB of RAM, an improvement over the earlier slate. It comes running the new iPadOS.
With the 10.2-inch iPad so new, demand is exceeding supply. Orders placed today from the Apple Store won‘t arrive until mid-October.
Source: Apple