The new entry-level iPad, now with a 10.2-inch display, will start shipping out tomorrow. In a press release coinciding with the release of iPadOS, Apple noted that the iPad will also be available at the company’s retail stores later this week. Apple had previously indicated a September 30th release date, so this is slightly earlier than expected — just like the moved-up launch of iPadOS and iOS 13.1. The seventh-gen iPad starts at $329 for Wi-Fi models or $499 for those including cellular data. Education customers can get it for $299.

Aside from increasing its screen size from the old, original 9.7-inch display, Apple’s new iPad includes a Smart Connector for compatibility with the same Smart Keyboard used by the iPad Air. It retains Apple Pencil support and is powered by the A10 Fusion chip. The display lacks Apple’s True Tone feature for optimizing white balance depending on your environment, however. And it’s still not laminated to the front glass like other, more expensive iPads, so the air gap remains. But at $329, it should nonetheless prove plenty good for many people. Apple says the entry-level iPad remains the most popular choice in the whole lineup.

The new iPad runs iPadOS, with improved multitasking capabilities, a new home screen that displays more apps, and “desktop-class” web browsing in Safari, among many other new features.

Source: The Verge