Apple iPad Redesign Ditches Home Button And Lightning
Apple's low-key October 2022 launch saw the company announce upgrades to its iPad and Apple TV lineups. Among the new devices launched today include the next-generation Apple TV 4K, which now gets the Apple A15 Bionic chip while adding support for HDR10+. In addition to this, Apple also refreshed the iPad Pro with both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch variants getting the company's newest M2 chip. Both the new iPad Pro models now support ProRes video capture and Wi-Fi 6E as well.
Another product that received a much-needed upgrade with this launch cycle is the "standard" iPad, which entered its 10th generation with the latest update. The newly launched 10th generation iPad is a significant upgrade over its predecessor, with the new model receiving a complete redesign. The most significant change on the refreshed iPad is the removal of the good old home button. With the home button gone, Apple was also able to address a major complaint with the previous generation iPads — its rather chunky bezels that look completely out of place on any gadget made in 2022. The updated iPad gets much smaller bezels, and a new design that makes the product closely resemble models from the 5th generation iPad Air lineup.
Everything new with the Apple iPad (2022)
The refreshed iPad is the same size as its older 9th-generation sibling, but the slim bezels let it accommodate a much larger display that clocks in at 10.9 inches. While the machine still supports Touch ID, the sensor has moved to a new position and is now located at the top of the device. The updated iPad also gets an improved Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 2,360 x 1,640 pixels and 500 nits of brightness.
The 10th generation iPad comes powered by the Apple A14 Bionic chipset. The rear-facing camera on the updated model now gets a 12MP sensor and adds support for features like 4K video 240-fps slow-motion videos. Apple has also changed the positioning of the 12MP front-facing camera, which is now located on the landscape bezel. The lightning port is as gone and has been replaced by a USB-C port, just like what we see on the iPad Pro. However, the machine still supports the first-generation Apple Pencil 1, and users will now be required to purchase a separate adapter for using the accessory with the 10th-generation iPad.
The new iPad is available starting today, October 18, 2022, with prices for the Wi-Fi models starting at $449 and that of the Wi-Fi + Cellular models starting at $599. The devices will be sold in 64GB and 256GB configurations and come in blue, pink, yellow, and silver color options.