Apple quietly announces two new iPads a week ahead of its event

Just as Apple gears up for its rumored streaming service event on March 25, it quietly unveiled new iPads; new versions of the iPad Air and iPad Mini.

Usually Apple reveals its new hardware at big events, but this time the Cupertino tech giant announced two new iPads quietly through a simple press release, surprising everyone.

“Apple wants to get the iPad out of the way so it can hold its first event truly focused on streaming,” Lauren Guenveur, senior research analyst at IDC told CNN. “If Apple announced new Pads, it would turn into a hardware event, and that’s not what it wants.”

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The newer version of the iPad Air comes in with ultra-thin 10.5-inch display, whereas the new iPad mini features the same 7.9-inch display as the previous one. However, for the first time, both the devices support the Apple Pencil and a processor that is three times faster than the previous ones.

According to Apple, both the iPad Air and iPad mini also feature new advanced Retina display with True Tone technology, which is around 20% larger with over half a million more pixels for the iPad Air, and 25% brighter for iPad mini.

The iPads also feature ‘advanced cameras for stunning photos and videos’. The cameras, according to Apple have incredible low-light performance and HD video recording and are perfect for document scanning and connecting with people. The advanced sensors also help enable ‘immersive AR experiences’.

As of for the pricing, the iPad Air starts at $499 for the Wi-Fi model and $629 for the Wi-Fi and Cellular model. The iPad mini on the other hand starts at $399 for the Wi-Fi model and $529 for the Wi-Fi and Cellular one. The Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard will be sold separately.

Both the iPads feature 64GB and 256GB configurations and come in three different colors and are already available for pre-orders and will be in stores by next week.