Starts at $329
Apple today released the eighth-generation iPad priced from $329. Although considered an entry-level tablet, its been upgraded with a powerful A12 Bionic chip that brings the Neural Engine to the entry iPad for the first time. It delivers a huge leap in performance, with a 40 percent faster CPU and double the graphics capability of its predecessor. Plus the Neural Engine improves motion tracking in augmented reality (AR) apps, enhances photo editing, Siri performance, and more. However, it it looks identical to last year’s iPad (7th gen) and keeps pricing the same. And it still retains the iconic home button and a headphone jack.
The new iPad, which is compatible with Apple Pencil (1st generation), is perfect for drawing, note-taking, marking up documents, and more. With its thin and light design, iPad is portable and durable with ultra-fast wireless performance, support for gigabit-class LTE connectivity, and all-day battery life, giving customers the freedom to work, learn, and connect at home or on the go. With Touch ID, unlocking iPad is simple and secure using just a finger, to keep important information safe.
“With its beautiful 10.2-inch Retina display, the performance boost from the A12 Bionic, great cameras, and so much more, the new iPad is an incredible value at a time when, more than ever, our customers need powerful and versatile ways to work, play, learn, and connect with loved ones.”
Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing
iPadOS 14
iPadOS 14 brings new features and designs that take advantage of the unique capabilities of iPad, its large Multi-Touch display, and versatile accessories. iPadOS 14 further integrates Apple Pencil into the iPad experience for better note-taking capabilities and new ways to work with handwritten notes. When taking notes on iPad, Smart Selection uses on-device machine learning to distinguish handwriting from drawings, so handwritten text can easily be selected, cut, and pasted into another document as typed text using the same familiar gestures. Shape recognition allows users to draw shapes that are made geometrically perfect and snap right into place when adding diagrams and illustrations in Notes. Data detectors work seamlessly with handwritten text, recognizing phone numbers, dates, addresses, and links, making it easy for users to perform actions like tapping a handwritten number to make a call.
iPadOS 14 also brings Scribble to iPad, allowing Apple Pencil users to handwrite directly in any text field, making actions like replying to a quick iMessage or searching in Safari fast and easy — all without ever needing to put Apple Pencil away. Scribble uses on-device machine learning to convert handwriting into typed text in real time, so writing is always kept private and secure.
iPadOS 14 makes the iPad experience even more distinctive and powerful in other ways, including:
- All-new compact designs for incoming FaceTime and phone calls, Siri interactions, and Search to help users stay focused on the task at hand.
- Universal Search to quickly find practically anything, from locating and launching apps, to accessing contacts, files, and information, to getting answers to common questions about people or places.
- New sidebars for many apps including Photos and Files, and streamlined toolbars that consolidate controls into a single place, making them more useful than ever.
- Beautifully redesigned widgets that present timely information at a glance right on the Home Screen.
Pricing & Availability
- The new iPad (8th generation) is available from September 18, 2020 on apple.com and in the Apple Store app in more than 25 countries and regions, including the US. It comes in silver, space gray, and gold finishes in 32GB and 128GB configurations:
- $329 (32GB) Wi-Fi
- $429 (128GB) Wi-Fi
- $459 (32GB) Wi-Fi + Cellular
- $559 (128GB) Wi-Fi + Cellular
- iPadOS 14, the powerful operating system designed specifically for iPad, ships for free with the new eighth-generation iPad and new iPad Air and will be available as a free software update Wednesday, September 16, 2020 for all iPad Pro models, iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, and iPad mini 4 and later.
- Apple Pencil (1st generation), available for purchase separately, is compatible with iPad (8th generation) for $99 (US).
- Smart Keyboard for iPad is available for purchase separately for $159 (US) with layouts for over 30 languages, including simplified Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish.
- Smart Covers for iPad are available for $49 (US) in black, white, and three new seasonal colors including deep navy, cyprus green, and pink citrus.
- Education pricing for institutions purchasing directly from Apple, including schools and universities, is available starting at just $299 (US) for iPad (8th generation). Education pricing for individuals, including current and newly accepted college students and their parents, as well as faculty, staff, and homeschool teachers of all grade levels, is available for $309 (US) for iPad (8th generation). The first-generation Apple Pencil is also available for $89 (US) and Smart Keyboard for $149 (US). For more information, visit apple.com/us-hed/shop.
