Apple unveils new, larger iPad models. How much do they cost?

globalnews.ca:

Apple on Tuesday introduced a new, larger consumer iPad model at a virtual event, putting a slightly newer chip in the device as analysts expected further upgrades to the company’s professional iPad lineup.

The iPad Air, the Cupertino, California-based company’s mid-priced model, will now come in a larger 13-inch screen size at US$800, as well as the 11-inch size it previously came in for US$600. The models come with Apple’s M2 chip, which first came to market in Apple’s MacBooks in 2022.

The iPhone maker’s latest product launch event comes as the Silicon Valley heavyweight trails Big Tech rivals while they race to build AI into its products across their businesses and dominate the emerging technology.

Apple often introduces new iPads in May, a time when education customers are making purchasing decisions for the next academic year. But in recent years, Apple has started to transform its higher-priced models into devices for creative and business professionals with its iPad Pro models. It is these tablets, which currently come with

Apple-designed chips that earlier appeared in the company’s MacBook laptops, that could get an upgrade with a completely new processor optimized for AI work. But precisely what AI features the new chips could power might not become fully clear until Apple holds its annual software developer conference next month.

For now, many AI features – such as helping zoom in on a user during a video call and slightly altering the look of their eyes to make it look as though they are looking directly into the camera – are not likely to inspire a wave of upgrades, according to some analysts.

“Is it really enough for people to look into it and buy them? Probably not,” said Mikako Kitagawa, an analyst at