Apple announces new eighth-generation 10.2-inch iPad with improved performance for $329

Today, Apple has announced the eighth-generation version of its classic iPad, its entry-level 10.2-inch tablet that is upgraded with a powerful A12 chip for faster and improved performance.

The tablet features a 10.2-inch Retina display, an 8MP rear camera, a FaceTime HD camera, 10 hours of battery life, a smart connector, and a USB-C power adaptor. It also gets support for Touch ID and runs iPadOS 14.

8th generation iPad

The New 8th-generation iPad

The A12 chip brings Apple’s “Neural Engine” processing capabilities to the new 10.2-inch entry-level tablet for the first time, with 40 percent faster CPU performance and a promise of twice the graphics performance. This makes the new device up to two times faster than the top-selling Windows laptop, up to three times faster than the top-selling Android tablet, and up to six times faster than the top-selling Chromebook.

The new tablet will also run on the new iPadOS 14 to offer new features like Scribbles with Apple Pencil support for hand-written text to quickly write notes, search for webpages, message, and more. iPad

Apple says that the new model will still fit existing cases, including its keyboard case and those made by Logitech. It will also still work with the first-gen Apple Pencil, like the previous model.

iPad 8

Unfortunately, it appears that the tech giant is still sticking with its proprietary Lightning port on the eighth-gen tablet, instead of the USB-C port that’s used by Apple’s laptops, iPad Pro, and the just-announced iPad Air. The device also features a standard Touch ID home button, something that is increasingly rare on Apple’s product lineup.

While the iPad is not as popular as Apple’s iPhone, it’s becoming a more critical part of Apple’s lineup due to the coronavirus pandemic, with millions of customers upgrading their devices for work-from-home and remote learning setups. That is the main reason why the tablet market posted a huge gain in the second quarter this year, even during a global economic slowdown.

The new eighth-generation entry-level iPad starts at $329 and is $299 for education customers. It will be available starting Friday, September 18, 2020, on apple.com.

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About the Author

Asma is an editor at iThinkDifferent with a strong focus on social media, Apple news, streaming services, guides, mobile gaming, app reviews, and more. When not blogging, Asma loves to play with her cat, draw, and binge on Netflix shows.

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