Apple announces iPad Air 2

Just when we thought these tablets couldn't get any thinner, here comes Apple and gives us a 6.1 mm thin tablet, netting it the title of the world's thinnest tablet. It's not just thin though, it's also been packed with some great new technologies. Check it out, after the break.




Performance

iPad Air 2 comes with a graphics supercharged version of the A8 chip, the A8X. This chip allows it to perform up to 40% faster CPU tasks and 2.5x faster GPU tasks. This all adds up to super fast app loading and calculations so you can really get your work done quickly when it matters the most or play some really amazing games in high fidelity. All this power has been packed into the iPad Air 2 but thanks to the M8 co-processor inside doing all the motion tracking, battery doesn't suffer at all; it still maintains the same 10 hr battery life you've come to love all the while making it much thinner and powerful.

Touch ID

Yes, it's finally here, Touch ID on the iPad. If you've been using Touch ID on your iPhone for the past year or so you've probably also gone and put your finger on the home button of your iPad only to realize that it's not going to unlock itself. So it's no surprise that's exactly how Phil Schiller presented it. And he's right.

Touch ID can be used just like you'd expect on the iPad Air 2 to unlock your iPad, buy content from the App Store and iTunes, inside of apps that use it as a form of authentication like 1Password or Mint, and even with Apple Pay inside of apps to make secure purchases. However, Apple Pay on iPad is not for in store use, it is only for purchases made inside of apps.

iSight Camera

Oh yeah, tablet photography isn't going anywhere. And it's only going to get better with the new 8 MP iSight Camera in the iPad Air 2. It boasts an all new sensor that allows 81% more light to enter resulting in some amazingly crisp and beautiful photos or burst shots for those moments that happen all too quickly to capture with just one shot. It also shoots 120 FPS Slo-mo, Time Lapse and 1080p video. The Facetime Camera also receives an upgrade; it can shot burst photos as well which Phil Schiller says will be popular with the kids as well as a new sensor that gives you even clearer video during Facetime video calls. One important thing to note is that the Camera is now surrounded by 2 microphones for noise cancelling which means the mute switch has been removed and replaced with the new microphone.

New Retina Display

Apple has laminated the Retina Display on the iPad Air 2 just like they started doing so with the iPhone 5. The result is a thinner display, no air gaps causing interior reflection, and a sense that all the content is just sitting on top of the glass so you feel as if you were literally touching everything on your screen. It's also the first time a display has been treated with a coat of anti-reflection so glare and reflection has been reduced by up to 56%. I'm sure those of you that like to read your eBooks outside in the sun will appreciate this new feature.

A New Kind of Wireless

Wireless gets even faster on the new iPad Air 2. It comes packed with 802.11 ac MIMO so your WiFi speeds can reach up to 866 Mbps. Cellular iPads also get a speed boost with LTE Advanced, reaching up to 150 Mbps, that's 50% faster than last year's iPad Air. With these kinds of speeds, using AirDrop between iOS devices and Macs and Airplay will be at their fastest. The iPad Air 2 also supports up to 20 LTE bands from around the world and come with a new Apple SIM card so switching between carriers is even easier than before with just the tap of a button. No need to change your SIM card. Currently, Apple SIM is being supported by AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile in the US and EE in the UK.

Color and Pricing

The new iPad Air 2 comes in a new, yet familiar color, Gold. It joins the previous color options of Space Gray and Silver. No matter your color choice the price is the same and depends on whether you opt for cellular capabilities and/or more storage space. The WiFi only models are $499 for 16 GB, $599 for 64 GB and $699 for 128 GB. WiFi + Cellular models will run you $629 for 16 GB, $729 for 64 GB and $829 for 128 GB. This is a great new pricing that matches the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, doing away with the 32 GB option while making the bigger storage capacities more affordable. You can head on over to Apple.com to pre-order yours now and will begin to ship by the end of next week ending on the 25th!

That's all we know now. As more information is available we'll be updating this post!