Apple announced the latest iPad at an education-focused event in Chicago. The new low-cost 9.7 inch iPad now has Apple Pencil Support. The Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps for iPad are also being updated for stylus support. Apple Pencil support previously only came with the high-end iPad Pro.
The new iPad featured unveiled has features like the A10 Fusion chip, an 8 MP rear camera and a battery life of 10 hours. The internal specs are more or less the same even though the processor got a bump over the previous version. The Touch ID and the Home button firmly remain in place and so do the bezels. The iPad does not have Face ID and we might see it in the iPad Pro.
Apple stressed on the augmented reality capabilities built into the iOS and how they could help in educational apps. Apple wanted to target that market after seeing Chromebooks penetrate it previously. One thing to attract the teachers and students is the “Smart Annotations” feature, where teachers can mark up changes in real-time while students continue to take notes.
Apple has also announced that more apps to help the students and teachers are on the way. An app called Schoolwork will help teachers assign and track projects. Students are also getting an iCloud boost and get 200 GB of free storage rather than the regular 5GB given to everyone else.
Even though the additions are made, the price has not shot up and is the same as last year. Schools can pick the new iPads at a starting price of $299 each whereas it will cost $329 and up for others. The Apple Pencil, however, will need to be bought separately and will cost $89. This might help Apple break into the education market. Time will tell how successful the venture proves to be.
