Apple has just released the brand new iPad. Sitting below the costlier iPad Pro and iPad Air models, the base model iPad has been redesigned to look more similar to its bigger brothers.
Amongst the headline features, the iPad gets a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, and is powered by the A14 Bionic chip. That's the same powerhouse found in the old iPhone 12, and represents a jump in power over the old iPad 10.2-inch.
But there is one feature that has me reaching for my wallet. The front-facing camera is 12MP ultra-wide sensor – but it's located on the landscape edge, rather than the portrait edge. This feature has never been seen on any other iPad, and it's a revelation.
I don't know a single person who video calls on the iPad in portrait mode. Instead, users of any other iPad model are left on the side of the shot, with the most unflattering angle possible. Having a front-facing camera on the landscape edge is a brilliant move for the iPad. I'd wager that most people using an iPad – particularly the cheaper models – spend a lot of time using it for video calling.
Pricing on the iPad starts at £499 / AUD$749 and comes in four colours: blue, pink, yellow, and silver. There will be options with 64GB or 256GB of storage, and an option with 5G connectivity. You can pre-order from today, with models set to hit stores on October 26th (October 27 for Australia).
