Apple Upgrades iPad With Larger Screen, USB-C While iPad Pro Gets M2 Chip

pcmag.com:

Apple has redesigned the standard iPad with a new look that expands the screen and adds a USB-C port on the side, and launched an upgraded iPad Pro. Both products are available to pre-order now and hit stores on Oct. 26. 

For the 10th-generation iPad, Apple increased the screen size from 10.2 to 10.9 inches, which has a slightly higher pixel resolution at 2,360 by 1,640. The company also removed the Home button, which is found on last year’s ninth-gen iPad and replaced it with a Touch ID button that's integrated into the top power button. 

Apple also adds Wi-Fi 6 and a USB-C port to the tablet in another sign Apple might be preparing to ditch the Lightning port. In addition, the company upgraded the front-facing 12-megapixel camera with an ultra-wide sensor for better video calls. 

Apple also notes that "for the first time on any iPad, the front-facing camera is now located along the landscape edge" so you don't have to hold the iPad vertically to be centered during a FaceTime video call. The same camera supports Center Stage, meaning it can automatically pan and zoom to keep the user in view as they move around. Meanwhile, the iPad’s rear camera has been bumped up from 8MP to 12MP.  

The new iPad seems to adopt the same design as the recently released 5th-gen iPad Air, which also has a 10.9-inch screen and no Home button. The main difference is that the new iPad will use A14 Bionic chip, or the same processor found in the iPhone 12. Meanwhile, the iPad Air comes with a more powerful M1 chip used in the company’s Arm-powered MacBooks. 

All those new features, however, mean the iPad is getting a price increase. It starts at $449 with only 64GB of memory. For 256GB of storage, customers have to pay $599. Get it in blue,