Apple has debuted the iPad Air 5, featuring the Apple-designed M1 chip, that the company says delivers “a massive leap in performance”.
Angelina Kyazike, engineering program manager at iPad, said: “This is the same M1 chip that we brought to iPad Pro, and the 8-core design of the CPU delivers up to 60% faster performance over the A14 in the previous generation of iPad Air.”
She added that the 8-core GPU delivers incredible graphics performance, up to twice as fast, and the M1 chip in the new device makes it faster than the fastest competitive devices in the market.
“This makes the new iPad air faster than the fastest competitive tablet and it is also up to two times faster than the best selling Windows laptop in its price range. A device that is three times thicker and four times heavier than iPad Air.”
The iPad Air 5 includes a 12mpx ultra-wide camera, meaning that the entire iPad line now supports Center Stage, which employs machine learning to adjust the front-facing camera when users use video apps. As they move around, Center Stage helps keep them and anyone else in the frame.
It also features the new Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage for what Apple calls a more natural video conferencing experience, as well as a USB-C port with up to 2x faster transfer speeds, and fast 5G on cellular models.
To support fast connection to drive docks and cameras, Apple is increasing the performance of the USBC port. “It is now twice as fast, so transferring large photos or videos is even quicker," said Kyazike.
The new iPad Air comes in space grey, starlight pink, purple, and a “stunning new blue”. It will be available starting at $599, comes in both 64- and 256-gigabyte configurations, and it will be available in both Wi Fi and cellular models.
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