Apple’s new iPad may be the perfect tablet for most people
The 9.7-inch device, with faster, more powerful chip, costs US$330, but is not really something for a child as it has no case and pricey Pencil is easy to lose
There's one word that sums up Apple’s latest iPad: safe.
The new 9.7-inch device made its debut at an education-focused event at a school in Chicago, in the United States, on March 27.
Apple seemed to bill the device as the perfect option for schools, but as a sensible consumer product, too.
The new iPad has a more powerful A10 chip built in and has support for Apple's US$100 stylus, called Apple Pencil.
Yet the new iPad lacks a certain freshness. It is not a design risk like the iPhone X, nor is it a true low-cost, child-friendly-ish option like the iPhone 5c.
The new iPad's design has been recycled, its guts have been – nearly – duplicated, and even its cost remains the same (unless you are a school, teacher, or student, in which case, the price is now 10 per cent cheaper).
This is not necessarily a bad move on Apple’s part, though.
For anyone who is actively shopping for a tablet for the first time, someone looking for a lower-cost MacBook replacement, or for an iPad fan in desperate need of an upgrade, the new iPad is the perfect choice.
In fact, I have spent the last week using the newest iPad with an Apple Pencil, and it has already filled a technology gap I didn’t even know I had.