Apple iPad 2018 Review: An education-centric tablet with stylus, AR support

The latest iteration of the iPad, at least outwardly, is a dead ringer for its predecessor from last year. The biggest change, however, is support for the stylus.

Technology News : Last week, I was reminded of my high school days, to be precise, one particular class. As a student of the biosciences, I had bitter-sweet memories of biology practical classes which involved dissection. On the one hand, my teacher praised me for my tissue slides (who called me a natural with the scalpel — no doubt influenced by my father’s rather pre-eminent reputation as a surgeon in our small town); but on the other, as an animal lover, I was sad at the loss of lives the classes led to — of the frogs and lab mice.

And last week, I dissected a frog, without the scruples and the messy bits. And for that, I had to thank the latest Apple iPad (from Rs 28,000). Oh, and in place of a scalpel, I used the Apple Pencil (Rs 7,600). The app that let me do this was Froggipedia, which also supports augmented reality (AR), and using which I could place a frog on my dining table, much to the dismay of my wife!

The latest iteration of the Apple iPad 2018, at least outwardly, is a dead ringer for its predecessor from last year. The biggest change, however, is support for the stylus (one can also use one’s finger). Also, it is powered by a zippier processor, which was in evidence when I played games such as Thumper: Pocket Edition and Asphalt 8: Airborne.

In many other respects, though, it remains the same — such as the screen and the connectors; that is, this iPad misses the TrueTone and TrueMotion screen, the Smart Connector and the speakers its elder sibling the iPad Pro sports. This means the 2018 iPad’s screen wouldn’t colour tones; the lower refresh rate means the stylus is a tad less responsive, but you’ll understand that only if you’re a professional artist; only Bluetooth keyboards can be connected to the iPad; and this one’s not as loud as its elder sibling.

The real heroes, however, are the apps. With Apple tweaking its iWork suite to support the Pencil, I realised one could easily annotate stuff in Pages, just like proofing a page. I wish Word comes out with this feature soon. Besides, the iPad also doubles up as a teleprompter — a godsend in these days of videos and vlogs.

Read full review → Apple iPad 2018 Review

Apple unveils affordable iPad: 9.7-inch display, 8MP camera with Pencil

Apple executives said the company will release a iPad model that works with its Apple Pencil accessory and features an upgraded A10 Fusion chip, the same CPU that powers the iPhone 7.

Technology News : Apple Inc on Tuesday kicked off an event in Chicago where it announced a new iPad that would work with its Apple Pencil accessory aimed at helping it grab more of the U.S. education market.

The tablet will have a starting price of $299 for students and $329 for consumers. Tech companies are battling for dominance in US schools with inexpensive devices and laptops that are geared towards classroom use and seen as a way to hook young consumers.

Education-geared laptops running operating systems by Alphabet Inc’s Google or Microsoft Corp can be had for less than $200.

Apple hit hard on the education theme on Tuesday, with school bells and announcements over a public address system directing press and teachers into an auditorium at Lane Tech College Prep High School. Apple board member and former US Vice President Al Gore mingled with the crowd.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook opened the keynote with a nod to politics, saying “we are deeply inspired by the courage of the students who walked out” and marched on Washington, advocating for stricter gun control laws following a school shooting in Florida. The line elicited loud cheers from students seated at the rear of the auditorium.

The Chicago event comes during a spring buying season when many schools are making purchasing decisions for the upcoming school year.

Apple executives said the company will release Apple new iPad model that works with its Apple Pencil accessory and features an upgraded A10 Fusion chip, the same CPU that powers the iPhone 7. The company also released a new version of its word processing apps for the iPad designed to work with the pencil and allow students to take handwritten notes more easily.