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Seven things you need to know about the new iPad refresh

Apple has quietly released a new 9.7-inch iPad. Here's what you need to know.
Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Contributing Writer

Apple has quietly released a new 9.7-inch iPad. Here's what you need to know.

Must read: How to get your iPhone or iPad ready for iOS 10.3

New 9.7-inch iPad

  1. The new iPad is essentially an iPad Air 2 with a newer processor (the A9 chip from the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus released in September 2015).
  2. This iPad got little in the way of fanfare and no launch event; the store went down for a few hours and the new iPad appeared, and there was a press release. This price reduction is clearly something that Apple feels it has to do, as opposed to being something it wants to do.
  3. We get a starting price cut of $70 on the 9.7-inch iPad (the starting price for the new 9.7-inch iPad is $329, compared to starting price of $399 for the iPad Air 2).
  4. Apple has simplified the lineup, dropping the iPad Air 2 (and it seems the whole "Air" moniker for the iPad) as well as the iPad mini 2.
  5. The iPad mini 4 also gets simplified -- now there's only a single 128GB model priced at $399 (previously the iPad mini 4 was offered with 32GB and 128GB, priced at $399 and $499, respectively).
  6. Removal of the iPad mini 2, which was previously priced at $269, means that the new 9.7-inch iPad is the cheapest iPad now being offered.
  7. Apple has finally removed the last 16GB iPhone by bumping the base storage for the iPhone SE to 32GB, and it axed the 64GB variant in favor of 128GB, with the handsets priced at $399 and $499, respectively.

See also: Apple defends iPad, tablet turf with price cut as it aims to spur upgrade cycle | CNET: Best tablets of 2017 | Should you buy a refurbished iPad?

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