Apple Launches Its Cheapest iPad With Pencil Support

Apple Launches Its Cheapest iPad With Apple Pencil Support starting at just $299

Google’s Chromebook clearly dominates the classrooms in the U.S., as nearly 60 percent of its shipments are to the U.S. Now, taking a dig at Google’s dominance of the education market, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced a new 9.7 inch iPad with Apple Pencil support retailing for $299 for teachers and students and $329 for the general public at an education-focused event hosted at Lane Tech High School in Chicago on Tuesday. The optional Apple Pencil will sell separately to students and educators for $89, and to the general public for $99.

“We know that our products can unleash the creative genius in every kid,” Cook said.

The updated 9.7 inch iPad weighs 1 lbs and features a large Retina display, Apple’s A10 Fusion chip with 64-bit desktop-class architecture, Touch ID, a front-facing HD camera, 32GB of storage, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with 1080p HD video, up to10 hours of battery life, and LTE option. The tablet also enables support for Apple Pencil, which was previously only compatible with iPad Pro. The teachers and students will also 200GB of free iCloud storage, which is a significant upgrade from the previously-allocated 5GB. You can read more about the new iPad here.

“iPad is our vision for the future of computing and hundreds of millions of people around the world use it every day at work, in school and for play. This new 9.7-inch iPad takes everything people love about our most popular iPad and makes it even better for inspiring creativity and learning,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of Product Marketing. “Our most popular and affordable iPad now includes support for Apple Pencil, bringing the advanced capabilities of one of our most creative tools to even more users. This iPad also has the power of the A10 Fusion chip, combined with the big, beautiful Retina display, advanced cameras, and sensors that enable incredible AR experiences simply not possible on other devices.”

With the launch of the new iPad, Apple is looking to win back students and teachers from Google, whose products and software are not only affordable but also very deeply-rooted in schools.

The new 9.7 inch iPad comes in silver, space gray and a new gold finish and starts at an Apple retail price of $329 (U.S.) for the 32GB with Wi-Fi model and $459 (U.S.) for the 32GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model at apple.com and Apple Stores. The tablet is also available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers (prices may vary). The new iPad is now available to order and will arrive in stores later this week in more than 25 countries. You can also visit apple.com/ipad for more information.