It’s November 1st, and that means new hardware, if you’re an iPad fan. The iPad Air, announced recently in Apple’s October 22nd event, hit the online stores early this morning, and are no doubt hitting Apple’s retail shelves to be available when the stores open today. Prices in the United States start at $499 for the 16 GB Wi-Fi only iPad Air. You can read more details about the worldwide availability, price information, and other retailers at MacRumors’ site.
Some of the improvements Apple highlighted at the Yerba Buena announcement were:
- 5 megapixel iSight camera
- 1080p HD video
- New FaceTime HD camera with larger pixels
- Improved backside illumination
- Dual microphones
- 7.5 mm thickness
- A7 chip with 64-bit architecture and M7 motion coprocessor
U.S. online orders list a delivery date of 11/4 rather than a shipping estimate. Personally, if this is anything like the 5S launch, I think you should order online even with the slightly delayed delivery. Unless you really like standing in lines early in the morning, you’ll probably get it sooner with an online order…although you won’t get any snacks from the Apple snack cart while you’re waiting.
PS: If you were hoping for the new iPad Mini with Retina Display, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait. Most sources expect it to show up on Nov. 21st.