Apple announces iPad mini (2019) and iPad Air (2019): Prices in Russia

Apple quietly and modestly announced the new iPad mini and iPad Air on March 18, 2019. There was no presentation: the company just

closed the official online store for a few hours and published a press release when the site started working again.

Earlier it was assumed that the official presentationdevices will be held March 25 during the spring presentation of Apple. It seems that the apple company decided to announce the tablets today, so that all the attention of the presentation audience went to the news and streaming services.

This year, Apple decided to abandon numbers.models of their tablets, as did earlier with the iPad Pro. New devices are simply called iPad Air and iPad mini - but, since technically tablets with such names were already released in 2013 and 2012, respectively, we will call them iPad Air (2019) and iPad mini (2019).

iPad mini (2019)

Apple updated the iPad mini line for the first time in threehalf a year, and the 2019 model acquired a new processor and Apple Pencil stylus support. New equipped last year's processor A12 Bionic instead of the A8 in the iPad mini 4.

But the design of the iPad mini has not changedover the past four years and around the display remain all the same thick frame. But the screen has a number of improvements: it is brighter, can display more colors and supports Apple True Tone technology to automatically adapt the color temperature to match the lighting around.

The main camera of the iPad mini doesn't seem to have changed,but the front has been improved to 7 megapixel (in iPad mini 4 - 1.2 megapixel). Contrary to a number of rumors, the tablet did not receive a Face ID and uses the Touch ID to identify the user.

Like the iPad (2018), iPad mini got supportApple Pencil - unfortunately, only the first generation, which charges through Lightning. The latest iPad Pro supports an updated version of Apple Pencil, which can be charged from the tablet without wires using a magnetic attachment to the side of the tablet. Apparently, to add a magnetic charge would require to change the design of the iPad mini, so Apple decided to stop at the first generation of the stylus.

The updated iPad mini comes in silver, gray and gold gold. The storage capacity is 64 GB or 256 GB, versions with Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + LTE are already traditionally available.

iPad Air (2019)

Together with the new iPad mini, Apple also announcedA new 10.5-inch version of the iPad Air with support for the original Apple Pencil (again, no magnetic charging). This tablet has got the Apple A12 Bionic chip and will take its place between the budget iPad and the non-budget iPad Pro in the Apple lineup.

It was originally thought that Apple replaced the iPad Air2 more universal iPad tablet (2017) almost two years ago, but now the company decided to revive the line by increasing the screen size from 9.7 to 10.5 inches. Apple Pencil support in this model means that all iPads that are currently available on the Apple website are compatible with the original stylus. The updated Air iPad has got its own Smart Keyboard Folio keyboard case, which can be purchased separately for $ 13.10. Russian layout is present (as opposed to an adequate price tag).

Apple decided to leave the top A12X processor foriPad Pro and equipped with a new chipset A12 Bionic. As a result, we have a tablet, which is not quite at the level of “Pro”, but still more powerful than a 9.7-inch iPad. Externally, the new iPad Air is also more similar to the iPad (2018), rather than the iPad Pro with its new design and minimal frames. Apple also used Lightning and Touch ID here instead of USB-C and Face ID, as in iPad Pro models. However, many Apple fans were unhappy with Apple’s refusal of a fingerprint scanner in top devices, so for someone Touch ID would be an advantage, not a disadvantage, of new models.

Prices in Russia and release date

In the USA, Australia, Japan and Western countriesEurope, sales of both new products will begin today, March 18, but the Russian Apple fans will have to wait a bit. The release date of the tablets in Russia has not yet been named, but in an official press release, Apple claims that it will happen “very soon”. But the prices are known now: