PRESS RELEASE
16 October 2014
Apple Introduces iPad Air 2—The Thinnest, Most Powerful iPad Ever
iPad Air 2 & iPad mini 3 Now Featuring Touch ID & Support for Apple Pay Within Apps
CUPERTINO, California — 16 October 2014 — Apple® today introduced iPad Air™ 2, the thinnest and most powerful iPad® ever. Now just 6.1 millimetres thin and weighing less than 450 grams1, iPad Air 2 features an improved Retina® display for enhanced contrast and richer, more vibrant colours, and better cameras for taking stunning photos and video. Available in gold, silver and space grey, the new iPad Air 2 and iPad mini™ 3 offer Touch ID™ so users can unlock their iPad with just the touch of a finger.
“iPad is a magical piece of glass that runs more than 675,000 apps2 specifically designed for it, and is thin and light enough that you can comfortably hold it all day. The new iPad Air 2 is packed with amazing new innovations, weighs less than 450 grams and at just 6.1 millimetres is the thinnest tablet in the world1,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing. “iPad Air 2 has a new Retina display with antireflective coating, a second-generation 64-bit A8X chip, all-new iSight and FaceTime HD cameras, faster Wi-Fi and ultrafast wireless3, and the revolutionary Touch ID fingerprint identity sensor.”
Engineered for unmatched portability and ease of use, iPad Air 2 offers a beautiful precision unibody enclosure of anodised aluminium for durability and a solid feel. The improved Retina display features a fully laminated design that brings images and content closer to the user’s fingertips, resulting in an even more personal and intimate experience. A custom-designed antireflective coating reduces glare by 56 per cent4 for a clearer display in the office, the classroom or outdoors.
iPad Air 2 is powered by the new Apple-designed A8X chip, which delivers a 40 per cent improvement in CPU performance and 2.5 times the graphics performance of iPad Air, and still delivers up to 10 hours of battery life5 while working, playing games or surfing the web. Combined with Metal™— the new graphics technology in iOS 8 — the A8X chip unlocks realistic visual effects comparable to the most advanced gaming consoles. iPad Air 2 also includes the M8 motion coprocessor that gathers motion data from the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass, as well as from the all-new barometer, which senses air pressure to determine relative elevation.
Innovations in the iSight® and FaceTime® HD cameras in iPad Air 2 enable better photos and video. An 8-megapixel sensor and advanced optics in the iSight camera help capture rich, detailed images, and iOS 8 adds new features — including panorama photos, and time-lapse, slow-motion and 1080p HD video. The FaceTime HD camera now captures over 80 per cent more light than the camera in iPad Air, and captures photos in burst mode as well as HDR stills and video. With thousands of powerful apps that take advantage of the amazing iSight and FaceTime HD cameras — and the large Retina display viewfinder — iPad becomes a tool that can scan and annotate documents, help study the sky above and provide athletic performance analysis, all with just a tap.
iPad Air 2 delivers faster connectivity, thanks to 802.11ac Wi-Fi with multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology, for 2.8 times the Wi-Fi performance of iPad Air at data rates up to 866 Mbps.6 iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi + Cellular supports ultrafast networks and comes with faster cellular connections1, plus support for other fast cellular technology around the world (including DC-HSDPA and HSPA+).
Touch ID gives iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 users a simple and secure way to unlock iPad with just the touch of a finger, plus the ability to authenticate within apps to better protect logins and data. Touch ID can be used as a secure way to approve purchases from the App Store℠, iTunes Store® or iBooks Store℠.
The new iPad models come with iOS 8.1, including Continuity features across iOS 8 and OS X® Yosemite that enable all your Apple products to work together seamlessly. Handoff lets you start an activity on one device and pass it to another, and when your iPhone® is on the same Wi-Fi network, you can make and receive phone calls straight from your iPad.
The iPad mini line-up has been updated to include iPad mini 3 with Touch ID. And iPad mini with Retina display — now called iPad mini 2 — is even more affordable, starting at a recommended retail price of NZ$449. Both models feature a stunning Retina display, amazing A7 chip, 5-megapixel iSight camera, FaceTime HD camera and ultrafast wireless. iPad mini is also available at the most affordable price ever, at a recommended retail price of NZ$379.
Pricing and Availability
iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 come in three gorgeous metallic finishes — gold, silver and space grey — and customers in 30 countries can order online beginning Saturday, 18 October. Both models will be available starting later next week in the US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China (Wi-Fi models only), Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau (Wi-Fi models only), the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. Availability in Croatia, Greece, Puerto Rico, Russia, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere around the world will continue through to the end of October, with additional global availability in the coming months. iPad is sold through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com/nz), as well as Vodafone and selected Apple Authorised Resellers.
iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 come in three gorgeous metallic finishes — gold, silver and space grey — and customers in 30 countries can order online beginning Saturday, 18 October. Both models will be available starting later next week in the US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China (Wi-Fi models only), Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau (Wi-Fi models only), the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. Availability in Croatia, Greece, Puerto Rico, Russia, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere around the world will continue through to the end of October, with additional global availability in the coming months. iPad is sold through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com/nz), as well as Vodafone and selected Apple Authorised Resellers.
iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi will be available for NZ$749 RRP for the 16GB model, NZ$899 RRP for the 64GB model and NZ$1,049 RRP for the 128GB model. iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi + Cellular will be available for NZ$949 RRP for the 16GB model, NZ$1,099 RRP for the 64GB model and NZ$1,249 RRP for the 128GB model. iPad mini 3 with Wi-Fi will be available for NZ$599 RRP for the 16GB model, NZ$749 RRP for the 64GB model and NZ$899 RRP for the 128GB model. iPad mini 3 with Wi-Fi + Cellular will be available for NZ$799 RRP for the 16GB model, NZ$949 RRP for the 64GB model and NZ$1,099 RRP for the 128GB model.
iPad Air, iPad mini 2 and iPad mini, available in silver or space grey, are now available at more affordable prices. iPad Air with Wi-Fi starts at NZ$599 RRP for the 16GB model; iPad mini 2 with Wi-Fi starts at NZ$449 RRP for the 16GB model; and the 16GB iPad mini with Wi-Fi is available for NZ$379 RRP.
To complement the new iPad line-up, a colourful range of cases and covers offer both protection and customisation. The Smart Cover for iPad Air and iPad mini is available in seven bright colours, and the Smart Case for iPad Air 2 and iPad mini is offered in five elegant new shades. The custom-designed polyurethane Smart Cover for iPad Air and iPad mini will be available for NZ$59 RRP, in black, white, blue, green, pink, yellow and (PRODUCT)RED. The iPad Air 2 Smart Case is available for NZ$129 RRP in beautiful midnight blue, olive brown, black, soft pink and (PRODUCT)RED aniline-dyed leather, and the iPad mini Smart Case is available in those same colours for NZ$119 RRP. The Smart Cover and Smart Case are available through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com/nz) and selected Apple Authorised Resellers.
¹Size and weight vary by configuration and manufacturing process.
2App count refers to the total number of apps worldwide. Not all content is available in all countries.
3Data plan is sold separately. Speeds are based on theoretical throughput and vary based on site conditions. Contact your carrier for details.
4Compared to the previous-generation iPad Air.
5Battery life varies by use and configuration; see www.apple.com/nz/batteries for more information.
6Speeds are based on theoretical throughput and vary based on site conditions.
2App count refers to the total number of apps worldwide. Not all content is available in all countries.
3Data plan is sold separately. Speeds are based on theoretical throughput and vary based on site conditions. Contact your carrier for details.
4Compared to the previous-generation iPad Air.
5Battery life varies by use and configuration; see www.apple.com/nz/batteries for more information.
6Speeds are based on theoretical throughput and vary based on site conditions.
- Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, iPad Air, iPad, Retina, iPad mini, Touch ID, Apple Pay, Metal, iSight, FaceTime, App Store, iTunes Store, iBooks Store, OS X and iPhone are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.