Apple quietly releases new product but there’s a concerning price increase

Apple has quietly launched two new products and updated its website so they can be ordered right now – but there’s one big catch.

The iPad 10th generation. Picture: Elly Awesome

REVIEW

This week Apple surprised us with the release of a 10th generation iPad. The company discreetly launched the iPad 10 and iPad Pro, with both available to order now.

iPad 10

Unboxing

Apple has completely redesigned the 10th generation iPad, removing the home button, the top and bottom bezels and housing it in a sleek iPad Air-worthy design, available in silver and three new, bold colours – pink, yellow and blue. I unboxed all four colours this week, and each came with quick start guides, USB-C charging cables and wall chargers. The Lightning charging port has been ditched.

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What’s new – iPad 2022

Most notably, the 2022 iPad has been updated with landscape stereo speakers, the camera has been moved into a landscape orientation (ideal for video calls), the updated 12-megapixel back camera now records in 4K quality, and Touch ID has moved to the power button on the side.

The iPad 10 camera has been moved into a landscape orientation – ideal for video calls. Picture: Elly Awesome

The Liquid Retina display has been increased to 10.9-inches and there’s now an A14 bionic chip, which offers better CPU and graphics performance. There’s also Wi-Fi 6 support and 5G on cellular models. Sold separately is Apple’s new Magic Keyboard Folio, which clips onto the iPad magnetically and offers a comfortable ‘full size’ keyboard, with a row of function keys and a sizeable trackpad.

As there’s now a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port, charging the Apple Pencil 1 through the new iPad is a little cumbersome. Picture: Elly Awesome

Performance

With the updated internal specs, this is an excellent all-rounder for those who enjoy casual iPad use such as watching videos and scrolling social media (with some schoolwork thrown in) but there’s also the power to play high-end mobile RPGs such as Genshin Impact, or racing games such as Asphalt 9. And of course there’s room for apps such as Procreate or Flipaclip to create artworks or animations, with which you can use the original Apple Pencil. Unfortunately, this iPad doesn’t come with Apple Pencil 2 support, which seems a little off considering the redesign looks so similar to an iPad Air, which does support the Apple Pencil 2.

Elly Awesome with the sleek new iPad 10. Picture: Elly Awesome

And as there’s now a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port, charging the Apple Pencil 1 through the new iPad is a little cumbersome. The Apple Pencil 1 is charged via a built-in Lightning port so to rectify this Apple is now including Lightning to USB-C adaptors in the boxes of new Apple Pencil 1s. Current Apple Pencil 1 users, however, will need to buy the USB-C to Apple Pencil Adaptor for $15.

If you’re a frequent Apple Pencil user and have the money, my advice would be to spend it on an iPad that’s Apple Pencil 2 compatible.

The USB-C adaptor is required to connect the new iPad with the Apple Pencil 1. Picture: Elly Awesome

Is it worth it?

The iPad 10’s upgrades have come with a surprising price jump. Last year’s iPad 9 cost $499 and the baseline iPad 10 costs $749 – a whopping $250 increase! This is concerning, considering it’s the entry level iPad, and I feel for students and families who are required to buy iPads for school.

On the other hand, despite the lack of Apple Pencil 2 support, the iPad 10 has some great hardware and software tweaks and awesome colour options.

Elly Awesome is an Aussie tech and lifestyle vlogger | @ellyawesometech | YouTube