Apple launches new 9.7-inch iPad for $329, doubles iPhone SE storage

[Jos]

Apple has pushed out a round of hardware updates this morning including a new cheaper iPad that replaces the iPad Air 2, special (Product) RED versions of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, as well as an updated iPhone SE with double the storage for the same price.

The new iPad replacing the iPad Air 2 features last generation components to enable the lower price point. The old A8X chip of the Air 2 is replaced with the 64-bit A9 — the same chip used by the iPhone 6s and 6S Plus — while the 9.7-inch Retina display is also said to be brighter. The base 32GB Wi-Fi model starts at $329 ($70 cheaper than the Air 2) while the 32GB Wi-Fi and Cellular model goes for $459.

Along with the new iPad Apple has also upped the storage capacities available for iPad mini. The tablet’s WiFi version is now available with 128 GB storage for $399 and the cellular version costs $529.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus is now available in a red aluminum finish, as part of the (Product) RED program which raises money to fight AIDS. These join iPhone 7 finishes in jet black, black, silver, gold and rose gold. The iPhone SE now has storage options of 32GB and 128GB at the same starting price of $399.

The updated hardware was announced without much fanfare via a company press release this morning, following much speculation after its online store was scheduled for a ‘maintenance’ break.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/68599-apple-launches-new-97-inch-ipad-329-doubles.html

 

[Greg S]

No phone without an SD card slot should have less than 64gb of storage in 2017. Or in the event you have less storage, ditch the 4k video option from the camera. Utterly pointless to have if you can't use it for more than a few seconds at a time.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

I do like the red aluminium finish, it looks very nice to me. I'd buy an Android device this colour without too much hesitation (then just wind up bunging it into a cheapo case anyway).

 

[davislane1]

Apple is over. Touch bar function keys, red iPhones... Jobs was right. The pencil marked the beginning of the end.

 

[Puiu]

I seriously don't understand why they are using such small internal storage chips at those prices. It takes a regular Joe like me 10-15$ extra to buy 64GB instead of 32GB on the internet. it should take apple only a few bucks.
This is why I was also surprised by the Switch's pathetic internal storage.

 

[ThatBMXGamer]

Apple is over. Touch bar function keys, red iPhones... Jobs was right. The pencil marked the beginning of the end.

I mean really though. 99 dollars for a stylus.

 

[umbala]

I seriously don't understand why they are using such small internal storage chips at those prices. It takes a regular Joe like me 10-15$ extra to buy 64GB instead of 32GB on the internet. it should take apple only a few bucks.
This is why I was also surprised by the Switch's pathetic internal storage.

Duh, obviously this is the reason why Apple will never include any storage expansion slots on their hardware. Yes, you can buy an extra 32GB module for $10-15, but where is the money in that for Apple? They'd rather charge you $100 for that extra 32GB.

 

[gusticles41]

Yes, you can buy an extra 32GB module for $10-15, but where is the money in that for Apple? They'd rather charge you $100 for that extra 32GB.

And people completely fall for it, hook line and sinker. The inconvenience of paying an obscene amount per GB is not worth the cost of switching to that god-awful Android to these people.

I manage a Verizon account of about 100 users, 90 of them iPhone users. The company will pay for the newest base model iPhone, and the employee can chip in the difference if they want more storage or a Plus model. I have yet to come across a single iPhone user who thinks $100 between iPhone tiers is unreasonable. I really don't understand it, but maybe it's because I have an understanding of what flash memory actually costs.

What irritates me even more is they don't see anything wrong with Apple shipping out a phone with 11gb of usable space. It took them until 20friggin16 to update base storage to 32gb. Inconveniencing customers to make money is a messed up business model.

 

[Puiu]

And people completely fall for it, hook line and sinker. The inconvenience of paying an obscene amount per GB is not worth the cost of switching to that god-awful Android to these people.

I manage a Verizon account of about 100 users, 90 of them iPhone users. The company will pay for the newest base model iPhone, and the employee can chip in the difference if they want more storage or a Plus model. I have yet to come across a single iPhone user who thinks $100 between iPhone tiers is unreasonable. I really don't understand it, but maybe it's because I have an understanding of what flash memory actually costs.

What irritates me even more is they don't see anything wrong with Apple shipping out a phone with 11gb of usable space. It took them until 20friggin16 to update base storage to 32gb. Inconveniencing customers to make money is a messed up business model.

and when I said 10-15$ I wasn't talking about the cheap stuff. I was talking about brand name (Kingston, Sandisk, Samsung, etc) eMMC v5.1 memory chips.