Apple iPad Redesign Ditches Home Button And Lightning

Apple's low-key October 2022 launch saw the company announce upgrades to its iPad and Apple TV lineups. Among the new devices launched today include the next-generation Apple TV 4K, which now gets the Apple A15 Bionic chip while adding support for HDR10+. In addition to this, Apple also refreshed the iPad Pro with both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch variants getting the company's newest M2 chip. Both the new iPad Pro models now support ProRes video capture and Wi-Fi 6E as well.

Another product that received a much-needed upgrade with this launch cycle is the "standard" iPad, which entered its 10th generation with the latest update. The newly launched 10th generation iPad is a significant upgrade over its predecessor, with the new model receiving a complete redesign. The most significant change on the refreshed iPad is the removal of the good old home button. With the home button gone, Apple was also able to address a major complaint with the previous generation iPads — its rather chunky bezels that look completely out of place on any gadget made in 2022. The updated iPad gets much smaller bezels, and a new design that makes the product closely resemble models from the 5th generation iPad Air lineup.

The refreshed iPad is the same size as its older 9th-generation sibling, but the slim bezels let it accommodate a much larger display that clocks in at 10.9 inches. While the machine still supports Touch ID, the sensor has moved to a new position and is now located at the top of the device. The updated iPad also gets an improved Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 2,360 x 1,640 pixels and 500 nits of brightness.

The 10th generation iPad comes powered by the Apple A14 Bionic chipset. The rear-facing camera on the updated model now gets a 12MP sensor and adds support for features like 4K video 240-fps slow-motion videos. Apple has also changed the positioning of the 12MP front-facing camera, which is now located on the landscape bezel.  The lightning port is as gone and has been replaced by a USB-C port, just like what we see on the iPad Pro. However, the machine still supports the first-generation Apple Pencil 1, and users will now be required to purchase a separate adapter for using the accessory with the 10th-generation iPad.

The new iPad is available starting today, October 18, 2022, with prices for the Wi-Fi models starting at $449 and that of the Wi-Fi + Cellular models starting at $599. The devices will be sold in 64GB and 256GB configurations and come in blue, pink, yellow, and silver color options.