You Can Order Apple's New iPad Air 2 And iPad Mini 3 Now

Apple has opened its virtual store doors for preorders of the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3, beginning pre-sales of the two new tablets ahead of their availability at retail from next week. The two iOS tablets were announced yesterday at Apple's Cupertino event, running iOS 8.1, and each updated with Touch ID sensors for easier unlocking and payment support with Apple Pay. The biggest changes, however, have been saved for the iPad Air 2, which comes with a new processor as well as an even sleeker design.

In fact, the iPad Air 2 is now just 6.1mm thick, despite fitting in Apple's new A8X processor for around 40-percent more CPU performance and 2.5x the graphics grunt. On the back, meanwhile, there's a new 8-megapixel iSight camera that borrows some of the features from the iPhone 6, such as HDR video recording and timelapse shooting.

Pricing for the iPad Air 2 begins at $499 for the 16GB WiFi-only model.

As for the iPad mini 3, that gets Touch ID and a new color option, with the 7.9-inch tablet now offered in gold. It's priced from $399 for the 16GB WiFi-only model.

Pricing for the earlier iPads – which will stick around on shelves – has also been cut, with the line-up now starting from $249 for the first iPad mini.

Meanwhile, the new iMac with Retina 5K display, also announced this week, is also up for order. Priced from $2,499, the flagship iMac comes with a massive 14.7m pixel display, and while intended for graphics pros doing heavy-duty 4K editing, Apple CEO Tim Cook suggested to us yesterday that it's likely to be a hit with just about anyone who prizes great image quality.

Orders for new iPads placed today will ship in 2-4 business days, Apple suggests. If you're still on the fence about upgrading from an existing iPad, meanwhile, our guide to the pros and cons can help.

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