Apple Tips $299 iPad for Schools

Apple tree'southward virtually popular iPad is getting more creative.

Today at an event in Chicago, Apple announced a new version of its base-model iPad—$329 for consumers and $299 for schools—which supports Apple's Pencil stylus and augmented reality education apps.

The 9.7-inch iPad keeps most of the features of the 5th-generation model, including an 8MP master camera, Touch ID fingerprint sensor and "upwards to 10 hours of bombardment life," simply boosts the processor from an A9 to an A10 unit and adds support for the Pencil.

At the event, Apple showed off didactics apps that combine AR and Pencil support; one lets you lot near dissect a frog using the Pencil equally a tool.

Apple Schoolwork App

"With the A10 [processor], this iPad is now more powerful than most PC laptops and virtually every Chromebook," said Greg Joswiak, Apple tree's vice president of Production Marketing.

The new iPad doesn't include a Pencil or a keyboard, which significantly increases the price relative to the Chromebooks Apple has been competing with in educational markets. Apple tree showed off a $99 ruggedized Logitech keyboard example, as well as a $49 Logitech "crayon" as a lower-cost alternative to the Pencil.

"That works great with iWork and other Pencil enabled apps," Joswiak said.

Apple Smart Annotation feature in Pages

Software was a big part of the presentation. A new Apple app coming in June, called Schoolwork, will let teachers deploy assignments, check on students' progress on assigned work and assign activities inside third-party apps. Apple tree emphasized that the app keeps data individual; it won't be uploaded to Apple tree.

An upcoming Smart Note feature in Pages lets teachers mark upwards papers using a Pencil, in a nondestructive manner that as well transfers comments as you lot motility content effectually in a certificate. You tin likewise now create "digital books" on iPads, when previously you needed Macs.

Joswiak really pushed the idea of Apple's iWork, creative apps such every bit moviemaking apps, and augmented reality apps as differentiators between the iPad and Chromebooks.

"In that location'due south nothing like these inventiveness apps on any other device. This goes way beyond the basics and way beyond browser-based apps," he said.

To back up all these new apps, Apple is also boosting the free iCloud storage offered to Apple tree IDs associated with schools from 5GB to 200GB. This isn't for ordinary consumers, though; you take to exist at a school.

The new iPad is bachelor to club today and will start shipping this week.

The issue is ongoing; cheque back for more details as they're announced.