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A ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST NEWS IN THE DIGITAL WORLD
IPAD REVIEW
THE price of the new entry-level iPad from Apple is not the only special feature – it is a fullyfunctional computer that will deliver almost everything the everyday user needs from a device like this... and more.
At £349 for the base model with 32GB of storage, it’s the cheapest iPad in Apple’s range. But this new version, which features the A10 Fusion chip also found in the iPhone 7, adds a few features that make it much more useful than its predecessor. First, there’s a larger screen – 10.2in. Second, the entrylevel iPad is now compatible with Apple’s Smart Keyboard cover, and the first generation Apple Pencil. This means the whole iPad range now works with these two add-ons. And that opens up a whole new world of things you can do with the device.
The new iPad, which also has around 10hrs of battery life on a single charge, also supports the new OS for the tablet, which has diverged from iOS as seen on the iPhone, and matured into its own platform – iPadOS.
IPadOS 13 brings with it some new features that take advantage of the pencil compatibility – a system-wide mark-up palette that allows you to annotate screen shots and PDFs.
You can now open multiple apps in “slide over” view and swipe between them. And you can also have two windows with the same app open side by side. IPadOS brings a lot of other new features – a better Files app that now supports external drives plugged into the iPad via the lightening connector, a new home screen that allows you to view more apps, and desktop-class browsing in the Safari app. As well as being a productivity powerhouse, it can also be your entertainment centre – all the major streaming video services have iPad apps.
The seventh-generation iPad comes in silver, space grey and gold finishes in 32GB and 128GB configurations. It starts at £349 for the wi-fi model and £479 for the wi-fi and cellular.
Apple Pencil (first-generation) costs £89. The Smart Keyboard cover costs £159. See apple.com/uk for more and to order.