Apple has launched two new iPads featuring Touch ID fingerprint sensors and a camera ‘burst mode’, as the electronics giant looks to regain lost market share from Android in the tablets sector.
The iPad Air 2, at 6.1mm ‘thin’, also adds many of the features previously available on iPhones.
That includes the ability to take burst shots and slow-motion video and the inclusion of a fingerprint ID sensor for use instead of a passcode.
It also has an anti-reflective coating that makes it 56% less reflective, senior vice president of marketing Philip Schiller said on Thursday at the event at Apple’s headquarters in California.
Apple also updated its iPad Mini device, with a starting price of $US399.
The new devices will begin shipping next week, with advance orders starting on Friday.
View the full event below:
The iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 were unveiled by Apple hours after their details were apparently leaked by mistake on the technology giant’s website.
But many online commentators speculated that the leak was deliberate, and designed to overshadow the launch of Google’s new operating system called Lollipop.
Last year Android tablets outsold iPads for the first time, getting almost twice the sales of its Apple rival, according to data from Gartner. Of the 195 million tablets sold in 2013, Android took nearly 62% of sales on 121 million tablets, while Apple sold 70 million iPad tablets for a 36% share.
Apple Pay
Meanwhile, Apple Pay, the company’s new system for using iPhones to make credit and debit card payments at retail stores, will launch on Monday.
CEO Tim Cook opened Thursday’s launch event by touting strong reception to the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, released last month.
‘It’s been an incredible year and tremendously busy already,’ he said, adding that the new iPhones have been the fastest-selling in Apple’s history.
He reiterated that the iPhones will launch in China in just a few hours and said the launch is aligned with a rollout of 4G cellular networks there.
Through the first half of this year, Apple had shipped 29.6 million iPads, a 13 per cent drop from the same time last year.
The company also unveiled new iMacs with a sharper display, following what Apple has already done on its mobile devices and MacBook laptops.
Meanwhile, Apple confirmed that its desktop computer, the Mac, is also receiving an update to mark its 30th birthday.
The new iMac will have a Retina 5K display – which at 14.7 million pixels makes it the company’s version of HD.
“This is the strongest product line-up we’ve ever had,” said Tim Cook.
View the ad for the iPad Air 2 here: