Apple fans now have another reason to stand in line as the tech giant announced its release of the new iPad Air. The iPad Air launches in 42 countries including the U.S. and positions itself as another serious competitor in the robust tablet market.
Apple indicated that consumers would have little trouble securing the new gadget as the company is well stocked with the tablet, and would avoid running into limited supplies as they did with the new iPhones.
The new 9.7-inch iPad Air is 20 percent thinner than the previous iPad and weighs only one pound. The tablet also features the new A7 processing chip, which was released in the new iPhones. Apple is currently pricing the 16GB Wi-Fi model at $499 and each increase in tier of memory storage costs an additional $100. The Wi-Fi plus cellular models are $130 more. The iPad Air will be available for purchase in Space Gray and Silver colors.
Wi-Fi Models
Wi-Fi + Cellular Models
The release however, could not have come at a better time as the company faces loss in market share due to the crowded nature of the tablet industry. According to IDC, Apple has only commanded a 29.6 percent market share for global tablet shipments, which is down considerably from nearly 40 percent last year.
However, the new tablet release has seemingly not been impacted from it as the iPad Air has already sold out at the Hong Kong Apple store. But it seems that Apple fans may not have to suffer from the mystery surrounding Apple tablet supplies, as developer Mordy Tikotzky has created an Apple product-tracking tool. The tool is will help consumers secure their iPad Air and even allows users to identify in-store pickup availability at the 20 closest Apple stores.
If you plan on waiting in line for the new iPad Air, check out this handy guide on how to survive Apple launch lines.