Apple Updates Most Affordable 9.7-inch iPad with Retina display, Improved Cameras & Enhanced Performance—Now Available Starting at $399.

Today, March 18, 2014, Apple sent out a press release. It’s the day that Apple finally decided to kill off the 30-pin charging port. Yes, you have heard me correctly. Apple has replaced the final iOS device that used its 30-pin charging port – the iPad 2. Apple has replaced the iPad 2 in its cost efficient market with the iPad Retina, which had previously disappeared with the release of the iPad Air. The move in my mind was to eliminate the 30-pin connector. Now, all iOS devices sold by Apple only use the enhanced lighting port. Don’t go rushing to the store expecting to grab an iPad 2 though. Apple has dropped the price of the iPad with Retina to match the sale price of the previous iPad model, which started at $399. With the Apple iPad 2 being laid to rest, you will get better performance from the cheaper iPad Retina with a better camera, and faster performance.

“Now for $399 customers can get iPad with a stunning 9.7-inch Retina display, fast A6X chip, and 5MP iSight camera, offering a dramatic upgrade in power, performance and value compared to the iPad 2 it replaces,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The iPad line sets the gold-standard in mobile computing and all iPads have access to the largest and best ecosystem of more than 500,000 iPad optimized apps from the App Store.”

Pricing & Availability

The Apple iPad line that ranges in price from $399 up to $929 now includes:

• iPad with Retina
  • 16GB Wi-Fi
  • 16GB Wi-Fi + Cellular
• iPad Air
  • 16GB Wi-Fi
  • 32GB Wi-Fi
  • 64GB Wi-Fi
  • 128GB Wi-Fi
  • 16GB Wi-Fi + Cellular
  • 32GB Wi-Fi + Cellular
  • 64GB Wi-Fi + Cellular
  • 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular

The iPad with Retina is available in either black or white while the iPad Air is available in Silver or Space Gray.

Apple’s tablet computer hit the market in 2010 and has sky rocketed in popularity since then. Apple maintains the majority of the marketshare with tablet computers with 2013 sales figures showing over 70 million units sold, which was roughly 36% of the tablet computing market. The iPad 2 was announced at a press conference in 2011 and has served as Apple’s base model iPad for some time.

Apple iPad with Retina comes equipped with a 9.7-inch Retina display, Apple-designer A6X chip, Wi-Fi, 5MP iSight camera which captures 1080p HD video, FaceTime HD camera and support for LTE carriers. The fourth generation iPad also features a 10-hour battery life.

To order, visit apple.com.