Here is the new 10.2-inch iPad in all its eighth-generational glory

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It’s been ten years since the iPad irrevocably changed the face of mobile computing, with over 500 million in the hands of users. Now it’s time for the eighth-generation of iPad, bringing the “most powerful entry iPad experience ever.”

Powered by the A12 Bionic chip, the 10.2-inch screen is 40-percent faster on CPU performance than the previous generation, with up to twice the graphics power. That’s pretty impressive, since the $329 price tag hasn’t changed. That A12 chip also brings the Neural Engine to iPad for the first time, allowing for augmented reality motion tracking, and better photography tricks.

According to CEO Tim Cook, “More than half of our iPad customers are buying their very first iPad.” Does that show the market for tablets has room to grow, or does it just mean that nobody wants an Android tablet nowadays?

Image: KnowTechie

Anyway, back to the 10.2-inch iPad. You can get one with LTE cellular connectivity, if you want, and the Apple Pencil 1st-gen works with it for all your sketching needs. Oh, and before I forget – Touch ID is back. Can we get that back on the iPhone 12, please? Thanks, Tim. It also comes in three colors, Space Grey, Silver, and Rose Gold.

The new iPad comes with iOS 14, which brings multitasking improvements, better note-taking capability, and Smart Selection, which can turn written text into typed text for pasting into documents or other apps. Scribble also comes to the iPad, letting you fill those pesky web forms with the Apple Pencil.

You can order the 8th-gen iPad starting today, for $329 for the WiFi model and $459 for the cellular model. They’re available from Friday, September 18.

What do you think? Are you interested in the new 8th generation iPad? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Apple is getting into the fitness game with its new $9.99 a month Fitness Plus service
• The Apple Watch SE brings a more affordable smartwatch to Apple’s lineup
• Apple Watch Series 6 introduces a bunch of features focused on your health
• Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, is now a billionaire

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.