Apple has launched on March 21 a cheaper 9.7-inch iPad for $329 replacing the old iPad Air 2 that will go on sale this Friday. The new iPad is available in three colors with 32 GB storage, a 9.7-inch Retina display and an Apple A9 chip.

On the other hand, the new iPad 2017 will not carry Apple Pencil or include a Smart Connector like the iPad Pro. Apple has also increased the storage capacity on iPad mini on 21 March. Apple SVP Phil Schiller in a statement has said that the new iPad will appeal to new users and old iPad owners, looking for a new tablet to use at school, home or at work.

According to the Apple, the new iPad is $70 cheaper than the iPad Air 2 that is no longer on sale. The new iPad 2017 has an A9 chip whereas the iPad Air 2 had an A8X. Unluckily, the new iPad is about 20% thicker than the iPad Air 2 that is a bit disappointing, as reported by Hindustan Times.

The new iPad 2017 includes FaceTime cameras on front and rear, Touch ID for unlock and also Apple SIM in cellular models. The iPad is available in gold, silver and space gray color options. The 32 GB WiFi model costs $329 while the 32 GB WiFi + Cellular model costs $459, as per GSM Arena.

For availability details of the iPad 2017, it will start releasing on March 24 in multiple countries. List includes the US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, China, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden and Hong Kong. Other countries will follow in April that includes Mexico, India, Denmark, Russia, Norway and Turkey. Then from May more countries including Taiwan and Brazil will follow the availability of iPad 2017.

Apple has also upped the storage capacities available for iPad mini. For $399, the iPad mini WiFi is now available with 128 GB storage and $529 for 128 GB with cellular.

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