Forget the typical extravaganza. Apple today used a rather boiler-plate  press release to announce it is dropping the price of its popular 9.7-inch iPad Air (however, the word “air” is missing).

Speaking of something missing, Apple failed to unveil a rumored top-to-bottom refresh of its iPad Pro line, a model we earlier noted was being positioned by Apple as a PC replacement and one we predict will become a popular tool for small businesses.

Prediction: Today’s announcement is re-positioning the iPad Air
as a family-friendly tablet in order to have a nice, clean runway for the launch of the new iPad Pros, a device apple is already using the term “computer” (not pad or tablet or device) to describe.

Pricing

The 9.7-inch iPad 2017 comes in silver, gold and space gray and starts at $329 for a 32GB with Wi-Fi model. For the same model with cellular connectivity, the price is $459. (More pricing and feature specs can be found at Apple.com/ipad.

Availability

Online orders (Apple.com) for the new models begin this Friday, March 24, 2017. Delivery starts next week to online customers, Apple Stores, and Apple Authorized Resellers (prices may vary). The models will be available next week in the U.S. and more than 20 countries and regions.

iPad Mini 4 Upgrade

Apple also announced an upgrade for the iPad mini 4. The prices now are $399 for the 128GB Wi-Fi model and $529 for the 128GB Wi-Fi + cellular model (at Apple.com and Apple Stores).

HT / Techmeme

Photos: Apple Inc.