Skip to main content

Apple just did something amazing to the iPad

The yellow iPad (2022) lying face-down on a green bush.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Apple’s “Let Loose” event just wrapped up, and as expected, there was a lot of iPad news. Just like the rumors suggested, Apple gave us pretty significant overhauls for the new 2024 iPad Air and 2024 iPad Pro. But there was another iPad-related announcement that I didn’t expect — and it’s the one I’m most excited about.

At the end of its event, Apple announced that the 10th-generation iPad will now be available for just $349. For context, Apple originally launched the 10th-gen iPad in October 2022 for $449. A $100 price cut is nothing to sneeze at, and if you ask me, it completely changes the positioning of this particular iPad.

When the iPad 10th gen was released, it was a confusing product. Objectively, it was a very good piece of hardware — and it still is today! The A14 Bionic chipset is powerful for casual day-to-day use, the 10.9-inch LCD panel looks perfectly fine, and the overall hardware design is a massive upgrade over the iPad 9th gen. But at $449, it was always in an awkward middle ground between the $599 iPad Air and the $329 iPad 9th gen.

Screenshot of the iPad 10th gen's new price reveal at Apple's May 2024 event.
Apple

But that’s no longer a problem. At its new $349 price, the iPad 10th gen is now significantly cheaper than the iPad Air, so it can actually be considered a good value. And with Apple quietly discontinuing the iPad 9th gen, the 10th-generation model is now the default choice for the cheapest iPad you can buy.

If you ask me, this is all incredible news. Although this means the cheapest available iPad is now $20 more expensive than before, the iPad 10th gen is an incredible piece of kit for $349. It’s now the iPad to buy if you don’t want to break the bank, and if you’re in the market for any sort of tablet, it’s difficult to recommend this over another similarly priced option.

The new $349 price for the iPad 10th gen is in effect now.

Editors' Recommendations

Joe Maring
Joe Maring is the Section Editor for Digital Trends' Mobile team, leading the site's coverage for all things smartphones…
Apple’s AI plans for the iPhone just leaked. Here’s everything we know
The back of a Natural Titanium iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Apple is the only major name in the world of Big Tech that hasn’t made its ambitious AI plans public yet. But that will change in a few weeks, with a focus on reimagining the iPhone experience. Bloomberg, citing internal sources, has detailed how Apple plans to integrate generative AI experiences with iOS 18, the next major build of its iPhone operating system.

The company plans to push new AI-powered capabilities not just in such in-house apps as Safari and Maps, but also in experiences like the notification system and a supercharged Spotlight search. Notably, Apple will push the bulk of AI processing to the iPhone’s silicon, and only a minor portion of it will be pushed to the cloud.

Read more
Something important just happened to the iPhone 16 series
iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max larger displays.

iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max renders MacRumors

With  the calendar about to turn to June, attention on the upcoming iPhone 16 series will soon shift into an even higher gear. Along those lines, word is that production on a critical component for at least three of these phones is about to begin.

Read more
The one thing stopping me from buying a new iPad
Three 2021 iPads are stacked on a table.

Want an iPad? Apple wants you to be paying attention to the new iPad Pro -- and for good reason. It's the thinnest product Apple has ever created, which is impressive considering it packs in a laptop-level M4 processor, a gorgeous display, and a number of new software tricks. But the announcement concealed something far more important: the dustbinning of the 9th-gen iPad. The last of the "retro" iPad designs, the 9th-gen is now finally retired from the stage, and for me, it means this is my last chance to grab a quick and reasonable upgrade for my 7th-gen iPad.

I figured I could grab the 9th-gen for a decent discount now that it's on the way out -- and to Apple's credit, I absolutely could. But a realization began to sink in as I shopped, and I came away without making that final purchase.

Read more