It’s good news for Apple iPad fans, as the Core Group has announced the newest (fourth generation) iPad will go on sale locally as from this weekend.

 

The newest 9.7” iPad, includes the same Retina display that was introduced back in March on the iPad 3, but ups its processor to an A6X, which boasts twice the graphics and processing power as its predecessor.

 

Also onboard is a new, smaller Lightning connector, dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi,  and a 720p FaceTime camera.  

 

Recommended retail prices are R5 200, R6 400 and R7 400 for the 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB flavours for the iPad with Retina display Wi-Fi respectively. The iPad with Retina display Wi-Fi and Cellular, meanwhile, will cost R6 500, R7 500 and R8 600 for the 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB respectively.

 

 

The iPad mini, which was unveiled in the US in October after almost a year’s worth of speculation and rumour, will also be made available “soon”, we have been told.

 

Prices for this 7.9” iPad start at R3 400 for the 16 GB iPad mini with Wi-Fi and then climb to R4 500 and R5 500 for the 32 GB and 64 GB models respectively.

 

iPad mini with Wi-Fi and cellular will cost approximately R1 300 more across the board, which means that the 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB versions will see their prices rise to R4 800, R5 900 and R7 000 respectively. 

 

This iPad marks a departure from Apple’s previous stance that it would not release a 7” tablet, after Steve Jobs famously belittled the smaller tablet’s place in the market. It, however, does not have a Retina display, but rather sports the same resolution and processor of the iPad 2 - namely a screen with a 1024 x 768 resolution (163 ppi), and an A5 CPU.

 

 

Admittedly, we somewhat cynically assumed that the newest iPad and the iPad mini would only be released sometime at the beginning of next year, and thus it is certainly heartening that South Africa is receiving some iPad affection just a little more than a month since its release Stateside.

 

Now, if the iPad mini releases before the end of this month, then we will be genuinely impressed, and suspect that more than a few iPad fans will be debating whether to upgrade their current iPad for the newest one, or jump into the iPad mini waters instead.  

 

However, if the newest iPad has reserved itself a sport on your December shopping list, the full list of authorised retailers selling the device this weekend is as follows:

 

Fourways

 

Woodmead

Boksburg

Woodlands

Hyde Park

 

FNB

 

Boksburg

Centurion

Menlyn

Cresta

Kolonnade

 

Clearwater

Fourways

Oakdene

Woodmead

 

Bloemfontein

Canal Walk

Centurion

Cresta

East Rand Retail Park

Eastgate

Fourways

Gateway

Menlyn

Greenstone

Sandton

Somerset West

The Glen

Tyger Valley

Woodmead

 

Woodmead

Germiston

Vaal

Centurion

Crown Mines

Strubensvalley

Silver Lakes

Wonderboom

 

Menlyn