Forget the new iPad Air, the 10th-gen iPad just got a huge price cut and now costs what it should have all along

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple Let Loose Event

1. Let Loose iPad event LIVE — New iPad Pro, iPad Air, and more as it happens!
2. OLED iPad Pro — Will it be M3 or M4?
3. iPad Air 6 — Is the M2 chip coming to the iPad Air?
4. Apple Pencil 3 — Or should we say Apple Pencil Pro?

Apple's 'Let Loose' event is done and dusted and while the new M4 iPad Pro and updated M2 iPad Air are undoubtedly the stars of the show, there was plenty else to take in. Apple showed off the new Apple Pencil Pro and a revamped Magic Keyboard, but perhaps the most notable news for those who are shopping at the other end of Apple's tablet lineup is that the iPad just got a whole lot cheaper.

As part of the event, Apple confirmed that the 2022 iPad will see its price slashed from the original $449 asking price down to just $349. As part of the change Apple has discontinued the previous-gen iPad entirely — it sold for $329 before today.

This means that buyers of the latest iPad will get a 64GB model for $349 while the 256GB model is an option at $499 for those who need extra space.

Cheaper is better

The reduction in price is a big deal for those who want to get an iPad without paying for the bells and whistles that come with an iPad Air or iPad Pro. The 10th-gen model is much more modern than the outgoing 9th-gen version thanks to the removal of the Home button, too. It's just a better tablet with a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display and A14 Bionic chip.

Those who want to get a better, more capable tablet will of course want to look to the new iPad Air with its 11-inch size and speedy M2 chip, but its $599 starting price is notably more expensive. Alternatively, the bigger 13-inch model sells for $799 which is much cheaper than the $1,299 needed to get into the iPad Pro of the same size.

We're covering the Apple iPad event as it happens. Follow the Let Loose event LIVE here. Or check out our roundups for all the latest on the new OLED iPad Pro, iPad Air, and the new Apple Pencil.

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Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.