Apple unveils iPad Air alongside new iPad mini

Apple has unveiled the iPad Air and the latest version of its smaller iPad Mini line, both of which sport Apple’s 64-bit A7 processor.

The new iPad Air’s big selling point is a smaller form factor and is about 20 per cent thinner than the fouth generation iPad, but still boasts a 9.7 inch screen.

The A7 chip made its debut with the iPhone 5S, and Apple claims it provides “twice the CPU and graphics performance” of the last iPad.

The new processor also supports OpenGL ES version 3.0.

Both models also have the same M7 motion coprocessor as the iPhone 5S, which tracks accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass data, and a 2048×1536 resolution retina display

The new devices come with an iSight 5 megapixel camera, and run iOS 7.

The iPad Air is due on shelves November 1st at a $399-to-$699 price tag. The iPad mini should follow later in the month for $529.

Apple also dropped the price of the current iPad mini to $299.