Two things about the 9.7 inch Apple iPad that you may have missed Monday.
The 9.7 inch iPad is exactly what consumers have been wanting, since the unveiling of its premium-sized version targeted primarily to business customers, and creative users.
Apple has taken an existing, familiar form factor, and turned it into the same multimedia powerhouse as the 12.9 inch iPad Pro, with the same high-quality quad-audio, the same advanced A9X chip, and a 256GB SSD option, as well as support for the Apple Pencil, and its very own, smaller Smart Keyboard with Smart Connector.
There are two things that may have flown under the radar or consumers after the unveiling:
First of all, the covers from the iPad Air 2 fits the 9.7 inch iPad Pro, as they have the same dimensions, with some caveats, namely no access to the iPad Pro’s Smart Connector, and the inability to use the True Tone flash on the back of the 9.7 inch iPad Pro. Also, the iPad Air 2 has only two speakers, while the Pro version has four, which means, using a case from an iPad Air 2 could block or muffle the two speakers at the top, affecting sound quality. Other than that, using a case from an iPad Air 2 with a 9.7 inch iPad Pro will work perfectly for other tasks that don’t involve photography or high-quality sound.
The second aspect of this new iteration of the iPad Pro, is the fruit of an Apple-Samsung collaboration that has finally brought the e-SIM to consumers looking to add LTE connectivity to their iPad Pro.
The e-SIM is an integrated version of the traditional removable SIM card provided by mobile carriers. The standard was introduced in 2014 to allow iPad owners to choose their own data service without being bound to anyone carrier, as it often happens with other devices exclusive to either Verizon, AT&T, and other providers of mobile connectivity.
While Apple cautions that iPad Pro tablets provided through a carriers could still b e locked onto said carrier, all tablets purchased from Apple or third party retailers, are unlocked and capable of connecting to any number of service providers, without restrictions.
Prior to the 9.7 inch version of the iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, or any other iPad model with an Apple e-SIM card have been extremely rare. The 9.7 inch iPad Pro will offer the feature standard, out of the box.