Apple launches revamped iPad Air & iPad mini

Apple loves tinkering with its existing product lines and coming up with new ways to make things more powerful – and both the iPad Air and iPad mini seem to be no exception.

Today the company has revamped both products, which in Apple's words, forms the 'best, most complete iPad lineup ever'.

"The iPad continues to provide magical new experiences for a growing range of uses where it is the absolute best device, from playing games in augmented reality to note-taking and drawing with Apple Pencil, from streaming HD movies and editing 4K films to learning to develop apps with Swift Playgrounds," boasts Apple's worldwide marketing senior vice president Phil Schiller.

"Today the iPad family takes two big leaps forward with an all-new 10.5-inch iPad Air that brings high-end size, features and performance at a breakthrough price, and a major upgrade to the 7.9-inch iPad mini, which also brings Apple Pencil, Retina display and the A12 Bionic chip to the many customers that love its compact size.

So what's new this time?

The 10.5 inch iPad Air: 'High-end features and performance'

Offering Apple Pencil 1 support and a A12 Bionic chip with Apple's Neural Engine, the iPad Air boasts a 70% boost in performance and twice the graphics capability. An advanced Retina display with True Tone technology also includes half a million more pixels – so in essence, the entire device performs and looks better.

The iPad Air will come in 64GB and 256GB configurations, in the standard Apple colours of silver, space grey, and gold.

The 7.9 inch iPad Mini: 'An upgrade for fans who love a compact'

This also comes with the A12 Bionic chip that can help triple performance and display graphics nine times faster.

The advanced Retina display with True Tone technology and wide colour support delivers a 25% brighter screen and it also has the highest pixel density of and iPad. The iPad mini will also come in come in 64GB and 256GB configurations, in the Apple colours of silver, space grey, and gold.

If you've got an Apple Pencil 1, you'll be pleased to know that the new iPad mini can now support it. However, neither the iPad mini nor the iPad Air mention support for the Apple Pencil 2.

The iPad Air will retail for RRP NZ$849 for the WiFi model; and RRP NZ$1069 for the WiFi and Cellular model. Accessories like the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard are sold separately.

The iPad mini will retail for RRP $NZ679; for the WiFi model and RRP NZ$899 for the WiFi and Cellular model. Accessories are sold separately.

Next week Apple is also expected to host an event – mysteriously dubbed 'It's showtime' - that may preview its new video streaming service and possibly new AirPods.