Apple recently unveiled its new fourth-generation iPad Air, which is now available for purchase. Now, in a new podcast, VP of Product Marketing Bob Borchers and VP of Hardware Engineering John Ternus have explained the development process of the tablet.
Talking about the new iPad Air, Bob Borchers said that the Touch ID sensor embedded in the power button in a much smaller form factor is an “incredible feat of engineering.” He says that the narrow aspect ratio made it a challenging implementation given that the sensor needed to be “incredibly sensitive” to capture a broader view of the fingerprint.
On the other hand, John Ternus explains much effort was put in to ensure that the Touch ID sensor and the antenna on the cellular model, which is placed in the top portion of the enclosure, didn’t interfere with each other given that both are sensitive. He added that “hardcore silicon and engineering” went to ensure that the sensor delivers the same level of security as previous models.
Borchers also notes that the new iPad Air comes with an increased on-device processing power thanks to the introduction of the Neural Engine. It also brings more powerful capabilities along with a greater level of privacy for the users.
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The new iPad Air is the first device from Apple to come powered by the A14 Bionic chipset, which is built on the 5nm process and will also be powering the upcoming iPhone 12 models. The Hexa-core processor has 11.8 billion transistors and boasts a 40% improvement in CPU performance and a 30% increase in GPU performance.
As for the design, it ditches the thick bezels for slimmer and uniform ones. It features a 10.9-inch liquid retina display along with anti-reflective coating, P3 color gamut, and True Tone support. It packs a 7MP f/2.0 selfie camera and the same 12MP f/1.8 rear camera available on the iPad Pro. It also has a USB-C port with support for 20W fast charging.
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