Apple unveils iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3 with no surprises

A month after releasing the fastest-selling new iPhone, Apple on Thursday brought new iPads to the market that the company needs to be stellar sellers to lift weak demand for the tablet computers.

Before showing off the new iPad, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook pointed out Apple has sold more iPads in the last year than rivals have sold laptop computers. But to get people to replace older versions of what Cook called the “best tablet in the world,” Apple needed to do something incredible to make it better.

What it showed off Thursday was a speedier and thinner iPad Air, with its thickness reduced to 6.1 millimeters -- less than a No. 2 pencil -- from 7.5 millimeters. The iPad Air 2 also has a sharper display that’s less susceptible to the annoyance of light glare, Apple said. It has a barometer inside, so apps can track elevation, and a fingertip scanner on the outside to unlock the device and approve online purchases.

The iPad Air 2 starts at $499 for a 16-gigabyte Wi-Fi version and comes in gold, gray and white. The iPad mini 3 starts at $399, with the price of the original iPad mini dropping $50 to $249.

New camera features on the iPad include the ability to shoot slow-motion video, take action shots with “burst mode” and capture panoramic photos. The rear camera is barely a notch weaker than that on the iPhone 6; the front-facing camera appears to be the same as the iPhone’s.

Apple demonstrated the video-editing app Replay and photo-editing app Pixelmator to show that “apps are doing things on iPad that would previously have taken high-end desktops,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing.

Cook also announced that iPhone 6 owners can use Apple Pay, a system that allows their phone to serve as credit card, beginning Monday.

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