The 128GB iPad Is Real, 4G Version Costs $1009 In Australia


As rumoured, Apple has officially let the 128GB iPad out of the bag today. But there’s a very good chance you won’t be buying it. Not only does it come with more storage than you could possibly need on a tablet, it costs more than you would be prepared to spend on a tablet. By a lot.

This is not a new iPad — this is just another version of the fourth-generation iPad that you can currently buy. It has the same 9.7-inch retina display, the same design, the same guts — it just doubles the storage capacity of the 64GB model at a cost that you probably can’t justify: in Australia, the Wi-Fi only version costs $869, and the 4G version costs $1009.

At that price, you’re approaching ultrabook/MacBook Air levels of expenditure for an A6X chip and Temple Run 2. According to Apple, the 128GB iPad will “hold even more valuable content including photos, documents, projects, presentations, books, movies, TV shows, music and apps”. But haven’t we already moved all that stuff to the cloud? Apple and everyone else been pushing us in that direction for years, precisely because giant storage devices are expensive and inconvenient.

Oh, it looks like Apple isn’t talking to us anyway. Apple is specifically targeting corporate accounts with its new 128GB iPad: “Companies regularly utilising large amounts of data such as 3D CAD files, X-rays, film edits, music tracks, project blueprints, training videos and service manuals all benefit from having a greater choice of storage options for iPad.”

Like the other iPads, the new 128GB version comes in either black or white, and you can buy them starting next Wednesday. Or, rather, your IT manager can. [Apple via TNW]

Leslie Horn contributed to this report.


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