In September last year, the announcement of the new iPad was overshadowed by the iPad mini. This year, however, I think it managed to outshine the iPad Pro.

You can watch the announcement of the 10th generation iPad here, and read about it on the Apple Newsroom.

In typical Apple fashion the decision that they made with the iPad is confounding at a glance.

What made sense is now the iPad shares the same design language as the rest of the iPad family. It comes in 4 brilliant colours and has a starting price of RM2,099, which is excellent.

Here’s where it gets weird.

It is still only compatible with the first generation Apple Pencil (RM479), but it needs a USB-C to Apple Pencil Adepter (RM55) to charge it — because the Apple Pencil charges using Lightning while the iPad now has USB-C.

On top of that , there’s also a new Magic Keyboard Folio specifically for the 10th generation iPad. The thing is it’s RM1,249. I know it’s going to be as good as the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Air and iPad pro, but it’s still more than half of the cost of the iPad.

What made this all weird is the iPad is suppose to be the affordable tablet option. With all those accessories, it seems like a contradiction to the spirit of it all. So, how does this fit?

You see, Apple’s overall message for their line of tablets for the past couple of years has been “Your Next Computer Is Not A Computer”.

To me, when Apple moved the front camera of the iPad from the short side to the long side, favouring the horizontal orientation, the message is clear.

The 10th generation iPad is now carrying the same banner as its siblings and it reads “Your Next Computer Is Not A Computer”.

In other words, you can also think of the 10th generation iPad as an affordable Apple laptop with a starting price of RM3,348. And it will be even more attractive when Apple lets you buy it with a student discount.