Apple's rumoured 128GB iPad with retina display is real, with the maker of shiny toys confirming the higher-capacity tablet will be on sale within a week.
The 128GB device will boast twice the storage of the 64GB iPad, which is currently the model with the most available storage. The bumper-edition slate will cost £639 for the Wi-Fi only version, and a pricier £739 if you want the version that has a SIM-card slot for mobile data.
That's a lot of cash to splash on a tablet, so I'd recommend only opting for this iPad if you really do need that much space. Many iPad owners are content with just 16GB of storage, so don't even consider blowing this much wonga on a tablet unless you're a bit hoarder of high-definition movies.
Apple's press release hints that this cavernous tablet may be designed with schools or businesses in mind, which could buy the tablet in bulk to dish out to students or employees. "With twice the storage capacity and an unparalleled selection of over 300,000 native iPad apps," Apple bod Phil Schiller is quoted as saying, "Enterprises, educators and artists have even more reasons to use iPad for all their business and personal needs."
Apart from extra space, there's no difference between this new iPad and the current model. You get a 9.7-inch display with a high-resolution retina display, as well as modern conveniences like access to Apple's app store, iTunes, Siri and other software treats.
If you're considering buying one, then point your peepers at our review of the retina model that came out earlier this year, and perhaps consider the dirt-cheap £160 Nexus 7 at the other end of the tablet price spectrum.
Would you buy a 128GB iPad? Let me know in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
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Comments 18
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anonymous 29 January, 2013 14:39
It's genuinely funny to think that some people will actually go and buy this!
Simon Duke 29 January, 2013 14:41
Far far too expensive, Apple seem insistent on raising prices and not lowering, the storage is excellent but for a couple of hundred more you could get a macbook
anonymous 29 January, 2013 14:56
It's mainly aimed at enterprise or users who don't care about the cost and there are still lots of them, despite the recession.
Peter Hudson 29 January, 2013 15:13
I'd buy one, I have a 64GB model at the minute, my music library takes up about 3/4 of the storage. So when I start putting movies on it, I run out fast. 128GB sounds like a great option.
A Non Mouse 29 January, 2013 15:31
@ Peter H. Sorry fella but you have more money than sense as this is way overpriced.
anonymous 29 January, 2013 15:45
Superb tablets, but the cost of extra memory is OTT.
anonymous 29 January, 2013 15:56
I'm no Apple fan, but isn't this just the standard £80 increase for each storage tier? If anything it's a good price if you are happy with the prices of other storage sizes. £80 for an extra 64GB when in some cases you pay an extra £80 for just 16 extra GB's... And yet no one complains.
Damien2501 29 January, 2013 16:14
iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 will probably come out in March 2013. I wish someone would buy me an iPad so I could sell it and buy a real tablet and a new phone.
anonymous 29 January, 2013 21:22
The price isn't a problem to a lot of iPad buyers.
Also there are lots of companies who will appreciate the extra storage capacity for professional use. They'll just offset the cost in the usual way.
anonymous 30 January, 2013 01:07
128gb is good as always the chip is provided by Samsung :-)
Damien2701 30 January, 2013 07:21
I dont see the need in a 128g tablet. In my eyes a tablet is not a laptop replacement.
anonymous 30 January, 2013 08:19
A tablet isn't a laptop replacement, despite some manufacturers misunderstanding this, but it can perform and be more suitable for a great number of tasks that otherwise have to be done on a laptop.
Conversely, a laptop is far less suited, if not downright awkward to use, for a number of functions that are better suited to a tablet device.
Bob Smith 30 January, 2013 10:28
Or Apple could include microsd or sd slot in every retina ipad, and you don't need to upgrade the unit, just replace the cards as needed.
But of course they won't do that as you need to upgrade the whole unit to get extra storage.
anonymous 31 January, 2013 14:39
did some of the silly people above forget that apple is a business?
anonymous 1 February, 2013 01:28
With this high storage capacity, Apple are going into a market space where no other manufacturer competes. It's a premium sector and they will have the market to themselves.
The 128GB model won't be the most popular model, due to its cost, but there will be enough sales to make the exercise worthwhile and generate some very healthy profits.
Buyers are likely to be mostly corporate or more affluent individual customers.
Apple wouldn't be doing this if they didn't think there was a market for it.
gordonfanta 3 February, 2013 17:13
I'm actually very happy about this, and yes it is on my shopping list. Then I can store and stream even more movies to my apple TV
anonymous 10 February, 2013 13:26
Some people have said that adding an SD card slot would help, wouldn't you still have to upgrade the device to get the model with the SD card slot.
mbgm8as3 19 March, 2013 13:13
I don't even need 128gb on my Mac (since I stream all my music/movies and use google drive for nearly everything else) - so why would I need this huge amount on an iPad??