Apple’s “Let Loose” event just wrapped up, and as expected, there was a lot of iPad news. Just like the rumors suggested, Apple gave us pretty significant overhauls for the new 2024 iPad Air and 2024 iPad Pro. But there was another iPad-related announcement that I didn’t expect — and it’s the one I’m most excited about.

At the end of its event, Apple announced that the 10th-generation iPad will now be available for just $349. For context, Apple originally launched the 10th-gen iPad in October 2022 for $449. A $100 price cut is nothing to sneeze at, and if you ask me, it completely changes the positioning of this particular iPad.

When the iPad 10th gen was released, it was a confusing product. Objectively, it was a very good piece of hardware — and it still is today! The A14 Bionic chipset is powerful for casual day-to-day use, the 10.9-inch LCD panel looks perfectly fine, and the overall hardware design is a massive upgrade over the iPad 9th gen. But at $449, it was always in an awkward middle ground between the $599 iPad Air and the $329 iPad 9th gen.

But that’s no longer a problem. At its new $349 price, the iPad 10th gen is now significantly cheaper than the iPad Air, so it can actually be considered a good value. And with Apple quietly discontinuing the iPad 9th gen, the 10th-generation model is now the default choice for the cheapest iPad you can buy.

If you ask me, this is all incredible news. Although this means the cheapest available iPad is now $20 more expensive than before, the iPad 10th gen is an incredible piece of kit for $349. It’s now the iPad to buy if you don’t want to break the bank, and if you’re in the market for any sort of tablet, it’s difficult to recommend this over another similarly priced option.

The new $349 price for the iPad 10th gen is in effect now.