The biggest news to come out of the October 16 Apple Inc. event, held at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino California, was the launch of the new iPad Air 2.

The iPad Air 2 is light and thin at just 437g and a thickness of 6.1mm. The inclusion of the newly designed A8X chip will see users experiencing better graphics and CPU performance.

The iPad Air 2 comes with a software-based sim card (Apple Sim). What this means is that users in the UK and US will no longer be required to purchase a sim card from a mobile phone provider. Rather, users will sign up for services directly from the device and be able to use the sim in different countries and providers. You will no longer be tied into long-term commitments with mobile phone providers.

Tweet from Ben Wood, chief of research for CSS Insight

The “Apple SIM” is huge news. Shows the strength of Apple’s hand with carriers – no other mfr could have done that pic.twitter.com/PWDCVtGZKm

— Ben Wood (@benwood) October 16, 2014

The iPad Air 2 comes with TouchID, a feature that users have been requesting for a while. You will now be able to unlock your tablet as well pay for in-app purchases through ApplePay .

The 8-megapixel iSight camera has increased 5 megapixels from the previous Air, with the rear camera also having the ability for time-lapse, slow motion, and 1080p video recording.

The cost of the Wi-Fi model will start at $499 for the 16GB version, increasing to $699 for the 128GB version. Cellular models will start at $629, with the 128GB version costing $829.

October 17 will see the start of pre-orders, while shipping will start next week on the 24th.