Apple iPad review (2018): A little better, a little less competition

The tablet business has been tough in recent years, but last year Apple found a hit in its low-cost iPad. Its admirable performance and battery life made up for its lack of frills, and that $329 price tag certainly didn't hurt, either. Apple saw its iPad sales grow year-over-year for the first time in ages after its release, all but ensuring we'd get a sequel — and here we are. Apple spent most of its time at a launch event in Chicago lauding this year's $329 iPad ($299 with that education discount) as a great machine for kids in classrooms. I won't dig into that too much in this review — there are people far more qualified than I to explore the relative merits of iOS versus Chrome OS in schools. While the iPad's announcement explored its use almost exclusively as a classroom tool, it's a lot more than that. In fact, just like the iPad we got this time last year, Apple's latest is the best budget tablet you can buy right now.
The tablet business has been tough in recent years, but last year Apple found a hit in its low-cost iPad. Its admirable performance and battery life made up