Apple included a respectable A17 Pro chip, which first launched with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. It's the first widely available SoC built on a 3nm process. It won't rival the iPad Air and Pro with their M-series chips, but it's more than powerful enough for most iPad apps to run smoothly.

Apple just shocked iPad fanatics by launching a new iPad Mini generation, which opened for pre-orders today. Most of us expected Apple to hold a quick but elaborate October event, like last year, to announce the new and improved iPad Mini.

Apple's groundbreaking new tablet is going to be one of the hottest holiday buys of the year, so get yours while you can.