Next it was on to a science lab to virtually dissect a frog, using an Augmented Reality (AR) app, wander through an virtual art gallery with AR, and fly a drone with the iPad as the cockpit. School seems a lot more fun than I remember it.

Alongside improvements to Classroom is the new app Classbook, a simple LMS (Learning Management System), the Apple Teacher Learning Centre (an online portal of educational materials and resources provided free from Apple), and for IT professionals, improvements to the way you can manage iPads and Macbooks in a school or enterprise environment.

The new hardware on show was an upgrade for the entry level iPad and is identical to the model it replaces. This is a good thing, as the accessories market is so much deeper for the “traditional” 9.7inch iPad size, and all those schools can recycle their older cases.

Beefing up the entry level iPad is a smart move, as the iPad Pro, no matter how great it may be, is just too expensive for most schools or parents to contemplate. And this new iPad has adopted one of the key features of the more expensive model.

In the days leading up to the event, I expected Apple would add the smart connector to the base model, to allow Apple Keyboards to be attached. Instead, they surprised me by adding support for the Apple Pencil. This is a much better upgrade, as the improved screen needed to support the Apple Pencil would be a much more expensive component to add, and for me, the Apple Pencil was a far more compelling reason to be upsold on the iPad Pro. And for a generation raised on touchscreens, perhaps an external keyboard is not a high priority, typing on anything other than a screen would no doubt feel totally barbaric to them.

But by adding support for the Apple Pencil instead, it makes the low end iPad, and the Apple Pencil, far more accessible. Finally that high rotation iPad commercial that asks “what’s a computer” won't set off the working class chip on my shoulder - all the activities in the commercial can now be performed on a regular iPad.

In my review of the iPad Pro last year, I could see how much better built a machine it was, but just didn’t understand who it was for. It was more expensive than I was prepared to pay for a secondary computer (which is how I use an iPad) and probably too expensive for the people who would find the iPad their best single computer - kids, and those intimidated by regular computers. Now the lineup is clearer for me - for those that want the luxury iPad, the best thing Apple can make, get the Pro. For the rest of us, get the base model. It was already a fantastic deal, and more powerful than it needed to be - and now it’s even better.

Despite the improvements, the price for the iPad hasn’t changed - it’s still $469. The new iPad is available to order today.

The writer travelled to Chicago as a guest of Apple