You can now pick up the just-released iPad Air for a lower price than Apple is charging, as Walmart is offering the tablet for $479.00 with free shipping.

Apple's latest iPad, the iPad Air, just went on sale and it brings a new design and powerful 64-bit A7 processor and M7 coprocessor that add substantial performance and long battery life to Apple's 9.7-inch tablet. The iPad Air still uses the company's iconic Retina display that has been available on the full sized iPads since the third-generation tablet's release. The Retina display was a huge improvement and was worth the upgrade for many iPad fans.

Then Apple released the iPad mini in 2012 and it lacked what most iPad fans were used to, a Retina display. The original iPad mini uses a 7.9-inch 1024 x 768 display but its thin and light design was able to convince some long time full-sized iPad users and new iPad owners to choose the smaller tablet. Apple nailed it with the iPad mini's extremely thin design and light weight and the company has used that knowledge with its full-sized 9.7-inch iPad Air.

The iPad Air's thin design doesn't make any trade offs and comes wrapped in Apple's anodized aluminum unibody case. The iPad Air's dimensions are 9.4 x 6.6 x 0.29 inches and the slate weighs just 1 pound, compared to its predecessor's 9.5 x 7.3 x 0.37 inches and 1.5 pounds. The bezels around the iPad Air's display are now narrower, just like the iPad mini's design.

The iPad Air also ships with other hardware improvements, including dual channel Wi-Fi and MIMO, which should provide faster network connections for users. Apple is using a 5-megapixel rear camera with autofocus, backside illumination and the ability to capture 1080p HD video with video stabilization technology and 3x video zoom. The Air also includes a 1.2-megapixel FaceTime HD camera that captures 720p video and 1.2-megapixel photos. Its built-in battery provides Apple's typical "up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music" with some initial reviews claiming even up to 12 hours.

Walmart is taking its usual approach of offering products at a discount and the iPad Air is no different. The retailer is currently selling the 16GB iPad Air for $479.00 compared to Apple's $499 retail price. Walmart currently has 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB Wi-Fi iPad Air models in stock and ready to ship.