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I just hope they add support for the newer Apple Pencil so that the whole lineup can use the same one.
Not gonna happen. iPad Air 3 iPad mini 5 and current iPad 6th gen all use first gen pencil. They are not going to redesign the chassis for pencil 2.
My wish for this product is fairly modest:
  • 10.2-inch screen
  • Bump to A11 or A12 processor
  • Replace Lightning with USB-C
  • Support for Apple Pencil 2
First two can be expected. Last two no. We can dream for USB-C but Apple Pencil 2 ain’t gonna happen.
 
This seems very questionable. One of Apple's primary market for their low cost iPads is Education. Well, Education has already bought their iPads for the 2019-2020 school year. It won't be until early 2020 that they start looking at their next purchases. That is why the low cost iPads have typically been released in the March/April time Fram.

On the flip side, it gives case makers an extra 6 months to get their act together in time for that process. Changing the screen size will mean changes to cases that schools generally put on the ipads.
 
I wonder if they plan on killing off the button on the new iPads, or is that an iPad Pro only feature.
Dropping the button means going from Touch ID to Face ID for authentication, which means adding in the dot projector, flood illuminator, and infrared camera. On a device they probably want to keep selling at the same price (given it's the entry level model)), while putting in a larger screen. So, removing the button seems a bit unlikely (who knows though, maybe they're doing the Face ID hardware in such volume now that the price has come down).
 
Lot of transition going on right now. Outside of the Apple Watch, everything seems to be in the air or unsatisfactory to a lot of consumers.

I'd like to see this in the Pro form factor just with a lesser processor and maybe no 120hz screen.
 
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So we’ll have a 10.2 inch iPad, 10.5 inch iPad, 11 inch iPad, and 13 inch iPad. Not confusing at all.

You forgot the 7.9” iPad mini.

In all seriousness, they should make it a clear lineup:

iPad (10.2”)
iPad Air (7.9”, 10.5”)
iPad Pro (11”, 12.9”)

Maybe a bit much, but 3 models with some choices aren’t all that bad. From low cost, to thin and light, to more powerful with newest features.
 
The base iPad only makes sense if you can get by with 32 GB of storage. If you want 64 GB but no more, then the Air is a much better value.
 
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On a side note, it must be really expensive to stock and sell cases for all these slightly different form factors.
I expect this 10.2" iPad will have exactly the same form-factor as the 9.7" model, but, yeah, there's been quite a mix of iPad sizes in the last few years.
 
Honestly, making a big deal about whether a release date is September or October is a waste of time. Seriously, big deal. Is this really what it’s come down to, arguing about a month, here or there?

the important thing here is not that, but the fact that Apple seems to be replacing the old design iPad with a new one. Is this going to be the same large bezel style, with a bigger screen, or will Apple be going to a larger screen with narrower bezels in about the same size case? Are they going to laminate them, or not? These are the real questions.
 
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I am surprised they want to keep it at all, as iPad Air 3 (10.5”) offers a much better price/quality solution, imo.
 
Agreed. And the 10.5 will be dead

On a side note, it must be really expensive to stock and sell cases for all these slightly different form factors. Maybe they need the adjust-o-case for the iPad xxx
What sense does it make to drop the Air? You don’t see any room for something in between a $299 budget model and a spare-no-expense $799 iPad Pro? Interesting.

How is that—in any way whatsoever—a good thing for iPad buyers? If you don’t have 800 bucks to drop your stuck with a bottom of the line iPad with a budget screen?

Yikes, no thanks. Good/better/best at $299/499/799 is a much better lineup. $299/799 would be a disaster.
 
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A new size. WOOO! Is that the main innovation factor that Apple has going for it’s products? How long can this last?




Apple is widely expected to release a new 10.2-inch iPad later this year as a replacement for its $329 entry-level 9.7-inch iPad, and hit-or-miss Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes has now added its weight to this rumor, claiming that the tablet will be released in the "late third quarter."

9-7-ipad-2019.jpg

If accurate, that timeframe means the 10.2-inch iPad would be released by the end of September, suggesting that the device might be unveiled alongside new iPhones at Apple's usual September event.

iPad releases in the fall have typically occurred in October, including in 2012 through 2014 and again in 2018. September would not be totally out of the ordinary, however, as Apple unveiled the original iPad Pro and the iPad mini 4 at its September 2015 event without hosting an October event that year.

It's worth noting that DigiTimes has a rather unreliable track record as it relates to the timing of new Apple products. This week alone, for example, the website published one report saying the 16-inch MacBook Pro will be released in September and another saying the notebook will launch in October.

Multiple sources have outlined expectations for a new 10.2-inch iPad, including reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and the previously-reliable mystery Twitter account CoinX. Apple has also filed several unreleased iPad models running iPadOS 13 in a Eurasian regulatory database, as legally required.

The 10.2-inch iPad would have a modestly larger display than the 9.7-inch iPad, possibly in tandem with narrower bezels.

A reasonable assumption would be that Apple will unveil new iPhones and Apple Watches in September and save the rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro, 10.2-inch iPad, and iPad Pro refresh for October, but Apple could always break with tradition.

Article Link: 10.2-Inch iPad Said to Launch in the Fall as Successor to 9.7-Inch iPad
 
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If they keep the 10.2 on the 9.7 factor that woulf be better

The 10.5 is too wieldy.

They should do


10.2
11
13

And make the ipad mini with ipad pro bezels too, like the form factor of the ipad mini and it will sell a lot if it has slimmer bezels like ipad pro

I do agree that the 10.5" is out of place considering we have an 11" and 12.9" sizes.

Apple should streamline the consumer models to the following and keeping it whole:

Consumer iPad 8" and 10"

Pro iPad 11" and 13"

The consumer 8" and 10" will replace the present Mini and budget iPad with a 2" display size difference and the Pro line offers a 11" and 13" with the same 2" display size difference. A Pro iPad Mini makes no sense as it is too small to be a productive device. What would be welcomed is FaceID on all devices and just drop the "Pro" designation for tablets, what next a "Pro" iPhone.
 
A new size. WOOO! Is that the main innovation factor that Apple has going for it’s products? How long can this last?
As long as a screen size increase is achieved via a reduction in bezel size, it is just a straight-forward improvement like higher pixel density or a faster processor. But I guess bog standard improvements are beneath your consideration.
 
I don’t really think that the bezels will decrease but rather that the whole iPad will increase to be the identical size as the iPad Air 2019. This will make up for the actual same size breaks but a little larger screen.

The point could be to make smart connectors on the new iPad make the Smart Keyboard availed for that device too now that iPadOS is coming pure soon.
 
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I do agree that the 10.5" is out of place considering we have an 11" and 12.9" sizes.

Apple should streamline the consumer models to the following and keeping it whole:

Consumer iPad 8" and 10"

Pro iPad 11" and 13"

The consumer 8" and 10" will replace the present Mini and budget iPad with a 2" display size difference and the Pro line offers a 11" and 13" with the same 2" display size difference. A Pro iPad Mini makes no sense as it is too small to be a productive device. What would be welcomed is FaceID on all devices and just drop the "Pro" designation for tablets, what next a "Pro" iPhone.
Feature-wise we already have two lines:
  1. iPad Mini 7.9" and iPad Air 10.5" (6.1 mm)
  2. iPad Pro 11" and 12.9" (FaceID, ProMotion, A12X, 2n gen Pencil, quad-speaker, 512+ GB options, USB-C, 12 MP camera + 4K + TrueTone flash, 5.9 mm)
We just get an additional budget option on top.
 
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Feature-wise we already two lines:
  1. iPad Mini 7.9" and iPad Air 10.5" (6.1 mm)
  2. iPad Pro 11" and 12.9" (FaceID, ProMotion, A12X, 2n gen Pencil, quad-speaker, 512+ GB options, USB-C, 12 MP camera + 4K + TrueTone flash, 5.9 mm)
We just get an additional budget option on top.

Starting to resemble the Samsung Tab line. :p
 
It’s a $299 iPad, exactly what kind of “innovation” are you looking for?

If you want “innovation” every year, are you ok with yearly price increases?
Right, so let’s give Apple a pass (& let them become mediocre) because of yearly price increases which you know are coming anyway.

Also, this doesn’t just apply to the iPad - it’s all their products - coming in different sizes... different colors. These are cosmetic changes. What about all new products? You could say Apple Watch was their latest product, but that is 5 years ago... What is sickening is to see Apple kill off products in development - like the Apple Television and the charging mat (am I forgetting one?)...and maybe the car next?
 
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The Air 3 (256gb) fits my needs and budget really well, and I'm really close to making that purchase... but seeing a 10.2 "budget" iPad gives me pause. Will there be an 11" Air 4? Seems the waters are getting way muddy here.
 
So we’ll have a 10.2 inch iPad, 10.5 inch iPad, 11 inch iPad, and 13 inch iPad. Not confusing at all.

My god, still with this meaningless comment. You have a $300 iPad (10.2) a $500 iPad (10.5) and a $800-1000 professional iPad that comes in two sizes. In the real world people purchases are dictated by budget, not by the inexplicable need to find something to whine about Apple on an Internet forum. Someone in the market for a $300 tablet won’t be confused by the size of a $800 for them unaffordable tablet. And who need a large $1000 tablet won’t give a thought to the size of a low entry 300 one etc.

It’s only confusing for people that have no intention to buy an iPad but just to stare at the website to find something to whine on this forum.
 
Right, so let’s give Apple a pass (& let them become mediocre) because of yearly price increases which you know are coming anyway.

Also, this doesn’t just apply to the iPad - it’s all their products - coming in different sizes... different colors. These are cosmetic changes. What about all new products? You could say Apple Watch was their latest product, but that is 5 years ago... What is sickening is to see Apple kill off products in development - like the charging mat...any maybe the car next?
What yearly price increase? The $2,399 MBP that hasn’t had a price increase in three years? The $1,799 or $1,299 MBP that also haven’t had any increases in three years? Same with iMacs. Maybe you mean the $50 price increase for a much better Mac mini? I guess you’re not talking about the price cuts for the HomePod or MacBook Air.

Since the innovative iPhone and then iPad, Apple’s introduced the innovative AirPods, Watch and HomePod. New product categories come when they come. Apple killing off the AirPower is sickening? Ummm, ok. So take some Pepto Bismal, take a couple weeks off school and spend it in bed. You’ll get get over it eventually... probably.
 
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