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12.9-Inch iPad Air Display Shipments Reportedly Underway Ahead of March 2024 Launch
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Some apps are better / more useful on iOS vs MacOS (or Windows), and some apps aren’t available at all on macOS.
And with an M2 chip, the processing power wouldn’t be too shabby anyway.
It will do same thing as before. Small incremental changes and maybe add a new wallpaper and a widget.
I think it got too expensive for a consumption device and it aint a mighty production tool really, so yeah no need for m3 speed for viewing a picture
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Really, the base iPad could be ditched but there's likely enough educational users that Apple can't or won't ignore due to ESG. They just make a watered down Air, drop the price by $100.
And of course school boards and distticd buy them in the 100s at a time, with taxpayer money, so no way Apple slays that golden goose.
And of course school boards and distticd buy them in the 100s at a time, with taxpayer money, so no way Apple slays that golden goose.
In a lot of ways, it’s sad to see what Apple has become under Tim.
Apple used to launch products they thought were good. They didn’t compete at all price points, but they also didn’t want to. Now they launch deliberately poor products just to fill a box in a spreadsheet (a rung on a pricing ladder).
It’s effective at making money, but it’s just soulless.
it always has been so, even 30 years ago. Companies are not charities. Under Steve Jobs in its second term, Apple became the well oiled profit machine we all know today. Cook did not change anything fundamental, except greatly developing services, so don't blame him.
Apple's lineup is confusing and ridiculous. They need to scrap the Air designation IMHO.
Laptop lineup:
MacBook (current Air line)
MacBook Pro
iPad lineup:
iPad (base 'cheap' variant for basic use, 2 sizes)
iPad Pro (2 sizes)
Laptop lineup:
MacBook (current Air line)
MacBook Pro
iPad lineup:
iPad (base 'cheap' variant for basic use, 2 sizes)
iPad Pro (2 sizes)
For those of you who think this will just further muddle up the entire iPad Lineup:
I am with you .... until they release the OLED IPPs that is. Once that happens, I think the lineup will finally make sense.
The main problem right now is the regular iPAD 9th and 10th generation sit in a size/form factor that is too close to the the current iPad Air and IPP 11 inch. In addition, the fact that the Mini, although smaller, is more expensive than the 9th and 10th generation iPad further messes up the value proposition of each item in the lineup. On top of that, there isn't enough feature differentiation between the Air and the 11 inch IPP, confusing people on why they should pay more for the Pro over the Air (no, M1 vs M2 and a 500 nit LCD vs a 600 nit LCD - the two main differences, besides the other minor ones- are NOT sufficiently meaningful to warrant the price difference.
The current 12.9 is the only one in the lineup that sorta "makes sense", because it sits on its own category. I would know.. I have one for the simple fact that it is the only 12.9 in the lineup and the one with the best screen.
The coming of OLED will indeed differentiate the Pros with their Airs counterpart, but Apple needs to make a better job at advertising the other differentiating factors: Speaker, FaceID, faster wired thunderbolt 4 transfer speeds, M3 - specially if the M3 +OLED will lead to longer battery hours ... that would make a BIG difference to a lot of people. Just the OLED alone, if it is a stacked one and it ends up being as good as the rumors have it, will almost immediately make a regular buyer see a difference between say the 11 inch Air and the Pro... al they have to do is put them next to each other in the store and the deeper blacks and the more vibrant, HDR colors will tell the story of how they are different. Add marketing force to the extra differentiating factors I mentioned before (specially battery gains, if any) and voila, the lineup will make more sense. Mind you, this doesn't mean that I think that the new ridiculously priced Pro will end up being a good value proposition overall...most likely it wont... or at least particularly I wouldn't buy any 12.9 priced even higher than the current ridiculously priced one (nope , not even if I already have an IPP 12.9... if it dies or gets stolen I would rather replace it for the 12.9 Air because I am not willing to pay more than I paid for my current one) . All I am saying is that the differentiation between them will be clearer for the customer to decide whether the extra cash is worth it for the extra features the Pro brings ( hint: it isn’t , but there will always be deep-pocketed people who will decide it is).
There is just one extra thing Apple needs to do to make the lineup make sense: name the Mini as an iPad AIR Mini. Doing so will make it all make more sense:
The iPad 10th generation as the entry-level device.
The Airs as the mid-tier level devices, coming in three sizes: 8.3 (Mini), 10.9 and 12.9
The Pros as the high-end level devices coming in two sizes : 11 and 13.
Those three levels right there, if marketed right, should go a long way of making it easier for the consumer to evaluate the value proposition of each iPad in the lineup.
I am with you .... until they release the OLED IPPs that is. Once that happens, I think the lineup will finally make sense.
The main problem right now is the regular iPAD 9th and 10th generation sit in a size/form factor that is too close to the the current iPad Air and IPP 11 inch. In addition, the fact that the Mini, although smaller, is more expensive than the 9th and 10th generation iPad further messes up the value proposition of each item in the lineup. On top of that, there isn't enough feature differentiation between the Air and the 11 inch IPP, confusing people on why they should pay more for the Pro over the Air (no, M1 vs M2 and a 500 nit LCD vs a 600 nit LCD - the two main differences, besides the other minor ones- are NOT sufficiently meaningful to warrant the price difference.
The current 12.9 is the only one in the lineup that sorta "makes sense", because it sits on its own category. I would know.. I have one for the simple fact that it is the only 12.9 in the lineup and the one with the best screen.
The coming of OLED will indeed differentiate the Pros with their Airs counterpart, but Apple needs to make a better job at advertising the other differentiating factors: Speaker, FaceID, faster wired thunderbolt 4 transfer speeds, M3 - specially if the M3 +OLED will lead to longer battery hours ... that would make a BIG difference to a lot of people. Just the OLED alone, if it is a stacked one and it ends up being as good as the rumors have it, will almost immediately make a regular buyer see a difference between say the 11 inch Air and the Pro... al they have to do is put them next to each other in the store and the deeper blacks and the more vibrant, HDR colors will tell the story of how they are different. Add marketing force to the extra differentiating factors I mentioned before (specially battery gains, if any) and voila, the lineup will make more sense. Mind you, this doesn't mean that I think that the new ridiculously priced Pro will end up being a good value proposition overall...most likely it wont... or at least particularly I wouldn't buy any 12.9 priced even higher than the current ridiculously priced one (nope , not even if I already have an IPP 12.9... if it dies or gets stolen I would rather replace it for the 12.9 Air because I am not willing to pay more than I paid for my current one) . All I am saying is that the differentiation between them will be clearer for the customer to decide whether the extra cash is worth it for the extra features the Pro brings ( hint: it isn’t , but there will always be deep-pocketed people who will decide it is).
There is just one extra thing Apple needs to do to make the lineup make sense: name the Mini as an iPad AIR Mini. Doing so will make it all make more sense:
The iPad 10th generation as the entry-level device.
The Airs as the mid-tier level devices, coming in three sizes: 8.3 (Mini), 10.9 and 12.9
The Pros as the high-end level devices coming in two sizes : 11 and 13.
Those three levels right there, if marketed right, should go a long way of making it easier for the consumer to evaluate the value proposition of each iPad in the lineup.
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These days, Apple sells five main iPads: the Pro, Air and Mini, as well as the ninth and 10th generations of the regular iPad. In some cases, the products have just marginally different screen sizes and similar features. It’s hard to know which one to pick.
For instance, the 11-inch iPad Pro of today is only millimeters larger than the iPad Air — and the other differences are negligible for most people. The 10th generation regular iPad, meanwhile, is nearly as good as the Air, but they’re priced $150 apart.
To make matters worse, there are a dizzying array of accessories, and it’s often unclear which add-ons are compatible with which iPads. Apple currently sells three different Apple Pencils, for instance. The new low-end stylus doesn’t work with Apple’s cheapest iPad, while the highest-end Pencil isn’t compatible with the newest iPad.
The Mac lineup is far easier to understand these days, especially when it comes to laptops. Apple offers two main classes of MacBooks in two different sizes apiece. There’s the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro and the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air. The two lines are clearly distinguished, with the Pro models getting larger displays and faster processors — but at a far higher price.
Apple is working to bring that same clarity to the iPad. For starters, it wants to reduce the confusion between the iPad Pro and the Air. The Pro is set for major changes, including an OLED screen, updated design, M3 chip and revamped Magic Keyboard attachment. That will make it unmistakably the highest-end model.
In terms of screen sizes, the two models will be similar — but the Pro will get you slightly more real estate. The iPad Air will come in 10.9-inch and 12.9-inch configurations, while the Pro will be 11 and 13 inches. This mirrors the approach with the MacBook Air and Pro, where the latter model has a slightly larger screen.
So the iPad Air will clearly be lower-end than the Pro, but it also will be a notable improvement over the standard iPad. It will have two screen sizes and an M2 processor, making it superior to the 10th generation model — a product that isn’t due to get upgraded until much later. As I reported this past week, the new Pro and Air models are coming around March.
When the 11th generation iPad is released, Apple will also phase out the ninth generation model, which still has a home button and big bezels. The iPad mini will also get a refresh later with a faster processor.
The discontinuation of the ninth generation iPad should ultimately let Apple slowly phase out some of its older Pencils, further cleaning up the line.
The new Magic Keyboard provides another differentiator for the iPad Pro. Apple isn’t planning a new version of that accessory for the iPad Air. The new 12.9-inch model will stick to using the current Magic Keyboard for that screen size. So if you want to get the best keyboard, you have another reason to spring for the Pro.
Now, the ultimate way to simplify the iPad would be dwindling the line down to just the Pro and Air. But Apple needs a cheaper model to sell into the education market, or it risks losing more ground to Chromebooks. It also would be hard to ax the mini. Despite the proliferation of gigantic iPhones, some people prefer a smaller tablet.
Apple Is Working on Cleaning Up Its Confusing iPad Lineup
Apple plans to overhaul its iPad lineup in 2024 in an effort to boost sales and make the assortment less confusing. In other product news, M3 MacBook Airs are set for spring, and the Vision Pro is getting closer. Also: The inventor of multitouch screens and Touch ID is stepping down; the head of...
www.bloomberg.com
Vast majority of consumption is happening on smartphones anyways. Less need for a tablet as a consumption-only device.
Said essentially the same I soo many threads. I would prefer a 12 and 14 inch iPad Pro.
True, but there are times when you would like to have a larger screen for certain websites not optimized for a mobile phone or just would like to watch a movie or play a game on a tablet.
i think the iPad Air you describe would be a great device that 70% or 80% of serious iPad (non-pro) users that need to work on an iPad (vs. using more for media consumption) would love to have.
what kind of keyboard are you considering to be good for that device?
- current Magic Keyboard for a 12.9" Air ?
if for some reason a new iPad Air is launched before (not at the same time as new iPad Pro devices) then i will wait until the new iPad Pro comes along as i am very interested in the new rumoured keyboard that sounds as if it would be more "laptop" like.
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Entire books and studies have been written on The Paradox of Choice. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Paradox_of_Choice
good point. Apple will introduce iPad Pro 8.3 to close the gap.
I would gladly pay $699 for an M2 with 64GB (I don't store much on my current iPad) to get the 12.9 screen size.
