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iPad **ALL NEW** iPad Air (Thoughts/Are you getting one?)
- Thread starter hallidc
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Wait until the next galaxy tab. It will most likely have a design that's suspiciously similar to this, and the android fans will argue that "this is the only way to make it".
The market is getting bigger so that's why Apple's share is falling. This always happens with first movers. The danger is that folks think that cheap buggy slow android tabs are what all tabs are like. And stay away.
Yes, this is the one to get.
I don't like the size of the Mini; I wanted an iPad 4 but waited for this iPad; I don't need a touch ID and couldn't care less about touch ID sensors; a larger iPad would only be worth it if they made it autonomous and expanded the iOS to be more like OSX; larger cameras and higher pixel density are fluff; the iPad is finally a light, super-fast, capable machine for 90% of my computer productivity and entertainment.
I don't like the size of the Mini; I wanted an iPad 4 but waited for this iPad; I don't need a touch ID and couldn't care less about touch ID sensors; a larger iPad would only be worth it if they made it autonomous and expanded the iOS to be more like OSX; larger cameras and higher pixel density are fluff; the iPad is finally a light, super-fast, capable machine for 90% of my computer productivity and entertainment.
So yesterday, it seemed simple - the full-size iPad received the huge weight reduction that I've always wanted, it's the fastest one yet, and it's still the same price. The Mini 2, on the other hand, got thicker, heavier and more expensive. It's like Apple had made the decision for me. The iPad Air was the one to buy.
But the more I think about it, the more unclear it becomes. This for three reasons:
1. The Specs.
The Mini 2 might be thicker and heavier than the previous model, but it is still exactly the same thickness as the iPad Air, and still 138g lighter. It has now received the Retina display, and at exactly the same resolution, you could argue that the higher PPI makes it an even higher-quality screen than the iPad Air (assuming other specs like gamut and contrast are the same). But crucially, it also has the same SoC as the iPad Air, the A7, and the same claimed battery life.
So if everything is the same spec as the flagship iPad... the fact it is even lighter surely makes the Mini 2 a greater technical achievement, and even more worthy of the 'iPad Air' name?
2. The Name
So the full-size iPad is now the 'Air'. This moniker has been used on Apple's laptop line to denote a premium but 'lite' version of the Pro models. MacBook Airs have always compromised in performance with weight reduction being a higher priority than the Pros. The iPad Air on the other hand, is supposed to still be the flagship iPad. The most powerful. But is it actually as powerful as they could have made it? This renaming suggests not. As does the name of the chip inside - the A7. It is unclear whether the A7 in the Air is identical to the one in the 5S, but it can't have received enough of a bump to be given the 'A7X' name. This is the first time the new iPad hasn't been given a significantly more powerful chip compared to the iPhone. Have they compromised on a bigger performance difference to make it 'lite', and therefore... is keeping it at the same price actually not that great a deal?
3. The Pricing
The Mini 2 has increased in price, and considering the original Mini was already perceived as being overpriced compared to the Nexus 7, it seems ludicrous at first glance. But they are making the point that it is actually the same spec as the flagship iPad, and is, in the UK, £80 cheaper. So if we're literally getting the flagship iPad in an even lighter shell, are we supposed to see the Mini 2 as a bargain?
The messaging is unclear. Look at their homepage - the iPad Air is slide 1. The new iPhones are slides 2 and 3. The Mini 2 is already demoted to slide 4, despite it being apparently more impressive than the iPad Air. It's like they want to present the full-size iPad as the flagship product, but haven't given any good reasons why it is, compared to the Mini 2. They haven't said it's more powerful than the Mini 2, and it doesn't have any extra features, not even Touch ID. The surface finishes are identical. The only difference is screen size.
It just doesn't add up. They are not explicitly saying that the Mini 2 is also an iPad Air, but the specs suggest that it is. They could have changed the messaging entirely, saying there are now two iPad Airs - a 7.9" and a 9.7". But they didn't. What are they not telling us?
But the more I think about it, the more unclear it becomes. This for three reasons:
1. The Specs.
The Mini 2 might be thicker and heavier than the previous model, but it is still exactly the same thickness as the iPad Air, and still 138g lighter. It has now received the Retina display, and at exactly the same resolution, you could argue that the higher PPI makes it an even higher-quality screen than the iPad Air (assuming other specs like gamut and contrast are the same). But crucially, it also has the same SoC as the iPad Air, the A7, and the same claimed battery life.
So if everything is the same spec as the flagship iPad... the fact it is even lighter surely makes the Mini 2 a greater technical achievement, and even more worthy of the 'iPad Air' name?
2. The Name
So the full-size iPad is now the 'Air'. This moniker has been used on Apple's laptop line to denote a premium but 'lite' version of the Pro models. MacBook Airs have always compromised in performance with weight reduction being a higher priority than the Pros. The iPad Air on the other hand, is supposed to still be the flagship iPad. The most powerful. But is it actually as powerful as they could have made it? This renaming suggests not. As does the name of the chip inside - the A7. It is unclear whether the A7 in the Air is identical to the one in the 5S, but it can't have received enough of a bump to be given the 'A7X' name. This is the first time the new iPad hasn't been given a significantly more powerful chip compared to the iPhone. Have they compromised on a bigger performance difference to make it 'lite', and therefore... is keeping it at the same price actually not that great a deal?
3. The Pricing
The Mini 2 has increased in price, and considering the original Mini was already perceived as being overpriced compared to the Nexus 7, it seems ludicrous at first glance. But they are making the point that it is actually the same spec as the flagship iPad, and is, in the UK, £80 cheaper. So if we're literally getting the flagship iPad in an even lighter shell, are we supposed to see the Mini 2 as a bargain?
The messaging is unclear. Look at their homepage - the iPad Air is slide 1. The new iPhones are slides 2 and 3. The Mini 2 is already demoted to slide 4, despite it being apparently more impressive than the iPad Air. It's like they want to present the full-size iPad as the flagship product, but haven't given any good reasons why it is, compared to the Mini 2. They haven't said it's more powerful than the Mini 2, and it doesn't have any extra features, not even Touch ID. The surface finishes are identical. The only difference is screen size.
It just doesn't add up. They are not explicitly saying that the Mini 2 is also an iPad Air, but the specs suggest that it is. They could have changed the messaging entirely, saying there are now two iPad Airs - a 7.9" and a 9.7". But they didn't. What are they not telling us?
In that case only silly people would buy one in March as they would announce Ipad 7 in November.
The only reason they gave us two Ipads in a year was to rush out the Ipad mini and they had to change the lightning port.
I think small things like better cameras and touch ID tends to wait a year. Siri was an Iphone exclusive for one year!
yep. sold my 3rd gen ipad last week and i really miss it since ive only had the nexus 7 to use. i know a lot of people like the smaller screen but id rather have as large a screen as possible
I like the iPad Air, shame about not having touch ID but oh well I can still live. I want to get one mainly for the slimness and reduction in weight and size... no Android tablet is touching it...and I agree somewhat with Tim that Apple idevices get more usage than their competitors products, whom rely on cramming in newfangled tech junk and gimmicks into their phones and tablets expecting a win. Its the user experience that counts, not necessarily all the high end specs!
My iPad 3 is still awesomely capable so I'm in no rush for the iPad Air, but then again I'm also waiting for an iOS 7 jailbreak before I give up my iPad 3.
XBMC is one of the most used apps on my iPad.
The only thing that had me scratching my head when watching the keynote is that they continue to sell the iPad 2 with the outdated dock connector
Another thing, IF we see an iPad Pro in six months time- which I doubt, I think it will be the rumored larger screened iPad, something I have no interest in anyway. But I reckon the next iPad cycle will be a year from now.
My iPad 3 is still awesomely capable so I'm in no rush for the iPad Air, but then again I'm also waiting for an iOS 7 jailbreak before I give up my iPad 3.
XBMC is one of the most used apps on my iPad.
The only thing that had me scratching my head when watching the keynote is that they continue to sell the iPad 2 with the outdated dock connector
Another thing, IF we see an iPad Pro in six months time- which I doubt, I think it will be the rumored larger screened iPad, something I have no interest in anyway. But I reckon the next iPad cycle will be a year from now.
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I'm with you here. Apple product just work and the ecosystem is second to none. iOS brought me back to the iPhone and iPad mini 1st gen brought me back to iPad.
It's worth the ongoing support, quality hardware, and beautiful software.
Apple didnt make the decision to upgrade a no-brainer. I have the 3rd gen iPad and an iPad Mini. While I would have liked to upgrade the mini, I dont see retina worth the price point. Apple does not want the mini to cannibalize sales of the larger model hence the pricing which makes sense.
But at these prices I may sit this one out.
But at these prices I may sit this one out.
They have a problem with names?
Seriously, this is the company that brought you the iPad, the iPad 2, the "new" iPad, etc. They're all iterations of the original iPod touch. Why not call them all iPods and give us the sizes? I don't know. I think they shared notes with the braniacs at Microsoft who came up with RT, Surface, Surface Pro, Surface 2, Surface Pro 2, Metro (but not Metro), etc.
In the end, it's about the size I think. If you want the biggest iPod Touch, then get it. If you want the slightly smaller iPod Touch, then get that. BUT, I don't recommend the smallest iPod Touch, as it is (inexplicably) a generation or two behind everything else (internals kind of suck).
iPad Air
Looks really cool for someone who:
A) Doesn't have an iPad
B) Has an older (older than the previous generation) iPad
Not enough improvements to convince me to get one. Having the fingerprint sensor might have caused me to give it a serious look though. Right now, all I have to gain is the retina display (which I can live without) and the processor. I currently have an iPad Mini.
Looks really cool for someone who:
A) Doesn't have an iPad
B) Has an older (older than the previous generation) iPad
Not enough improvements to convince me to get one. Having the fingerprint sensor might have caused me to give it a serious look though. Right now, all I have to gain is the retina display (which I can live without) and the processor. I currently have an iPad Mini.
Probably a 20% chance I will get one.
Only because I have a 3 and although it works perfectly for what I use it for, my wife doesnt have an ipad and I had told her I would give her mine if the new one had some upgrades that I thought I could benefit from. I think she was excited to get my ipad 3.
I dont think I WILL benefit from the changes to the Ipad Air. I know the processor is faster. But wifi is still N (I have an AC router and wish they would have gone to AC). And the screen size is the same. I use my ipad mostly for couch surfing and dont need an ultraportable device. More screen size would help me most.
Only because I have a 3 and although it works perfectly for what I use it for, my wife doesnt have an ipad and I had told her I would give her mine if the new one had some upgrades that I thought I could benefit from. I think she was excited to get my ipad 3.
I dont think I WILL benefit from the changes to the Ipad Air. I know the processor is faster. But wifi is still N (I have an AC router and wish they would have gone to AC). And the screen size is the same. I use my ipad mostly for couch surfing and dont need an ultraportable device. More screen size would help me most.
That an iPad Pro is on the horizon in 6-7 months, with an A7X processor, TouchID and possibly larger screen. This will probably sit another £80-£100 above the Air by comparison.
The thing that confuses me the most is that the iPad2, yes the iPad2, is £10 MORE EXPENSIVE than the Retina Mini. I mean, WHAT THE ACTUAL ******!?
Well that's the crucial point. Is the Mini 2 really a smaller, lighter iPad Air in everything but name? Because if it is, then Apple are selling the flagship product for £80 less than ever before. The fact it hasn't been presented as the iPad Air in two screen sizes suggests either:
a) they are trying to avoid pointing out that they're selling the flagship iPad for less and would rather you still perceived the full-size one as 'better', or
b) the iPad Air is indeed worthy of a separate name, as the Mini 2 has been compromised in some way (e.g. barely reaching that claimed 10 hour battery life, less RAM, lower clockspeed on the A7... all possible?)
Retail stores will announce when but my bet is that they have some on hand on Nov 1st for the Air. Store pick up with Apple is a toss up. They may announce that one can purchase online like the iPhone 5S and you can pick it up at Apple store. Just look for the information on the Apple online store purchase link as shown on the below photo
Nov 1st, 12 midnight for those on the West Coast USA and 3 AM East Coast
Attachments
Definitely more thought needs to be given now. If the new Mini was $329, I would not even consider the Air at $499.
Exactly how do you know it doesn't have 2 gb of RAM
And about A7X...
New iPads use A7, BUT it probably is NOT the same A7 found in iPhone 5s. If you watched the keynote, they said iPad Air offers 2x in CPU AND 2x in GPU performance compared to 4th gen. The normal A7 (in iPhone 5s) offers roughly the same GPU performance as A6X in 4th generation iPad. They also said iPad mini retina offers 4x in CPU and 8X in GPU over first generation which is also indicative of a faster GPU in iPad's A7 (iPhone 5s A7 is 4X faster in CPU and 4X faster in GPU than A5).
So... A7X... check
RAM... wait for teardowns
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Thank you very much. There appears to be so much confusion about A7(X) soc.
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Please read a few responses here. This chip (iPad A7) probably is the A7X, it's just that they've decided to drop the "X" from the name. It probably has everything A7X would have had (most importantly 6630 GPU!! compared to 6430 in iPhone 5s)
Someone definitely messed up.
But iPad Air 2, iPad Air 3 would be a nice new tradition.
Interesting. I'm no good at working this out - so these performance estimations hint at a faster A7 compared to the one in the 5S, but do they hint at a difference between the A7 in the Air and the A7 in the Mini 2?