Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Announces Thinner, Lighter iPad Air With 64-Bit A7 Processor

Maybe I'm just in a good mood today, or perhaps the (really) good ad got to me, but I feel like Apple hit it out of the ballpark today.

I wasn't expecting a life-changing, game-changer device, either, unlike some. If that says anything.
 
Still selling the 2 for $400 + tax? Wow.

Retina mini for $100 more? Come on.

Ridiculous naming scheme, too. Beyond how awkward it sounds, "iPad Air" as compared to what? "iPad 2" and "iPad mini"? If so, where is "iPad"?

As I said in a recent post:

I wish they would name their product lines more consistently:

iPod mini (currently iPod shuffle), iPod (currently iPod nano), iPod Pro (currently iPod touch)

iPhone mini (smaller iPhone 4S form factor), iPhone (currently iPhone 5C), iPhone Pro (larger form factor, more productivity features)

iPad mini, iPad, iPad Pro (larger form factor, more productivity features)

Mac Mini, Mac (currently iMac), Mac Pro

MacBook Mini (11 inch notebook), MacBook (13 inch), MacBook Pro (15 inch)
 
iPad Air is a minor upgrade?

I'm going to notice the huge weight reduction every time I use it.

I'd probably never notice an increase in RAM or 802.11ac.

And neither would you.

Yes, you.
 
My prediction for 2014:

Current iPad Air for $399 (replacing the 2)

IPad Pro with Touch ID and 802.11ac for $499
 
Since I have a first gen iPad 2... This is a huge upgrade for me. I have really started to notice the lag on my iPad.

Plus, I want to upgrade to 64 or 128 gb since I have an Apple TV, Using airplay from my iPad is really nice and convenient.
 
Nice upgrades, but without the touch Id or a keybord cover, I think I can wait to turn in my iPad 3 for another year. Which by the way, why did they keep the iPad 2 and not the 3 or 4 as the cheaper version :confused:
 
redscull said:
Anyone think this iPad Air is going to be the next iPad 3?
Click to expand...

I don't, but I am still on a 1st gen. For me this is the new iPad. I don't think Apple wants the average*consumer to feel that people need to buy this. Those who are ready to upgrade will be nicely surprised, however.
 
tigres said:
yes, a reason for the change to Macbook Pro.
this has no reason for change, as they have added nothing but a name change.

:apple: makes everything thinner and lighter, so that does not count in my book. Should they have added another model to the family; perhaps that could have explained it.
Click to expand...

So the Macbook Air was a mistake, in your mind? They should have just called THAT the Macbook?
 
mp0890 said:
Nope, just iPad. Notice there is no plain iPad now, so I imagine that will take this newly vacated space.
Click to expand...

Nope too. The iPad is now a line like MacBook. There will never be a MacBook anymore. Surely it will be an iPad Pro. The mini, Air and Pro can still be generalized as "iPads". Like a friend telling you "get my iPad" and not "get my iPad mini" or "get my macbook" not "get my macbook pro".
 
OK, y'all, I highly doubt Apple will introduce a bigger iPad.

They seem to be stuck in "2-product mode":

Laptops: 2 models
-Macbook Air: 2 models
-Macbook Pro: 2 models

Desktops: 2 models (consumer and pro)
-iMac: 2 models
-Mac mini: 2 models (one's the server)
-Mac Pro: the exception (so far)

Phones: 2 models
-iPhone 5s
-iPhone 5c

Tablets: 2 models
-iPad:2 models (Air and 2)
-iPad mini (old and retina)

You could argue that the consumer/pro split could be the same as the Mac desktops (3 different desktops) but I doubt it.
 
Still working with an iPad 1, after seeing the Keynote, not sure if I should upgrade or wait for another generation...

And what about the iPad 2? Looks like they got some serious stock issues, but asking that amount of money for it, quite ridiculous...
 
wiz329 said:
Higher clock speed than iPhone bc of high thermal limits - significantly faster. Same story as before with iPhone 5 and iPad 4.

Better wifi isn't point. For one, maybe its faster than YOUR pipe, but not everyone's. There are several places around the country that offer gig internet at affordable rates. Additionally, home networking can operate significantly faster with MIMO.

Just because its not necessarily better for YOU doesn't mean its not objectively better.
Click to expand...

At least in America, gigabit internet is only available to an exceedingly small percent of the population. My pipe might only be 30/5, but it's much higher than what the average American pays for, or can even get.

And who uses wifi to connect to other home computers? What is that use-case? wifi sync to iTunes? That's already inexplicably slower than users' actual home wifi speeds. Streaming movies from a server? Doesn't require more speed than iPad2 wifi supports.

I will concede that, outside of America, this might have been a more exciting upgrade, and I'm sorry for being the self-centered American complainer. But the vast majority of Americans will be unable to take advantage of the wifi upgrade.
 
Razeus said:
Oh, well good for you. Yes, I've owned every iPad since they debuted so I can talk about missing features that need to be on a TABLET device. Mulit-user accounts. Touch ID should have been added. Period.

iOS STILL doesn't optimize the iPad's display. I'm a troll? If that means voicing my concerns over a $500 device, so be it.
Click to expand...

I fully agree - Apple keeps holding back some key features that would provide some great improvements for users. I have had every version of the iPad, and now am using a Surface RT more and more for a few key reasons:

1. Multiple user accounts - apps, settings, etc. specific for each member of the household, switch quickly between accounts and you have a tailored experience, full integration with your own SkyDrive storage, etc.

2. Flexibility provided by the USB port and microSD (e.g., add additional storage easily, grab a USB thumb drive full of movies and playback directly from drive - no need to mess around with transferring, etc.)

3. The touch cover! Works surprisingly well - without a separate battery or need for charging (which is why I hate bluetooth keyboards), doubles as a cover for the screen, folds around back when you want a pure tablet experience, and super thin so doesn't add much bulk at all.

(Also, one more...a full browser experience - mostly for the kids since there are a bunch of Flash-based games they like to play online.)

I still have an iPad, but it now mostly gets used by my wife to check email and play Hay Day. The iPad still shines in terms of app selection, but for me I have all I need with what's available in the Microsoft store. Plus the Microsoft Office apps are a great bonus and FULLY compatible when I need to occasionally work on documents for my job on the Surface.
 
tigres said:
Big, huge, monstrous mistake.

Rename your flagship product, are you kidding me.

'iPad' was not good enough?
Click to expand...

Don't you see it?

They're making place for the iPad Pro!

Bigger, more powerful tool for the pros.
 
Should we be surprised the prices are not lower?

I was hoping the old models would see bigger price cuts, maybe $199 for the original Mini and $249 for the full size, which really should be the previous model and not something 2 years old.

I'll have to see what the prices are with contracts before deciding which one I want.
 
What's up with the $100 per memory bump still? 2013 is calling, time to update your memory prices! $50 would be nice, but even $70 would be a step in the right direction.

I don't mind the 16GB base model and price, but $799 for the 128GB iPad Air is crazy! It's like it's in another product tier at that point...well I guess it is still below the $999 11" Macbook Air. Oh wait, the cellular model is $929!

And the fact that the Retina iPad Mini is $699 really smacks me as crazy. The way all of these iOS products completely overlap other models just because of the memory surcharges just doesn't make sense to my value meter.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back