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

Lancer said:
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.
Click to expand...

Hoping for those prices was dreaming too big given Apple's track record, I was hoping to see the iPad mini with retina at $329 and the original iPad mini at $249.

gugy said:
I don't get why Apple still uses so little storage. They should by now starts at 32 then 64 and 128.
Click to expand...

The problem is, they see the data... Way too many people load nothing but downloaded apps into their iPad. So they don't feel the need to offer more when their profits are so much higher as it is now.

If someone wants a 32 GB... They probably pull in an additional $90+ profit from that $100 price increase.
 
musika said:
I understand the usefulness of the iPad, but I think we all have to step back and realize that the Mac is a much better product. The iPad has some really great niche uses (music, education, etc.), but it's in so many ways still incredibly frustrating, for me at least.

Most of the people that I know who try to make it work as their computer really have to try to make it work as their computer. And that's not how it should be at all.
Click to expand...

This is stupid. The iPad is a consumption device, it's not designed to be a computer replacement and Apple isn't selling it as one.

It's like complaining that my inkjet printer can't be used as a 3D printer.
 
redscull said:
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.
Click to expand...

Honestly, being able to have higher than 100 Mb/s speeds isn't all that relevent on an iPad anyways -- usually that is for large file size downloads -- mostly relevent for a desktop/server, in which case you should have a wired connection anyways.

I was just pointing out not everyone is limited by slow internet connections, and it isn't just outside of the US. I live in Chattanooga, TN where everyone has access to gig internet for less than $70/month. There are other cities that Google Fibre has made the same available. It's not mainstream by any means, but it's becoming more so.

Home networking with the iPad: Oftentimes, I don't have to stream, I actually want to transfer a large file to my iPad, using various apps, whether it be a movie, photo album, or really any filetype. MIMO definitely speeds that up. Additionally, you're not always going to be in optimal range of your router, so speeds won't always be what you might think of as "sufficient". In those cases, you'll be thankful for the extra input/output streams.

All to say -- networking improvements are hardly ever "irrelevent", even for those without gig speeds.
 
Last edited:
gugy said:
I don't get why Apple still uses so little storage. They should by now starts at 32 then 64 and 128.
Really cheap on their end stifling these great products with so little storage.
Click to expand...

There are people who do nothing else but web surfing, email, iMessage and Facetime with this device. I am sure there are a lot of grandparents who got low-end iPad as gifts. Why should people pay for memory that they will never need?

There are more people who don't need 32GB than people who need 128GB.
 
I got a refurb ipad 4 about 2 months back.

How much additional money will I end up spending if I gave it up and get an iPad Air? I paint quite a bit on the iPad, and that 30% lighter weight is a huuuuge draw...
 
redscull said:
Same processor as a phone. It may be a great processor, but iPad pushes a lot more pixels. Will it even be as fast?
Click to expand...

The graphics are twice as powerful as the iPhone 5S. (They said it's x2 the iPad 4 which has the same graphics power as the iPhone 5S).

Logically, they do this by doubling the GPU frequency - so twice the graphics with the same A7 chip. (This seems possible because the PowerVR Rogue G6430 in the A7 is very efficient, and was probably strongly underclocked in the iPhone 5S... now we're seeing what it can do. The figures work out to be 200MHz in the iPhone 5S, so that would be 400MHz in the iPad 5.
 
dannys1 said:
Also complaining about the base size? Sorry what happened to options for people? Ive never needed to own a model bigger than 16gb, so its just fine for me thanks, you do have every option up to 128gb if you want more though. Its amazing people complain Apple doesn't give choices and then when they do, tell them its wrong and they should get rid of the choices.

Yep its only a minor update to fit all that extra power into a body nearly half the size of last years model...just minor engineering that haha.
Click to expand...

Spot on about everything else but this.

The issue here isn't options, it's pricing.

Having the same base model (without lowering price accordingly) for 4+ years, while flash memory prices have dropped more than double in that time period is inexcusable.
 
My only real issue is that it still costs $100 for each increment of storage... That is insulting when it only costs apple about $5-$10 dollars.

If a 32 gb model was only $549 and the 64 gb model was $599... They would sell more of the higher models, which would still provide a larger profit margin than the 16 model.

64 GB micro sd is $50 on amazon... Enough said
 
wiz329 said:
Spot on about everything else but this.

The issue here isn't options, it's pricing.

Having the same base model (without lowering price accordingly) for 4+ years, while flash memory prices have dropped more than double in that time period is inexcusable.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure sure why it's 'inexcusable'. Obviously the cost decrease for the flash memory has enabled them to spend more on the other components without having to *raise* the price of the resulting product.
 
iFanboy said:
This is stupid. The iPad is a consumption device, it's not designed to be a computer replacement and Apple isn't selling it as one.
Click to expand...

So Apple spends a great amount of their presentation on productivity apps, and people still claim Apple is selling the iPad as consumption device. That is outright bizarre.

My iPad isn't more of a consumption device than my Mac. Sure, I use my Mac for my photo library and video editing, which I don't do on the iPad. But I use Pages and Numbers near-exclusively on the iPad, I create mindmaps with iThoughts only on the iPad and do some vector graphics with iDraw on the iPad. Never even considered buying the Mac version, despite iCloud support.

Yes, the main part of what I do with the iPad is consumption - web browsing and gaming. But hold on to your hats: The same is true for my Mac, at roughly the same ratio. There are obviously people who use the iPad exclusively for consumption (I wrote about grandparents a few posts earlier). They'd do the same on a Mac or PC though.
 
I like the improvements but the problem with iPads and any computer less than say four years old is that there is no real reason to buy a new one until your old one breaks. That can be a long, long time.

This isn't to diss the new iPad or Macs but it is a compliment as to how well they are built. Sure I can't upgrade to the latest iOS on my original iPad but I do have everything I want on it and it operates quite well. I bought a mini for traveling purposes as it makes a great large GPS unit. What else do I need? Nothing really.

It is interesting, actually pathetic, to see the negative people say things like, "To heck with an iPad. I'm going to buy brand X Android tablet." And their logic is what? To be locked into a buggy tablet whose OS never gets upgraded? That is the big benefit of iPads IMHO. When iOS rolled out, I essentially received a new iPad mini at no charge. Some things I liked. Some I didn't like. But you just don't see that great service with other tablets.

I guess that makes me an Apple fanboy but at least I have a solid reason to be one.
 
wiz329 said:
Spot on about everything else but this.

The issue here isn't options, it's pricing.

Having the same base model (without lowering price accordingly) for 4+ years, while flash memory prices have dropped more than double in that time period is inexcusable.
Click to expand...

Nailed it! And the incremental prices are even worse... $100 for an extra 16 GB, $200 for an extra 48 GB... When a 64 GB micro sd card is $50 on amazon.
 
melendezest said:
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.
Click to expand...

Think about it in terms of price points for the entry level models. There is an enormous gap between the $499 iPad and the $1299 MBA.

Lots of room for a $699 iPad Pro. Ideally they would love something at the $899 point, but they are stuck at $499 due to competition.

Corporations spend a lot of time planning their revenue streams, not just performance points.
 
Ipad air Sounds great

I'm ordering two 128GB wi fi ipad airs at midnight Nov 1st, one for each of us. Computer apps for the thin full size ipad now include (free) ipages, iphoto, imail and others, making the ipad more than competitive with the new Surface Pro. A caveat for early adapters: I will be very surprised if within 9 months Apple does not announce an upgraded ipad air 2 with a faster processor and an improved Retina display.
 
wiz329 said:
Spot on about everything else but this.

The issue here isn't options, it's pricing.

Having the same base model (without lowering price accordingly) for 4+ years, while flash memory prices have dropped more than double in that time period is inexcusable.
Click to expand...

How do prices DROP more than double? Are you saying the memory manufactures are paying companies to take their memory at the same 'price' that Apple used to pay for the memory? At most, you can drop the price of something 100% - from whatever it was to free.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Back
Top