Apple Debuts New 9.7-Inch iPad With A9 Chip to Replace iPad Air 2, Starting at $329

[loby]

Cost cutting big time

Yeah...disgusting..

Body is the original iPad Air, 2013 model, heavier, etc. Make 200+% profit on it...

Just shameful...

Make people pay $200 more for a modern iPad..

...That will be obsolete in 6 months (Fall) like during the iPad 3 to iPad 4 days...

Looks like I keep my iPad 3....still

Yeah...still mad about that one...

Go Apple...how much money is enough?
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He's not?

I thought Tim was Santa Claus?

 

[BaccaBossMC]

Man, this was really disappointing. Hopefully they are just saving all the good stuff until WWDC17. Also, this is basically an iPad Air 1 with TouchID and a better processor. Not that great. Glad to see it's cheap, though.

 

[one more]

And why would someone buy the 9.7 iPad Pro at $599?

Better screen, keyboard & Apple Pencil support come to mind.

 

[Theophilos]

Tim Cook's Apple is becoming really good at introducing products that the core faithful don't seem to care about.

The more Apple tries to tap into popular culture and reinvent itself according to fleeting trends in fashion and social media, the more I feel drawn to Microsoft Windows and Linux.

 

[loby]

Customer sat is certainly off the charts.

Once new customers get their hands on these lower cost iPads, they'll be iPad users for life. Today's announcements are very exciting for the iPad ecosystem and will drive wider adoption and almost certainly return the product category to solid growth.

No...cheaper iPad means insides are cheaper and will not last. Just a door to get sucked into the machine...

 

[Bonte]

Starting at $329 in the U.S and £339 in the U.K. The U.K price trajectory isn't looking good.

Price in the US is always without VAT because different states have different percentages, this looks like a correct price.

 

[PowerBook-G5]

This is weird. It's back to 7.5mm like original iPad Air.

Hope that means it has a laminated display like the Air 2. That's the worst thing about the Air 1.

 

[v0lume4]

A 9.7" iPad starting at $329? Oh snap!!

I thought I'd never buy an iPad again. But at a price like that, it seems like a bargain. That's awesome.

 

[jonnyb098]

Man, this was really disappointing. Hopefully they are just saving all the good stuff until WWDC17. Also, this is basically an iPad Air 1 with TouchID and a better processor. Not that great. Glad to see it's cheap, though.

Actually it's an iPad Air 2 with a faster processor and starting at a dirt cheap $329.

Obnoxious how people are spinning this as a bad thing.....it can do almost everything the iPad Pro can at half the price. Obviously the Pro is set to get a big update and will be the iPad they concentrate on but this new model is a great option for MANY people at a good price. Also the mini is $399 for 128 GB.

 

[mattburley7]

so when are we getting updates for the pro models? april? wwdc? fall?

 

[hajime]

The screen of an 9.7" iPad is too small to use as a "computer".

 

[greenmeanie]

They must of worked their butts off to get these released.

 

[one more]

Makes sense. Now they can keep iPad mini & iPad as more affordable devices for many people, discontinue iPad Air 2 and eventually replace iPad Pro 9,7" with that rumoured 10" new model (more expensive than the current 9,7" Pro). Then keep 12" Pro, probably boosting its specs as well. So two consumer & pro devices with their own distinct pricing.

 

[Lone Deranger]

Still waiting to "see you do more in the Pro area", Tim. This sure ain't it.

 

[wlossw]

So the solution to falling iPad sales is to bring out higher margin iPads and increase average selling price by eliminating the cheaper mini... The writing is on the wall. Apple is the new Microsoft under Steve Balmer: Milk what they can from the market, and watch others take over leadership role.

It's maintenance updates on the ios side, and no updates on the mac side... But the Apple management doesn't care as long as that stock keeps rising.

Personally I should thank apple for not releasing compelling new products: I'm saving a ton of money not upgrading!

 

[one more]

The screen of an 9.7" iPad is too small to use as a "computer".

A 10" Pro is still in the rumours.

 

[iowaguy#1]

Sadly, what you are saying is simply not true. The word update implies improvement. If this was simply an upgrade to the processor and price point decrease, this would be a nice update. You are missing the fact that the screen is noticeably worse, and it is using an older, larger form factor. These are downgrades.

This is why people are upset. The devil is in the details.

Products get updated, people whine and moan that it's not the product they wanted updating.

Apple makes a clear effort to simplify the product line, people whine and moan that it's getting more complicated.

People, cheer up for god's sake. Bunch of miserable sods. This is a great update.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

And why would someone buy the 9.7 iPad Pro at $599?

Probably for pencil support, smart connector, True Tone display, better speakers....

I agree right now isn't the best time to purchase because it's a year old, but I expect it to be updated in the coming months. Then this 2016 model will either be discontinued or decreased to $499. The $170 premium is more reasonable for the above stated features than $270.

 

[BaccaBossMC]

Actually it's an iPad Air 2 with a faster processor and starting at a dirt cheap $329.

Obnoxious how people are spinning this as a bad thing.....it can do almost everything the iPad Pro can at half the price. Obviously the Pro is set to get a big update and will be the iPad they concentrate on but this new model is a great option for MANY people at a good price. Also the mini is $399 for 128 GB.

It is an Air 1. It does not have anti-reflective coating, lamination, and is 7.5 mm thick and weighs a full pound. Air 1 specs, not Air 2.

 

[MacDevil7334]

Hope that means it has a laminated display like the Air 2. That's the worst thing about the Air 1.

Nope, it doesn't. Also doesn't have the anti reflective coating. Huge downgrade in the screen department.

 

[rellimie]

They really are working to unify their product lines as far as naming goes.

macOS
iOS
tvOS
watchOS

MacBook Air (will probably be eliminated soon)
MacBook
MacBook Pro 13
MacBook Pro 15

iPad Air (Gone)
iPad
iPad Pro 9.7 (will probably be eliminated soon)
iPad Pro 10.5
iPad Pro 12.9

iPhone 8
iPhone 8 Plus
iPhone 8 Pro (maybe?)

iMac 24
iMac 27
iMac Pro (maybe?)

Mac Pro - Dead/dying
Mac mini - Dead Dying - Maybe replaced with a iMac 21? or maybe the iMac 24 becomes just iMac and then they release two iMac Pro models sending professionals to the bridge.

 

[Dave245]

Probably for pencil support, smart connector, True Tone display, better speakers....

I agree right now isn't the best time to purchase because it's a year old, but I expect it to be updated in the coming months. Then this 2016 model will either be discontinued or decreased to $499. The $170 premium is more reasonable for the above stated features than $270.

I wonder if Apple will still hold an event or if they will decide to update the iPad Pro along with the iPhone 8 in September and then hold a Mac event in October like last year.

 

[Bonte]

Could it be that the thickness will be the same for the new iPad pro's?

 

[smorrissey]

thicker and heavier....lol that's innovation that excites! i'm keeping my ipad air 2 still for the time being apparently...Great because i don't have $$ =(

 

[Val-kyrie]

7.5 mm, thicker and heavier than iPad Air 2 (6,1 mm) and no laminated display, no Antireflective coating!!

To add even more confusion to the lineup, there is now an iPad Smart Cover and an iPad Pro Smart Cover:

iPad Smart Cover - $39(€45)
Smart Cover for 9.7 inch iPad Pro - $49(€59)

Both are likely the same material, have the same function but the "pro" one is +$10.

Another observation to the new iPad: it is thicker and heavier than the Air 2, has exactly the dimensions and weight of the iPad Air (1). That means it's no iPad Air 2 with an A9 chip in it, it is an iPad Air 1 with an A9 chip in it. Crazy! Even no A9x and no pencil support. It's like they had to make the "cheap" iPad look worse than the iPad Air 2 so the iPad Pro looks better. If I have to guess the "air gap" of the iPad Air 1 between the touchscreen and the display is still there.
The whole thing leaves a bad aftertaste in my mouth.

I agree. Sorry to all who like this most recent product lineup, but this is a downgrade. It is more cheaply constructed than the outgoing Air 2 and it is costed cheaper than the Mini in order to sell more of the new (old) iPad Air (design) and to justify discontinuing the Mini based on sales.

I also see this as a move toward larger sized iPads and correlatively as a move toward a more ubiquitous Surface Pro type of product solution. With Microsoft actively developing an ARM-based Windows platform, I think it is a matter of time (~5 years) before the Mac moves completely to ARM and we are sold iPads as laptop replacements with true mobile solutions marketed to (and priced for) the "Pros."