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

[Mr Rogers]

When my iPad 3 died a death I moved to a Nexus 9 and NVIDEA Shield K1 - both purchased as 'used' and both cheap - although they are long in the tooth now, both machines run the latest Android and play all the games my daughter can shake a stick at. So, would I move back to iOS and Apple in light of this iPad release?

In a nutshell, don't think so and more interested in Google updating its own line-up of pads - a revised Nexus 9 would excite me, particularly if it comes with a minimum 64G memory and 4G RAM.

At least the iPad kept the 3.5mm head jack socket (most surprising) but unless Apple gives serious attention to its desktops, or lack thereof nowadays, my days with them are limited, if only based on what MS are up too!

 

[macjunk(ie)]

I am resisting temptation to buy this. Will use those $$$ towards Surface Pro (4/5). That will get me some kind of tablet experience + full blown Win experience. It will be interesting to see how the updated iPad Pro models stack up against Surface Pro 5.

 

[ValO]

Exactly how i said:
iPad mini
iPad
10.5" iPad Pro
12.9" iPad Pro

They could choose to keep the 9.7 inch iPad Pro 1 for $100 cheaper, discontinue the pro 1 12.9. And just release an iPad Pro 2 10.5 and iPad Pro 2 12.9. But then there will be 5 iPads to choose from.

So a :

-9.7 inch iPad Pro 1 starting at $499
-10.5 inch iPad Pro 2 starting at $699
-12.9 inch iPad Pro 2 starting at $799

So you would have :

9.7 inch starting at $329
7.9 inch 128gb at $399
9.7 pro at $499
10.5 inch at $699
12.9 inch at $799

Quite a spread. I hope they keep the 9.7 iPad Pro 1.I just can' t stand they skipped the 32gb ipad mini 4. It is just pure greed and deception. Why differ from the 32, 128 and 256gb the other models have, just to keep margins high.

 

[fyun89]

This is actually a good news for regular non-technical folks. I think this will be a perfect upgrade gift for my parents who have iPad 2.

 

[ValO]

This new 9.7" iPad (with an A9 processor, actually, A9 or A9X?) at $329 will be complemented in a month or two by a 10.5" iPad Pro (with an A10 processor and all the 'Pro' label attributes of True Tone, wide gamut, Smart connector, Pencil, USB 3 speeds, fast charging) at $599.

The SE provided the template, keep the industrial design (and smaller screen size) of a previous model around but update the internals and sell it significantly cheaper alongside a new industrial design with additional features and a larger screen at a higher price point.

No way the 10.5 will cost $599, same as the current 9.7 inch pro. It will be about $649- $699, and 12.9 inch will start at $799. Still hoping they will continue just the 9.7 inch pro 1 and price it $499. That would be the perfect allround mid to high end ipad.
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You could expect from a company the size of Apple to renew their total category line at least ones a year. It's been 6 months now after the MacBook Pro ergonomic touch bar disaster they release a phone with some other colored lipstick, a bit more ram in a refurbished SE and another processor in refurbished dated model iPad. It an insult and a shame they still earn that obscene amount of money.

Maybe you're new to the Apple brand but the Apple brand I new took their customers seriously. They've never been the cheapest but you were assured that you had the best for the premium price.

I think this the first step from apple to seperate the consumer line from the pro line.

" downgrade the regular line, make it cheaper(and less attractive) max 2gb , which runs regular ios + a few pip and splitscreen perks."
Release a new pro line with a 4gb minimum ,thin, attractive line up which will run a more advanced pro ios( at least 4gb required) with more pc-like features.

The 9.7 inch iPad Pro 1 didn' t fit in with only 2gb , so i am afraid, they' ll cancel that one.

The way to push the iPad Pro is to get rid of the current attractive mid range(aka iPad Air 2) that is too much competition for the iPad Pro line-up in its current state.

So make the low end uglier and (i hope) make the high end more attractive.

 

[Mackinjosh]

So basically they're re-introducing what everyone hated about the Air 1 - the hollow crappy feeling you get when you touch the screen. Awful.

 

[ValO]

Definitely looking like they are positioning this new iPad as the entry level iPad and the mini will soon be EOL. A shame because the mini worked well for me due to its physical size and not the cheaper entry point - it is also the perfect kids iPad imho. Hopefully the mini doesn't go but the current line up does not bode well for it.

Next year, you' ll get an iPad mini in the thicker iPad mini 2 case with an a9 soc for $279. That is the new way, it seems.
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So much for 299 € (tax incl) entry models a la iPad mini 2..

iPad mini 2 is 1 gb, wait for apple to announce in 2018 that 2gb will be base, and 1gb won' t get an upgrade to ios12, just as they are doing this year with non 64bit socs(lower than a7 soc). So better sell or exchange your iPhone 6/plus this year.

 

[tuyylihk]

This should be a good option for those who didn't own an iPad or owned Air1 or older iPad. The price is pretty good
But for Air2 owner, sorry this is not for you, also for me

My 64GB Air2 storage always got full for nearly a year, makes me always need to delete something...
Hope I can only wait for one more month.

 

[Investor27]

They put A9, not A9X in the new iPad.
I'm going to buy a cellular iPad next month for my mom and I'll have a look at benchmarks to compare the new iPad with Air 2 with A8X.
I can get a refurbished 64GB cellular at a lower price than the new iPad with 32GB, so I may go for the Air 2 to have more storage and a lighter product.

The Air 2 has a better screen as well. It's fully laminated and has an anti-reflective coating. It also has a tri-core vs a dual-core in the new iPad. The iPad Air 2 is the better iPad.

 

[macs4nw]

The mini is now more expensive than the Air?

No, but with equal 128GB storage, the new iPad is now only a mere 30 bucks more than the Mini.

 

[yep-sure]

Matte edges like the SE.:thumbsup:

 

[sracer]

The Air 2 has a better screen as well. It's fully laminated and has an anti-reflective coating. It also has a tri-core vs a dual-core in the new iPad. The iPad Air 2 is the better iPad.

Existing iPad owners should be delighted by the specs of this new iPad Air. If Apple is just now releasing such a sluggard of an iPad then it means that more powerful iPads will have an even longer lifespan... unless Apple intends on expanding iOS so quickly so soon that it will immediately cause this new iPad to choke.

 

[KPOM]

I think it's fair enough for people to be disappointed. There had been rumors of an event in March and maybe a more substantial iPad update. When the store came back online with this new iPad it makes it clear that there will be no iPad event this month, and no really substantial iPad updates in the near future now. I mean this is just a cheaper iPad, there is nothing new in it. So yeah, completely understandable that people are disappointed because this confirms there will be nothing new in iPads for a while.

Not necessarily. We might see updated iPad Pros in late April or May. The 12" MacBook will probably get the Kaby Lake update next month, again likely through a press release. If there is an updated 12.9" it could come at the same time. A 10.5" is more likely to be presented at a keynote. Given that the 9.7" Pro is only a year old, I would not be surprised if it doesn't come until September, but June isn't out of the question.
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The Air 2 has a better screen as well. It's fully laminated and has an anti-reflective coating. It also has a tri-core vs a dual-core in the new iPad. The iPad Air 2 is the better iPad.

Not necessarily. The A9 has faster single-core speeds. The A8X was a bit of an oddball in that it is the only tri-core ARM chip Apple has every designed. Not many applications make great use of multiple cores, which is why Apple hasn't joined the "core wars" the way Qualcomm and Samsung have.

Apple sees the iPad Pro as the "replacement" for the iPad Air 2. This is more a replacement for older iPads, but overall I'd say it is a lateral move from the iPad Air 2.

 

[AppleScruff1]

They could choose to keep the 9.7 inch iPad Pro 1 for $100 cheaper, discontinue the pro 1 12.9. And just release an iPad Pro 2 10.5 and iPad Pro 2 12.9. But then there will be 5 iPads to choose from.

So a :

-9.7 inch iPad Pro 1 starting at $499
-10.5 inch iPad Pro 2 starting at $699
-12.9 inch iPad Pro 2 starting at $799

So you would have :

9.7 inch starting at $329
7.9 inch 128gb at $399
9.7 pro at $499
10.5 inch at $699
12.9 inch at $799

Quite a spread. I hope they keep the 9.7 iPad Pro 1.I just can' t stand they skipped the 32gb ipad mini 4. It is just pure greed and deception. Why differ from the 32, 128 and 256gb the other models have, just to keep margins high.

The difference between 32GB and 128GB at Apples volume level is probably less than $10. I think this is the first time they've got the storage priced fairly. It used be $100 to go from 16 to 32.

 

[KPOM]

This should be a good option for those who didn't own an iPad or owned Air1 or older iPad. The price is pretty good
But for Air2 owner, sorry this is not for you, also for me

My 64GB Air2 storage always got full for nearly a year, makes me always need to delete something...
Hope I can only wait for one more month.

I wonder what Apple is going to do with the existing 9.7" Pro when the rumored 10.5" comes out. Will they keep it around at a lower price, or just drop it altogether? I'm tempted to say they will keep the 128GB model at the old Air 2 price.

 

[bensisko]

In reality I'm not even fuming about [lack of] innovation, but about greed and laziness. Keep defending this greedy, lazy, arrogant and tax evading mega corporation. But you can't escape the fact, that they could, for example, easily maintain Mac not-neglected. Give the most expensive 12.9 iPad "Pro" the same features the smaller "Pro" has. Even a silent updated like this could have been meaningful. But instead we get new colors and a few new, still extremely overpriced watch bands.

What you call "greed" others call "marketing to a broader audience".
Get off your Mac high-horse - the iPad, in it's "slump", still outsells the Mac.

 

[Alessiot]

anyone know if will the carriers offer this friday?

 

[Mr Staunton]

I guess somebody has a ship load of an old design to sell off.

 

[Macaholic868]

The new iPad just released has the EXACT SAME dimensions and weight as the iPad Air 1.

https://support.apple.com/kb/sp692?locale=en_US

http://www.apple.com/se/ipad/compare/

Thank you!!

 

[MaSx]

Their vision going forward basically; iPad/iPhone Basic and Pro. Great, how exicting.

 

[MacBH928]

wait...the iPad is only $30 more expensive than the mini?

thicker iPads and thinner macbooks? whats happening at Apple...

 

[bopajuice]

Oh look another iPad that looks just like all the other iPads. An A9 chip you say? That's great! All my naked Britney Spears photos will load that much faster.

It seems at this point Apple is just throwing stuff out there for no reason. Sad really sad.

 

[hungx]

Here is my take on this new iPad. I think it's Apple's equivalent of a budget friendly tablet like how the iPhone SE is with the iPhones. It is essentially an iPad Air 1 (minus the chamfered edges) with the iPad Air 2 camera, Touch ID, brighter screen, and a faster SoC. If you look at the promotional pictures, even the microphones have been relocated back to their old positions. Unfortunately, this move most likely means that they won't offer the existing Pros at a discount when the newer versions come out. I see so many people complaining that this new iPad is a regression compared to the Air 2. This iPad is obviously not targeted at those who want the latest and greatest. The Air 2 was Apple's flagship tablet when it was released in 2014, and that spot was handed over to the Pros when the 9.7 inch version was released.

 

[amegicfox]

every Apple "new" product:

2 step forward and 5 backward

 

[Radon87000]

The iPad air 2 was already starting to lag under iOS 10. I guess the inclusion of the A9 chip was simply to modernise the iPad and ensure it still runs iOS 10 fine. Otherwise, the iPad remains unchanged.

With the A9 chip, we get better single-core performance, though multi-core remains more or less the same. Better than nothing, I guess.

The A9 is only slightly faster than the A8X. So if the Air 2 lags so will this iPad. And I have a feeling this iPad has 1GB of RAM. Considering the cost cutting they have done with matte chamfers, no laminated display or anti reflective coating and a thicker and heavier body its going to have 1GB of ram