iPad Pro Apple will never release an iPad Air 3

[canesalato]

Why do people think that Apple will only be updating the iPad every other year? The only reason they have not updated this year is probably because the iPad Pro being released.

from now on it will probably stay one year behind, like the mini, to push sales towards the Pro, which has higher margins.

 

[daniel1948]

The iPod Touch is at the biggest risk of getting discontinued from all the iOS range. Not the iPad.

It's not a question of 'if' but 'when'. It'll be next year, but which quarter is still to be determined.

What makes you think this? The Touch fills an important niche: People who want a small hand-held device but don't need a phone. I use my touch for music and podcasting. I don't need or want a smartphone, and a tablet is too big and bulky for music and podcasting. I will be extremely unhappy if they discontinue the Touch, although it will be years before I need a new one.

 

[masotime]

Thread necromancy, I know, but I just can't resist reviving this thread. https://www.macrumors.com/2016/02/18/iphone-5se-ipad-air-3-a9-a9x-processors/

Sure, the Pro is a cool, new device, and has gobs of performance and exquisite screen real estate. But this isn't just positioning a new product in the family line. It's like Apple is saying, "Just look at how our new toy compares to that crappy old Air 2. Who'd ever want to buy one of those when you can get the much more sexypants iPad Pro instead?" It's like the Air 2 is a Samsung product and Apple is selling against it with the Pro.

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for an Air 3.

 

[lockerc18]

And I am more than happy to be proven wrong about the Air 3.

 

[philoscoffee]

I know what they say about saying "never", but it struck me just now how Apple uses the iPad Air 2 as the reference point for comparisons to the iPad Pro in their advertising. Like,

"nearly double the CPU performance of iPad Air 2"

"It delivers up to 1.8 times the CPU performance and double the graphics performance of iPad Air 2"

"The 12.9‑inch screen offers 78 percent more display area than that of iPad Air 2."

"Since iPad Pro has 2.5 million more pixels than iPad Air 2..."

"Despite having 78 percent more display area than iPad Air 2, iPad Pro feels reassuringly solid in the hand."

"With 1.8 times the CPU performance of iPad Air 2, the A9X chip delivers incredible speed and responsiveness."

"Despite having nearly twice the pixels in its Retina display, iPad Pro still offers up to double the graphics performance of iPad Air 2."

These are all from the Apple site.

And all of these claims will remain true after the iPad Air 3 is released (which, if recent rumours are correct, will share the same CPU performance relative to the Air 2)!

 

[MartyCan]

Never say never.

 

[Noble Actual]

You know that it takes Apple a few minutes to change a couple of numbers and pictures on their site right?

Every release of any product they always update it in some way.

 

[lockerc18]

And I am more than happy to be proven wrong about the Air 3.

Having said that... it turns out that I was right, after all. Technically, anyway. Apple will never announce an iPad Air 3. Sure, they call it the iPad Pro instead. But why quibble...

Looks nice a very nice device. But it's still no PC replacement, without support for a touchpad or pointing device with the keyboard. And it still runs IOS, which still doesn't support the same full functionality for many apps as OSX does.

But, as a consumption device... yes, it's really nice.

 

[ron7624]

I just watched today's event and was mesmerized with both fantastic devices that they presented. That new 9.7 inch iPad is going to be truly magical. I wish that I wanted a four-inch phone but I'm still going to wait for the seven to come out and get another 6 inch.
I am an iPad mini user so it will be interesting to see if the iPad Mini keeps up with its big brothers or not.

 

[daniel1948]

I was wrong but I was right: They are making an iPad Air 3, but they're not calling it that. They've given it so much more power that they're calling it a Pro, but it's still a super-lightweight 9.7-inch iPad.

It looks very slick, but after assessing my needs and uses, it offers me nothing I don't get from my iPad Air 1, which is now my travel computer and ebook reader, with the Pro being my at-home tablet except for the Kindle app, since the Air is as easy to read on and easier to hold.

 

[philoscoffee]

Having said that... it turns out that I was right, after all. Technically, anyway. Apple will never announce an iPad Air 3. Sure, they call it the iPad Pro instead. But why quibble...

You're right in the sense that the 9.7" iPad Pro, which is effectively an iPad Air 3, isn't called that. Apple has expanded its product range to offer Pro/Air/mini models, just like it does for the Mac, and I expect there will be further updates next year, if not before.

It's interesting that Apple chose to release the iPad Pro before it updates its MacBook Pro laptops, suggesting that it's actively trying to migrate some of its Pro user base to its iOS platform, which it sees as the future of portable computing.

Looks nice a very nice device. But it's still no PC replacement, without support for a touchpad or pointing device with the keyboard. And it still runs IOS, which still doesn't support the same full functionality for many apps as OSX does.

But, as a consumption device... yes, it's really nice.

Even previous models of iPad have considerable creative potential for music, photography, video, etc., as well as more traditional applications like email, internet, and word processing. It's not a PC (hence no mouse), but the iPad already supports several perfectly respectable pointing devices—your fingers, and now the Apple Pencil—and can do many of the tasks that PCs are traditionally used for, which means that for many people it is a PC-replacement.

Also, iOS 10, which will no doubt include more 'Pro' level features, is just around the corner.

 

[lockerc18]

It's not a PC (hence no mouse), but the iPad already supports several perfectly respectable pointing devices—your fingers, and now the Apple Pencil—and can do many of the tasks that PCs are traditionally used for, which means that for many people it is a PC-replacement.

I also have a Lenovo Yoga 900. When I use that in the standard laptop configuration, the touch screen is still live, but using it is very awkward. You really have to use the touchpad (my preference) or a mouse instead. For the IPP, using the attachable keyboard would present the same awkward situation. You can use keyboard shortcuts to move the cursor around, but that seems like going back to the stone ages:

http://www.zdnet.com/article/these-...elp-overcome-a-lack-of-mousetrackpad-support/

So, I think of iPads as consumption devices. If I need to do data entry or creativity types of things, I go back to either my Yoga or my MacBook Pro. True, if a pen is absolutely required, those two devices wouldn't work like an IPP. But that's a very rare situation, overall.