What's abnormal?
Ram increase? iPad Air 2 had that with no price increase. iPhone 6s/6s+ had that with no increase
Faster CPU? They always have a faster CPU
Smart connector? It's a tiny thing that allows them to sell $130 keyboard covers. No need to increase the price
Pencil support? Might cost them something to change the screen type but again - it's there to upsell you a $100 pencil.
There is nothing fundamentally abnormal in the spec jump. If a lot of people buy the keyboard and pencil, Apple will make a killing on accessory profit.
It is an abnormal upgrade. Instead of looking at isolated events to support your argument, look at the pattern. If the iPad Pro had not come along last year, the only upgrades anyone would have expected for an iPad Air 3, based on the pattern set by previous 9.7" iPads, is the processor, maybe thinner/lighter, and one "special" new feature (in the past it's been touch ID, a retina screen, a camera upgrade, or a big jump in thinness). RAM increases come every 2+ generations. Since it was just increased last generation, it would not have been expected this time around. But not only is it getting the normal processor upgrade AND the premature RAM upgrade--instead of one special new feature, this iPad may be getting three: the smart connector (small as it may be), pencil support, and I presume 4 speakers (this article doesn't specifically mention the speaker upgrade but past articles have).
Whether or not you want these three features, or want to buy the extra peripherals that unlock the features, is another--albeit valid--issue. I see the Pencil being a particularly exclusive peripheral, for creative types and hand-writers. So ideally, there would be different models of iPads: ones that have Pencil support built in, and cheaper ones that do not. But seeing as that is an unlikely Apple move, the tech will almost certainly be included (if the rumor is true). And Apple will not likely eat the cost.
If Apple maintained the same price, it would be a shock. Not saying it's impossible, just seems very unreasonable to hope for and especially to demand it, as some are.
Hmmmm...
I have an idea! =)
MAYBE it has to do with the fact that nine generations of iPhone have stayed at $650 as an entry price & six generations or iPad have stayed at $499 as an entry price.
Sooooooo...... (& please stop me if this isn't a "SOMEWHAT reasonable expectation"), now we want this gen to stick to the established pricing.
Duh.
This is a VERY simple concept.
I for one, am NOT overly concerned about a price spike.... Apple has proven themselves masters at multiple price point sales & their "sweet spot" is at the entry level.... they sell more entry level iPhones and iPads than any other configuration by a country mile. They have trained the populace as Android tablet prices have bounced all over the place- to expect the iPad to stay at $499.
To briefly explain away your "yeah, but how can it be such a nice upgrade & stay at the same price??" The answer is twofold:
1)for the 1st time... the flagship iPad was NOT upgraded by the year mark, but one and a half instead; so this has to be a 1.5x upgrade accordingly!
2)with iPad sales on a steady decline- they need a REAL big win. These specs w/ the same price as ever delivers that in spades... simply put, it puts iPad back on the map!
My only worry (as a 64gb guy) is that they will mimic iPad Pro in a 32gb & 128gb version with a "more than $100" jump between. I have always paid $599 for my iPads for the 2nd tier memory configuration.... right as I was "outgrowing" 32gb & balking @ paying top tier pricing, they spec bumped the mid tier! I can't go back to 32gb, so if they mimic Big Pro's dual, rather than triple configs... I'll be in a tight spot.
Other than that, we're good!
NICE upgrade... definitely still starting at $499; I'm excited & happy!!!
True, the precedent is that the entry price always stays the same. So it comes down to a choice for Apple: either keep that precedent and substantially lower their profit margin (because of the substantial hardware upgrade) while creating a NEW precedent of larger upgrades WITHOUT price increase (people will come to expect it), or bump up the prices. In my view, Apple would go for the latter and of course position it as part of the Pro line instead of a continuation of the Air, as is rumored.
Another thing to consider is that prices generally go up over time due to inflation. I'm no economist, but a 6 year run doesn't seem bad. And perhaps this is Apple's way to soften the blow of the inevitable price hike, by throwing in a big upgrade, along with the name change.
Your two points are valid. The first one I didn't consider, and could very well contribute to the price staying the same. The second one I did consider, but honestly I have no idea. It's possible they're desperate enough for that. But as someone on the outside, I have no idea what they're strategy is. Again, possible but no idea.
