Apple's 'iPad Air 3' to Be Branded as an iPad Pro With Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil Support

[ValO]

What they are basically saying:

We don' t want to drop the price of the air 2, and want to make the new model more expensive.

It is all about margins.

iPhone + will also be absolute when the iPhone 7 is released.

It will be replaced by iPhone 7 pro.

I wonder where they are going with the air en mini naming.... I guess they drop the air name altogether.

iPhone mini-iPhone-iPhone pro
iPad mini-iPad-iPad pro
MacBook-MacBook pro (will there be a 10 inch MacBook mini?), and will they drop MacBook Air altogether?
Mac mini-IMac-Mac pro

Or they will also drop the mini line-up.

 

[AbSoluTc]

What the hell is the matter with the naming of new Apple products? First an awkward "iPhone 5SE" and now renaming the iPad Air to iPad Pro? Really?

It's probably just going to be "iPad". iPad mini, iPad and then iPad pro.

Similar to the MacBook line. MacBook, MacBook Pro

They have a few too many models going on right now.

 

[antic]

Hmm...so I wonder if this means mini will be the only cheaper iPad. Or maybe Apple is saying screw it iPad will never get back to 2011-2012 sales levels plus there's nothing we can really do with the current Air other than make it like the Pro so that's what we're going to do.



Except the current iPad Pro starts at 32GB.

I think you'll be looking at a minimum of $599 for 32GB model with 4 GB ram and $699 for 128GB model

 

[007p]

All good..!
Now we need an iOSPRO.. To complete the package,, with user manageable file sys, easy file transfer ..etc...
A less limiting iOS version.

And i think apple can market this iOSPRO as an upgrade for pro useres and charge for it.
I will pay in a blink of an eye!

And we need more robust, comprehensive pro apps...
Maybe more ram will help this area.

Would love this. But I just know its a fantasy

 

[Z400Racer37]

This **** literally only happens here.

LMAO.

wtf? this literally doesn't make sense.

lol.. Maybe you should re-read it... or clarify or something... It's pretty straight forward.

 

[Noble Actual]

this is so dumb! like whats the point? I have an iPad Pro and the ipad air should stay in its own look and feel.

LOL
[doublepost=1456439038][/doublepost]

lol.. Maybe you should re-read it... or clarify or something... It's pretty straight forward.

Logically?

Bahaha

 

[Icaras]

It's probably just going to be "iPad". iPad mini, iPad and then iPad pro.

Similar to the MacBook line. MacBook, MacBook Pro

That sounds reasonable. I really don't like the idea of the Air adopting the "pro" moniker.

doesnt really matter with the current form of iOS

also ...

iPhone 5SE
iPhone 6
iPhone 6S

iPad Mini 4
iPad Air 2
iPad XY
iPad Pro

MacBook
MacBook Air
MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro Retina

lord ... theres at least one unnecessary product in each category
id personally get rid of the numbers and just start all over with
iPhone Mini iPhone iPhone Plus / iPad Mini iPad iPad Pro

I agree on your assessment, however I think the iPhone having three sizes is a good thing. All product families should stop at three sizes really.

I also agree the iPhone numbering scheme has gotten ridiculous and would like to see it go back to basics.

 

[Z400Racer37]

LOL
[doublepost=1456439038][/doublepost]
Logically?

Bahaha

... Did you smoke whatever it was that made you the way you are right now? Or did you like, shoot it up? What's the story here? I'm mildly interested in this spectacle.

 

[Ludatyk]

What's apples justification for bumping the entry price up $100? Just so you have the ability to spend another $100 on a pencil or $130 on a keyboard cover?

Their previous models have tended to keep the same price and add features or performance. So that would suggest they'd keep the pricing the same.

I do agree with @fanta88 that Apple will perhaps bump the price tag for additional support of the Pencil & Smart Keyboard functionality.

What previous models of iPads gave hardware support for these type of devices? How could you suggest that? This is practically new territory for Apple. Now, if they decide to bump the price of the 9.7" model for supporting the pencil & keyboard then perhaps $200 won't be too bad to swallow in favor of the 12.9" model.

 

[LordQ]

Thanks we needed another dumb comment on the name. You are a regular comedian.

Thanks, we needed another bitter crybaby. You must be fun at parties.

 

[BB1970]

The bigger news (to me) is the addition of the Smart Connector. If it has the ability to carry audio, accessory makers can use it for an interface for people like me that use iPad for synths and such. The main problem with the dock connector is that many times only the Apple camera connector is the viable option which does not carry power, thus relying on battery operation only. The ability to connect the dock for power, and pass through to an interface would be invaluable.
The Pencil is an added bonus though.

 

[lightmyway]

The 12.9" also has a higher resolution, and likely longer battery life. My guess is that they price it at $599 for 32GB, which is $200 less than the 32GB 12.9" model. If you want LTE, you'll need to get the 128GB model.

This sounds exactly right. I suspect they will also consolidate the iPad Air and mini lines to just 3 or 4 models each instead of the current 6/12.

 

[BruceEBonus]

Now. All we need is a selection of professional users that can justify it's slim and compact proportions as opposed to the current batch of professionals that use it's bigger brother's full dimensions. And then what for the medium-sized professionals who won't use anything less than in-between sized iPads for their businesses? Simple.
1) the iPad Mini pro with matchstick sized Pencil - for small businesses
2) the iPad Midi Pro with normal sized Pencil - for high street businesses
3) the iPad Pro with a massive cucumber sized Pencil - for large corporations

For home users we will obviously be looking for the iPad MicroPro with a a Pencil so small it is invisible to the human eye but it is there as the price supplement will prove on the till receipt.
There is only one caveat to owning the latter model. Home users will need to prove their 'professional' status by providing evidence. EG: headed notepaper. Business cards. Or convincing tales of how much they use their ipad for stuff other than farting about, Facebook and/or left handed websites. This is a helluva requirement then.

It will show that Apple recognise how important the profile and usage of iPads over iMacs and MacBooks must rise further and why they should concentrate even harder on diminishing the lines of the latter because ..... oh no. What 'ave I just been typin' about? Bleedin' Nora. There's more variations and rehashes of the same models in the IOS range than 'arley Davidson's! And look 'ow their sales 'ave gawn now that folks realise they've not 'ad anythin' new aht for years? More model ranges than a fashion show.. I tell ya ... It's all gonna end in tears, it is.

Gaw'Blimey. Wait 'til me Missus finds out what utter rabbish I've been spoutin' in 'ere. She's gonna kill me!

 

[lightmyway]

Apple messed up with the "air" naming convention. Now their ipad's naming won't make sense.

They will need to re-set the naming:

iPad Pro - 12.9" and 9.7"

iPad - 9.7" and 7.9"

 

[dampfnudel]

Coming next year, the iPad Mini Pro!

If there is a new iPad mini model.

 

[yaxomoxay]

They will need to re-set the naming:

iPad Pro - 12.9" and 9.7"

iPad - 9.7" and 7.9"

iPad Pro X - iPad Pro Y

iPad X - iPad Y

 

[Ludatyk]

You don't see the logic behind one with a screen almost twice the size? Well, do you see the logic of having a 13" Macbook Pro and a 15" Macbook pro? And the screen size difference there is not as great. Split screen apps on the Pro are almost "regular iPad sized". Ones on the Air 2 are compressed and like having two iPhone + apps.

Not a 300 price difference. I do get your point that SplitView apps are "almost" the size of regular size iPad apps.

But there's more than screen difference between the 13" & 15" Macbook Pro... The 15" starts with 16gb ram compared to 8gb of 13".. 15" starts with more storage and has a better processor.

Like one commenter replied to me comparing that of the iMacs... there's more than just screen differences between them. With the 9.7" & 12.9"... practically the only difference between them is the screen size. And I just don't think that justifies a 300 price difference.

 

[macduke]

The Paradox of Choice
This is a long one. Feel free to skip it as I go really in-depth here.

Response to this post

I called this just the other day. This is a device I could see myself purchasing. What I'm wondering is whether or not they will increase the price point or simply drop the iPad Air 2 down to $399 at 16GB and $499 for 64GB as the entry-level models. But then what about the Mini? And would they really release a "Pro" model with only 16GB of storage? Doing an A9X with Pencil and Smart Connector support with 32GB of storage at $499 seems to be really pushing it. I doubt they could do a machine like that for less than $599. And I would be seriously happy with that price point. More likely to split the difference between $499 on the Air 2 and $799 on the Pro would be $649, but it would be weird to start a base on $X49 instead of $X99. Who knows! Then they could price 128GB at $150 more and that's my machine.

The Pricing Structure

iPad Pro 128GB Cellular: $1079
iPad Pro 128GB: $949
iPad Pro 32GB: $799
iPad Pro 9.7" 128GB Cellular: $929
iPad Pro 9.7" 128GB: $799
iPad Pro 9.7" 32GB: $649
iPad Air 2 128GB Cellular: $829
iPad Air 2 128GB: $699
iPad Air 2 64GB Cellular: $729
iPad Air 2 64GB: $599
iPad Air 2 16GB Cellular: $699
iPad Air 2 16GB: $499
iPad Mini 4 128GB Cellular: $729
iPad Mini 4 128GB: $599
iPad Mini 4 64GB Cellular: $629
iPad Mini 4 64GB: $499
iPad Mini 4 16GB Cellular: $529
iPad Mini 4 16GB: $399
iPad Mini 2 32GB Cellular: $449
iPad Mini 2 32GB: $319
iPad Mini 2 16GB Cellular: $399
iPad Mini 2 16GB: $269​

HOLY CRAP

I'm feel fairly confident in saying that Steve Jobs would not have allowed that cluster. This gets into issues with what is known as "The Paradox of Choice", which basically means that when presented with too many options, consumers often opt to chose nothing. I've seen this happen with family members who want to upgrade their iPad, but are more confused than ever and never make the upgrade. They're afraid they'll regret picking the wrong one.

What I think Apple should do

Everything in only two capacities. Extra storage for current models. Previous models don't get cellular, and it's simplified to a $100 add on. Previous models also don't get gold and rose gold options. You could maybe even make it so that the base storage options don't get gold or rose gold across the board, but that might add confusion. Previous Pro models are not sold. 128GB chips are a lot cheaper these days. All the naming simplified.

iPad Pro Plus 64/256GB: $699/899 + $100 for Cellular
iPad Pro 64/256GB: $599/799 + $100 for Cellular
iPad 32/128GB: $499/599 + $100 for Cellular
iPad Previous Gen: 16/32GB: $349/399 (no cellular)
iPad Mini 32/128GB: $399/499 + $100 for Cellular
iPad Mini Previous Gen 16/32GB: $249/299 (no cellular)​

I think that would simplify things quite a bit. They could go even farther than this, however. But I think it's a good place to start. To recap: Increase the base storage across the board except for previous generation. Make the price difference for storage on previous generation only $50. Previous generation does not get a cellular option. Every iPad only comes in two capacities. Pro models get the most storage. Current generation non-pro get a mid-tier storage option, and last-gen gets the low-tier storage option. Pricing is clearer. Supply and production is clearer. Differences in models is a little bit clearer with more distinction by capacity. Naming that better matches the iPhone.

Other changes Apple should make to iPhone and Mac

iPhone Plus (6", reduced bezel)
iPhone (5", reduced bezel)
iPhone Mini (4", reduced bezel)

Macbook Pro Plus (17", reduced bezel)
MacBook Pro (15", reduced bezel)
MacBook (like an Air with 13" Pro internals and reduced bezel)
MacBook Mini (make the new 12" MacBook model 11" with reduced bezel)

iMac 30" (reduced bezel)
iMac 24" (reduced bezel)

Your mom (reduced bezel)​

Ok after writing that last bit, yeah, just reduce the bezel on everything and bump up the size pretty much sums that up. MacBook line would mirror the naming used on the iPads and to some extent the iPhone. Make the new MacBook even smaller to separate it from the base MacBook and call it a Mini. The 13" MacBook Pro really isn't all that pro when you compare it to the 15" model which has twice the RAM, twice the CPU cores and discrete graphics. So just call that the MacBook and give it aesthetics similar to the MacBook Air but with a black bezel.

The End

I'm so sorry.

 

[PaulRustad007]

Holding out for the iPad Mini Pro Air-SE

I want the iPad Pro Mine SE GS!

 

[tourbus1]

Adding the word "Pro" to the regular size iPad seems like a way to justify a steep price increase. Hope I'm wrong about that.

 

[ValO]

I guess Apple was ready to drop the air name earlier. I read somewhere that the iPad Pro was originally planned at the same time as the air 2 was introduced.
The AX8 was originally intended to be used by the iPad Pro.

I wonder if the pro was released at that time , if they would have called the current air 2 , the air 2 or also pro...

 

[The Game 161]

Guessing a price increase but can't see it being too much. Certainly if specs are the same.

 

[BillyMatt87]

Man, the iPad lineup is getting bloated!

 

[AbSoluTc]

The Paradox of Choice
This is a long one. Feel free to skip it as I go really in-depth here.

Response to this post

I called this just the other day. This is a device I could see myself purchasing. What I'm wondering is whether or not they will increase the price point or simply drop the iPad Air 2 down to $399 at 16GB and $499 for 64GB as the entry-level models. But then what about the Mini? And would they really release a "Pro" model with only 16GB of storage? Doing an A9X with Pencil and Smart Connector support with 32GB of storage at $499 seems to be really pushing it. I doubt they could do a machine like that for less than $599. And I would be seriously happy with that price point. More likely to split the difference between $499 on the Air 2 and $799 on the Pro would be $649, but it would be weird to start a base on $X49 instead of $X99. Who knows! Then they could price 128GB at $150 more and that's my machine.

The Pricing Structure

iPad Pro 128GB Cellular: $1079
iPad Pro 128GB: $949
iPad Pro 32GB: $799
iPad Pro 9.7" 128GB Cellular: $929
iPad Pro 9.7" 128GB: $799
iPad Pro 9.7" 32GB: $649
iPad Air 2 128GB Cellular: $829
iPad Air 2 128GB: $699
iPad Air 2 64GB Cellular: $729
iPad Air 2 64GB: $599
iPad Air 2 16GB Cellular: $699
iPad Air 2 16GB: $499
iPad Mini 4 128GB Cellular: $729
iPad Mini 4 128GB: $599
iPad Mini 4 64GB Cellular: $629
iPad Mini 4 64GB: $499
iPad Mini 4 16GB Cellular: $529
iPad Mini 4 16GB: $399
iPad Mini 2 32GB Cellular: $449
iPad Mini 2 32GB: $319
iPad Mini 2 16GB Cellular: $399
iPad Mini 2 16GB: $269​

HOLY CRAP

I'm feel fairly confident in saying that Steve Jobs would not have allowed that cluster. This gets into issues with what is known as "The Paradox of Choice", which basically means that when presented with too many options, consumers often opt to chose nothing. I've seen this happen with family members who want to upgrade their iPad, but are more confused than ever and never make the upgrade. They're afraid they'll regret picking the wrong one.

What I think Apple should do

Everything in only two capacities. Extra storage for current models. Previous models don't get cellular, and it's simplified to a $100 add on. Previous models also don't get gold and rose gold options. You could maybe even make it so that the base storage options don't get gold or rose gold across the board, but that might add confusion. Previous Pro models are not sold. 128GB chips are a lot cheaper these days. All the naming simplified.

iPad Pro Plus 64/256GB: $699/899 + $100 for Cellular
iPad Pro 64/256GB: $599/799 + $100 for Cellular
iPad 32/128GB: $499/599 + $100 for Cellular
iPad Previous Gen: 16/32GB: $349/399 (no cellular)
iPad Mini 32/128GB: $399/499 + $100 for Cellular
iPad Mini Previous Gen 16/32GB: $249/299 (no cellular)​

I think that would simplify things quite a bit. They could go even farther than this, however. But I think it's a good place to start. To recap: Increase the base storage across the board except for previous generation. Make the price difference for storage on previous generation only $50. Previous generation does not get a cellular option. Every iPad only comes in two capacities. Pro models get the most storage. Current generation non-pro get a mid-tier storage option, and last-gen gets the low-tier storage option. Pricing is clearer. Supply and production is clearer. Differences in models is a little bit clearer with more distinction by capacity. Naming that better matches the iPhone.

Other changes Apple should make to iPhone and Mac

iPhone Plus (6", reduced bezel)
iPhone (5", reduced bezel)
iPhone Mini (4", reduced bezel)

Macbook Pro Plus (17", reduced bezel)
MacBook Pro (15", reduced bezel)
MacBook (like an Air with 13" Pro internals and reduced bezel)
MacBook Mini (make the new 12" MacBook model 11" with reduced bezel)

iMac 30" (reduced bezel)
iMac 24" (reduced bezel)

Your mom (reduced bezel)​

Ok after writing that last bit, yeah, just reduce the bezel on everything and bump up the size pretty much sums that up. MacBook line would mirror the naming used on the iPads and to some extent the iPhone. Make the new MacBook even smaller to separate it from the base MacBook and call it a Mini. The 13" MacBook Pro really isn't all that pro when you compare it to the 15" model which has twice the RAM, twice the CPU cores and discrete graphics. So just call that the MacBook and give it aesthetics similar to the MacBook Air but with a black bezel.

The End

I'm so sorry.

You forget that iPad comes in 3 colors. Along with MacBook and iPhone. I would love to see that list.

 

[kilometer31]

Some other possible differentiators:

-- Slower A9X processor
-- Tuned down graphics -- not as many pixels to push, not as much size to dissipate heat
-- keyboard will be good but not as good as the 12.9 inch full keyboard. I love it.
-- Hope they give up 16-GB base. But I would bet you don't get to 128GB for less than $799. Question is will choice be 32 or 128 like current Pro?
-- Will smaller keyboard be cheaper? I would hope so.

I bought the Pro with keyboard and Pencil. Honestly can't rationalize the total price but I absolutely love it. Full size keyboard especially. It's not too heavy. Pencil is a dream and glad it will go to wider audience.

Downside of the big size is apps need to be updated for it. Facebook is still ginormous blown up on 12.9-inch screen. Oddly even websites like Daring Fireball are blown up huge in it. C'mon, Gruber!