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Apple's New Low-Cost 10.2-Inch iPad Starts Shipping to Customers Tomorrow, In-Store Availability Coming Later This Week
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I'll never get over the mention of "thicker bezels". Don't people realize that it is a feature? It makes holding the iPad easier without covering the screen. Better for kids and seniors, for example.
I really wonder how people get along with the curved edges on Samsung devices. How many unintentional touches occur?
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It might have killed sales of the higher-priced iPads.
But I agree... they really goofed up with the original Apple Pencil design. It should have been inductive from day one.
I really wonder how people get along with the curved edges on Samsung devices. How many unintentional touches occur?
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It might have killed sales of the higher-priced iPads.
But I agree... they really goofed up with the original Apple Pencil design. It should have been inductive from day one.
In some ways it is better, in other ways it may feel like a downgrade.
Improvements:
-Faster processor (but the A8x in the Air 2 has aged very well so this probably won't be as noticeable as you'd think)
-An upgrade from 2 GB to 3 GB of RAM (may or may not make a big difference depending on your use case) -Larger screen (but same pixel density as the Air 2)
-Support for Apple Pencil
-Support for Smart Keyboard
Downgrades:
-Bigger and thicker than the Air 2
-Screen is not laminated and it doesn't have an anti-reflective coating
Same as Air 2:
-Same front and rear facing cameras
-Same 1st gen Touch ID
The RAM is important. The iPad Air 2 has indeed aged very well, but for surfing the 2 GB is now showing its age, even for lighter users.
But even more important for me is the Smart Connector. Having a Smart Keyboard on my iPad Pro 10.5" has transformed how I use iPads. This is not some dinky little iPad keyboard, but an 18 mm full-size keyboard, which doesn't have to deal with Bluetooth issues or the extra weight of a battery. It's so freeing not having half the screen covered by a keyboard.
Let's not go through this again...yes, it would have killed them. Inductive charging demands a completely new chassis, not just a thicker iPad Air chassis as the 7th Gen uses. This would have drive up costs for the 7th Gen iPad and made zero sense. Given the improvements with latency in the Pencil under iPadOS 13.1, there's no reason why anyone needs to feel they are getting slighted by Apple with the Pencil 1. Frankly, the Pencil 1 supports more devices than the Pencil 2, which is actually quite interesting when you think about it.
Unless Apple has an extremely large surplus of them somewhere we don't know about, I would not count on it. Stock is dwindling quickly and the cheapest price I have seen is $249. Best Buy actually raised their "sale" price on them to $279, so I would temper my expectations if I were you.
Not just that, but the iPad line is becoming fragmented. If this were the 90's, it might look something like this:
- iPad LC III
- iPad Air 550
- iPad Air 630
- iPad Pro 3100
- iPad Pro 4100
- 10.2" iPad (7th Generation)
- 7.9" iPad mini (5th Generation)
- 10.5" iPad Air (3rd Generation)
- 11" iPad Pro (3rd Generation)
- 12.9" iPad Pro (3rd Generation)
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Yes, they both have Retina screens. Remember, the iPad Air 2 launched in October of 2014 for $499 or a 16GB model. The new iPad has a larger screen, double the storage and a CPU that is twice as fast under single-core and around 40-50% faster under multi-core with one less CPU active core. The GPU is also around 3.5x faster than the iPad Air 2 and sells for a little more than two-thirds the cost of the Air 2 when new.
The non-laminated screen is just fine, much better than the iPad Air 1 ever was. 3GB of RAM is very welcome as is the Apple Pencil and Smart Connector support.
Yes, bigger, but you get a bigger screen...same crappy FaceTimeHD camera, unfortunately.
I think Apple is going to sell a boatload of these in the next three months.
His post mentions the Air 2, not the Air 1. Any iPad without the anti-reflective coating is a partial downgrade from the Air 2 if you use it in bright environments (especially outside).
Time to upgrade my iPad 3rd generation.
Hesitating between this iPad 2019 or iPad Air 3rd gen or iPad Pro 10.5
Hesitating between this iPad 2019 or iPad Air 3rd gen or iPad Pro 10.5
Strip out the Generations part of the name, which no one uses unless they are looking for tech specs and the only place where there may be confusion or indecision is choosing between the iPad and the iPad Air. No one looking at those two is hemming and hawing about an 11" iPad Pro on top of that as it is more than 2x the price of the iPad and $300 more than the base iPad Air ($499 versus $799).
The iPad line has three (3) iPads. One low priced, one small, one premium. The iPad Pro line has two (2) iPads, one small, one large, same guts. There's nothing difficult about it, even for the average buyer.
This need to try and shoehorn the current Apple era into the mismanaged 1990's version of Apple is incredibly silly. You're over-projecting your desires for doom and gloom, which I assume is because you don't care for Tim Cook and the current product pricing and you're one hope lies in having Apple fall into disrepair under his watch. All things being equal, I am quite sure that is not going to happen.
To be fair, it’s three categories, not five, as you depict here.
Category 1 (entry level model):
iPad (7th gen)
Category 2 (mid level models):
iPad Mini (5th gen) and Air (3rd gen)
Category 3 (high end models):
iPad Pro (3rd gen) 11” and 12.9”
It’s not as convoluted as you make it out to be IMO.
iPad Pro 10.5" (2017) are becoming incredibly hard to find as stock dwindles, don't wait too long. Your best bet is the iPad Air, unless cost is your primary consideration. Largest screen w/o going Pro, Pencil support, P3 screen, Smart Connector, A12 Bionic with Neural Engine, better FaceTime HD camera (if you conference a lot), Bluetooth 5.0.
If you game a lot, then you will want to snatch up a iPad Pro 10.5" if you can find one or get a refurb as its GPU scores outstrip both the iPad and iPad Air by a healthy margin.
My only hope is that Apple will simplify the lineup to three different screen sizes: Mini (7.9" - 9"), Air (10.2" - 11"), Pro (12.9"). The Mini and Air should both have the same features / design as the Pro, so the main deciding factor will be screen size. This would result in a more expensive iPad Air, which doesn't quite fit your assumption. 🙂
I understand why the LC model exists, to provide a larger screen at a lower price point. Even if Apple decides to keep it, this is still simpler for the average consumer. Four models to choose from instead of five, with one that is clearly aimed at buyers who want a lower-cost iPad. No ambiguity.
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Confusing? Possibly.
But I think *most* consumers will consider price as the biggest consideration:
iPad Mini
The smallest iPad... at $400
10.2" and 10.5"
Two similarly sized iPads... but one is only $330 and the other jumps up to $500
11" and 12.9"
Two "Pro" models at $800 and $1,000
What you call a "fragmented" lineup... I call a "complete" lineup. There's something for everyone and every budget.
I bet most people will never consider an $800+ tablet. Perhaps even $500 is a stretch.
Suddenly... the lineup becomes a lot smaller...
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I have a mini 4 that I'll have to take outside...I don't doubt you though. I rarely work with my iPad in direct sunlight, but I can see the mini 4's lower reflectivity compared to my 5th Gen iPad with my back to the window. If you use your iPad outdoors extensively, then an Air might be in order.
I was wondering how that would work on the big IPP. Mine is in a case and the case doesn't overlap the screen, just the bezels. On the new 12.9 how does that work?
I have to disagree 100% with your line of thought. As soon as the 2015 12.9" Pro came out, people were clamoring for a smaller version of it and despite the incredibly small size for the 2018 12.9" Pro, people should get that choice. Plenty of users want a smaller iPad Pro or Apple would not have ever offered one.
The iPad mini is its own niche with acolytes and opponents, but should be kept in lockstep with the Air from now on as far as internals go. The current model has a small premium attached to it, but is worth it once the iPad internals are taken into consideration.
The $329 price point with routine discounting to $249 is the gateway drug for the iPad. Those who already have an older iPad that they love or who want a larger size without jumping to the 11" Pro have the Air now with premium features that fills a rather gaping hole Apple had in their lineup. To me and at least one other here @Michael Scrip the current lineup is pretty much perfect.
Consumers and a bit of advice can help make a more correct decision, but Apple has clearly delineated these products now and all of them are good...there are no duds at all. The lineup (and sales) would suffer immensely under the plan you have proposed.
So here is one thing I’m curious about which hasn’t been confirmed yet. Will this be Touch ID 1 or 2? Remember when Apple released the air 3 and mini 5, they didn’t mention it was Touch ID 2 in it either. It wasn’t until reviews came out later that it was confirmed, perhaps we could have a little surprise with that as well?