I hope they keep the original AirPods. I have both (Airpods Gen2 and Airpods Pro). But in the office, I love my original Airpods Gen2, they fit me perfectly, and are easier to put in. And have standard non-technical transparency mode. When in noisy environments or airplanes, the Pro versions are excellent. But for daily use, I prefer the Originals. And the funny thing is, I like the sound profile more on the Originals than the Pro versions, weird I know, but that's just my opinion.
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DigiTimes: New 'Entry-Level' AirPods Pro to Enter Production by Early Second Quarter
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I was given the Airpod Pro as a Christmas gift from my daughter. I didn't know much about them, and I preferred over-the-ear headphones anyway. BUT...I have fallen in love with these little things. The sound is phenomenal, the pairing is instantaneous, the charging case is magic, and I find the battery life is amazingly great.
Good luck telling apart the different generations of the iPad, iPad mini, and iPad Air line too. It’s impossible to tell without looking up the model number and the different versions are unnumbered too so everything is jumbled. I can’t tell if you’re trolling or just that much of an Apple fan.
No it's not!
Apple sells 3 iPad lines.
iPad CHEAP: A10, starts at $300
iPad MEDIUM: A12 small version is iPad Mini, $400; big version iPad Air $500
iPad EXPENSIVE: A12X
But yes, the names are dumb dumb dumb!!!!
I'd call them
iPad Lite
iPad (two sizes)
iPad Pro (two sizes)
get rid of the iPad Air and iPad Mini names.
But frankly even that is dumb.
There is should be two lines iPad Pro and iPad, and iPad (two sizes) should also sell the previous model as the cheaper model (like they do with iPhone). So no iPad that's a special model with an A10, just the older model of the iPad Air.
Splitting the line into 4 brand names that no-one can track is, I fully agree, utterly idiotic.
iPad is a fantastic device run by some of the most clueless management at Apple. Clueless about how to manage the brand and different models. Clueless about how to retrofit windowing to the UI. Clueless about tying their product into the rest of the Apple ecosystem the way aWatch, aTV and iPad are so well integrated (eg you can't use your Apple Watch to control movies on your iPad like you can on your iPhone or aTV -- WTF not?)
Completely agreed! I challenge anyone to rank in order of performance all of the iPads of the current and last generation.
And the iPhone 11 Pro is smaller and pricier than than the larger sized iPhone 11. It’s almost as if screen size isn’t the only spec that matters 🤷♂️
Apple has plenty of info on their website that can help you with your confusion; here’s one:
iPad - Compare Models
Compare resolution, size, weight, performance, battery life, and storage of iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad, and iPad mini models.www.apple.com
Smaller screen that is a higher quality OLED screen along with additional camera and higher premium materials. Thankfully, in this case, the “Pro” moniker in the iPhone naming scheme makes it easy to identify the iPhone 11 Pro as a more premium product, hence the higher price.
The iPad mini on the other hand features the same exact build quality, number of lenses and screen quality which is why it remains a confusing part of the lineup.
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It’s confusing because it is a smaller screen that comes with a higher price. Build quality, number of camera lenses, and screen type are all identical with the $329 iPad.
You could argue for the iPad mini’s A12 chip giving it a higher price but how many people walking into an Apple store are honesty comparing chips between the two devices? Beyond you and I, Macrumors, and the tech informed, it’s mostly confusing to the average customer.
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As an analogy, people somehow navigate the myriad of options on cars. They can figure out the iPad loneup.
Who the hell wants to do that? I’m looking at this from the point of view of a customer who is trying to make a buying decision.
The $399 iPad mini is a smaller version of the $499 iPad Air. If you want a small iPad, you only have only the one choice—simple. Similarly, if you want a huge iPad, you again have only one choice.
If you want a 10-11” iPad, you have three choices. $300, $500 or $800. Good, better, best. What’s your budget? Why would you think people can’t choose between three models?
Apple’s customers aren’t stupid. At least give them credit for knowing how much money they have to spend lol. If you want to know the specs, Apple has lots of info available.
iPad - Compare Models
Compare resolution, size, weight, performance, battery life, and storage of iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad, and iPad mini models.
www.apple.com
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Using myself as an example, I currently have an iPad and I want to purchase a new one that has more storage. I’m okay with buying a last-gen and I’m flexible on screen size except for the Mini. However, I want to get the best bang for the buck considering screen size, quality, and processing power. Which iPad should I buy?Who the hell wants to do that? I’m looking at this from the point of view of a customer who is trying to make a buying decision.
The $399 iPad mini is a smaller version of the $499 iPad Air. If you want a small iPad, you only have only the one choice—simple. Similarly, if you want a huge iPad, you again have only one choice.
If you want a 10-11” iPad, you have three choices. $300, $500 or $800. Good, better, best. What’s your budget? Why would you think people can’t choose between three models?
Apple’s customers aren’t stupid. At least give them credit for knowing how much money they have to spend lol. If you want to know the specs, Apple has lots of info available.
iPad - Compare Models
Compare resolution, size, weight, performance, battery life, and storage of iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad, and iPad mini models.www.apple.com
With the iPhone line my decision is easy - I wanted the latest and greatest but I also didn’t want a phone that’s comically huge so I bought the iPhone 11 Pro. My process for that is the same every fall (and yes I did feel burned by the Xs).
What’s your budget? What size storage do you want?
In any case, if like the iPhone you want latest and greatest you want the iPad Pro. The 12.9” is amazing.
No hard budget and I’d like 256GB. The only reason why I’m not instantly springing for the iPad Pro is because I use my current iPad at most once a week. The main devices that I use are, in order of use, my desktop, my iPhone, my ThinkPad, and my Blade. I don’t really have any use or need for an iPad and so I don’t think it’s practical for me to buy the Pro at top dollar. Rather, I want to upgrade my existing iPad as cost-effectively as possible to the best device I can get that has a nice screen and can fit all my music on it. That’s why I am open to even last-gen tablets.
Well if you want 256GB, the $329 entry level model is out because it maxes out at 128. And if the Pro is overkill, the Air at $649 (retail list price, $549 refurb) is the only option left, of the current models.
But the last generation 10.5” Pro is a fine option, and is even preferred by some compared to the Air because of ProMotion and great sounding quad speakers. A10X compared to the Air’s A12 is a slight negative but not by much. There are other differences:
iPad - Compare Models
Compare resolution, size, weight, performance, battery life, and storage of iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad, and iPad mini models.
www.apple.com
In the US Apple has the previous generation 256GB 10.5 Pro for $599 in the refurb section.
Personally, I’d have a tough time choosing between the Air and the previous gen Pro, as they are as roughly equivalent in price as they are features.
If the rear camera is at all important to you, the Pro has a better one. The quad speakers produce surprisingly good sound, and some consider ProMotion a must-have. All those lean in favor of the previous generation 10.5 Pro. That would probably be my choice.
The iPad Pro 10.5 is so good it’s basically showing off
Apple extends its tablet lead, but iOS 11 might end up being a bigger deal.
www.theverge.com
PS If you're in the US, BH Photos has the Air with cellular for $599, a savings of $180:
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PPS When throwing past models into the mix, I think it’s fair to say you’re more right than I might care to admit about the confusion factor 😬 But the online comparison tool helps quite a bit.