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Entry-Level iPad With 10.5-Inch Display and A13 Chip Rumored for Spring 2021

FasterQuieter said:
A laminated screen would be nice. My son's has loads of dust in it now. Very distracting on a white web page.
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I'm exactly the opposite on the laminated point… the cost of replacement of a laminated screen still makes it too expensive for the $300 price point (which is necessary for the K12 EDU market). If anything, I'd like to see a $299 iPad with 64GB and updated CPU; then bump the 128GB to a laminated 10.5-inch screen (with both having the same chassis, so case-size is the same for both in the generation).
 
FasterQuieter said:
A laminated screen would be nice. My son's has loads of dust in it now. Very distracting on a white web page.
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Agreed, I don't care about the change in screen size but it would be awesome if the change means that it's the same laminated screen from the third gen Air.
 
jordanclark1993 said:
Has Apple ever put out a refresh that quick? We just had 8th gen in September. I can’t imagine this until fall 2021. It just doesn’t make any sense to me why they would rush this out when the 2020 iPad 8th gen is a great device with the XS processor in it.
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Yup - iPad 3 was released in March 2012 and the iPad 4 came along in October 2012.
 
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This is nice but where is the rumour for iPad Pro with A14X chip. Thats what I would like to see in spring ;)
 
Seems odd they would basically obsolete the 8th gen iPad that quickly, as the device was fine for what it was, especially compared to the anemic upgrade of the previous model. And after reading about how the non-laminated screens are a lot cheaper to replace, which is important for education users, I can understand its stubborn inclusion.

But hey, if Apple wants to release an iPad SE device like this for an even lower price, I'm not going to complain. I'd love it if Apple released more value-oriented products in general. Their heavy focus on privacy lately and the constant mantras of bringing joy to people's lives rings a bit hollow if only the well-off can afford it.
 
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Duncan-UK said:
Not everybody wants the very expensive Air or the Apple Pencil 2. I'd certainly buy one of these as a back up to my Pro 10.5s.
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that’s exactly the point. They keep selling those „entry“ models to keep the price point high on the latest and greatest. It’s Tim Cook’s thing. Just like how there are two iPhones with the exact same aspect ratio. Remember when Apple only sold one device in each size? The prices were way lower cuz you would get the latest and greatest „reasonable“ priced. Now we have those „entry“ models to push people into „upselling“. Same reason the iPad Air 4 has less storage than the entry iPad Pro and so on
 
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I've said it before and I'll say it again: I really don't like the way Apple is naming and positioning these devices (from my armchair ;)). They just keep recycling names (*cough* MagSafe) unnecessarily.

The iPad Air should simply be the iPad. The iPad and iPad mini should be the iPad SE.

They should drop putting the size in the name, like they do with the iPad Pros. Thankfully, those are not iPad Pro and Pro Max (like they idiotically do with the iPhone and now the new headphones).

Should be:
Mac or Macintosh - today's Mac Mini
Mac Pro
iMac 21" & 27"
iMac Pro
MacBook
MacBook Pro - 13" & 16"
iPhone 5.4" & 6.1"
iPhone Pro 6.1" & 6.7"
iPhone SE
iPad
iPad Pro 11" & 12.9"
iPad SE
AirPods - Today's Pro
AirPods Pro - The Max cans
AirPods SE - The regular AirPods

(I lean back on my CEO armchair and rest)
 
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Darth Tulhu said:
Selling old tech (at a "discount") along with new tech. Only Apple can get away with this.

And frankly, I'm glad, 'cause newer ain't always better for everybody.

Tim really is a money-making genius.

EDIT: I don't buy this happening so soon after the 8th generation update.
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Not really. Graphics cards makers have been doing it for years. They put the old chipset onto new boards and resell them as lower end cards.
 
I am really not sure what product the base level iPad is competing with--it is already the
best tech value on the market.
 
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contacos said:
that’s exactly the point. They keep selling those „entry“ models to keep the price point high on the latest and greatest. It’s Tim Cook’s thing. Just like how there are two iPhones with the exact same aspect ratio. Remember when Apple only sold one device in each size? The prices were way lower cuz you would get the latest and greatest „reasonable“ priced. Now we have those „entry“ models to push people into „upselling“. Same reason the iPad Air 4 has less storage than the entry iPad Pro and so on
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I think it is the opposite. Because getting the latest and greatest was getting more expensive each year, so the made a more affordable version.

I mean look at Samsung. They have always had a range of phones for different prices. Yet, their flagship also gets pricier. So your logic of ‘if Apple didn’t release an SE version, the top end iPhone would still be $500’ doesn’t really work.
 
5th gen: march 21, 2017
6th gen: March 27, 2018
7th gen: September 10, 2019
8th gen: September 15, 2020
Logically, We shouldn’t be seeing a ninth Jen iPad until September 2021 at the earliest, March 2022 at the latest.
Unless Apple is finally, finally going to overhaul the iPad line, something that has been necessary for at least the past two years.
Here’s my suggestion:
iPad SE: 10.5 inch LCD, Touch ID and home button, lightning port, $299
iPad Mini: 8.5-9 inch LCD screen, Touch ID in the power button, A14, USB-C, basically identical to the current iPad Air, for $499.
iPad: exact same as what the iPad Air is today. So just like the iPhone 12 and 12 mini, the iPad and iPad mini would be identical, and $100 apart.
iPad Pro: 11 inch Mini LED, A14X, 5G, $799
iPad Pro Max: Exact same as pro, just 12.9 inch.
So it would be just like the current iPhone line up, a SE, a mini, a regular, a pro, and a pro max.
I’ve always liked the name iPad Air, but it hasn’t made sense for years. The air isn’t the thinnest iPad anymore.
 
Freeangel1 said:
Just keep forking out those HO HUM products trying to grab our money in the middle of a pandemic and with lots of people out of work
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Freeangel1 said:
Just keep forking out those HO HUM products trying to grab our money in the middle of a pandemic and with lots of people out of work
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I’m sorry, but did you expect Apple to just completely halt all of their plans just because of the pandemic?
Apple has probably had a roadmap for their products set for at least the next five years.
The AirPods max have been in the planning stages for four years.
Apple was working on the magic keyboard for the iPad long before the pandemic.
explain to me why they should halt all of their plans, just because you might be in a financial problem at the moment. They are still a business, they still need to make money, they still need to keep the ball rolling.
if you can’t afford it, then you don’t have to buy it. but apples still gonna update their products, no matter how much money their customers have
 
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This is the device that will get me to upgrade my pro 10.5. a Pro Motion display would be wonderful, but unlikely at $299.
 
macduke said:
Can they stop changing the screen sizes for real? All these small changes are bizarre.

Hopefully they can just leave it here. I think in a year or two the iPad Pro will be 11.4" and 13.3", lol, just by reducing the bezels.
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Why does it bother you? It’s better for the consumers, no?
 
Bensonvong said:
Not really. Graphics cards makers have been doing it for years. They put the old chipset onto new boards and resell them as lower end cards.
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On the PC side, sure. But this is a full product, not a component. It's the equivalent of selling you a last gen car, albeit slightly improved, at a lower price.

To be clear: I don't object to this, I appreciate it and I think Apple should do more of it.

Right now, an iPhone SE, Watch SE, & base iPad will run you over $800 less than their Air/standard counterparts for 97% of their functionality, and you get some unique and perhaps even preferred features like (home-button) Touch ID that are exclusive to the SE line.
 
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jordanclark1993 said:
Has Apple ever put out a refresh that quick? We just had 8th gen in September. I can’t imagine this until fall 2021. It just doesn’t make any sense to me why they would rush this out when the 2020 iPad 8th gen is a great device with the XS processor in it.
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Yes, there was a 6th month gap between iPad 3rd gen and iPad 4th gen
 
I doubt this one but moving off point I hope they do keep some device in the line with a Home button. Using full screen iPads if you are motion or age impaired is almost impossible.
 
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