Minor correction to the table: the current 11” Pro is 4th gen, not 6th. The current 12.9 model is the 6th gen though.
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Here's What the iPad Lineup Could Look Like in 2024
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I really think it would behoove Apple to fudge names somehow and keep similar generation products on the same naming scheme
i.e. Even if it's actually an M3 vs M4 ... consumers are going to feel better about M4 Air (rebranded M3 of some kind), M4, M4 Pro, M4 Max (or something like this) when in the purchasing flow
Consumer behavior is very strange some times .. but I definitely resonate with the "meh" feeling of possibly buying an "all new product! ... with an old chip in it..." (sad music)
I mostly disagree. AMD, Intel, Nvidia's approach of taking their old silicon, tweaking its configuration a bit, and re-branding it for the next generation is what really creates confusion and pointless naming clutter.
Apple could have branded the M* CPUs are A*x CPUs in the iPads, but they didn't. I don't expect Apple to start rebranding things pointlessly as a means to trying to trick consumers.
That sounds like exactly what they’re doing.
iPad Air = normal iPad for most users, around $500 most of the time when it’s on sale, two sizes, 60 hz LCD. Pretty much takes the exact same space in the iPad lineup that the MacBook Air does in the Mac lineup. Also, will use the old black and white rubbery keyboard.
iPad Pro = best, most expensive,most powerful, two sizes, with aluminum keyboard.
iPads 11 and Mini = the budget options, the ones that are good for education and families who literally just need a tablet.
Still too many SKUs in my opinion. I own the current generation iPad Air and think I would have been just as well off with the base iPad (victim of Apple Marketing here).
So let's drop the Air for starters. Also let's drop the 9th gen and lower the price of the 10th gen. Now you have a manageable lineup.
So let's drop the Air for starters. Also let's drop the 9th gen and lower the price of the 10th gen. Now you have a manageable lineup.
Like the Mac? The iPad Pro “can” do the same things the base iPad does, just like the Mac Pro “can” do the same things the Mac Mini does.
When I go to the iPad website I see the iPad mini always holding by a hand. The iPad Air has quite beautiful advanced documents on the screen. But only on the iPad Pro website I see Adobe Photoshop, Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro.
So if the executive have looked there lately they would be able to answer.
It's size and feature differences, depending upon which you're comparing to
Many Mini users have clamored for a Mini Pro, I would add
No its not, and just looking at apples 1991-1997 product list starkly shows the differences.
Compared to apples competitors Even today, their product line is quite slim, and even as someone who has complained about the iPad lineup in the past, clearly all of them are selling or else they’d go the way of the iPhone Mini.
also, it’s easy to forget that that four product grid that Steve introduced in 97 didn’t stick around very long. By 1999 they had started to expand all of their product lines, and a decade later they had three laptop lines, four desktops, four iPod lines, a phone, and plenty of other extras like the Apple TV and the airport line.
Today they have two lines of laptops, four desktops, three lines of phones, four iPads and a bunch of other little random things like AirPods and HomePods and the Apple TV.
A lot more in common with 2009 Apple than 1997 Apple I’d say.
Careful with that assumption
R&D costs and required commitment are quite different between "making slightly different iPads" and the challenges of making a great Mini phone vs the larger ones.
And that’s without getting into the mess that was the Performa range. Existing hardware SKUs turned into new SKUs based on different software bundles (and different retail channels, for that matter). You’ve still got a pretty good idea what you’re getting when you buy a new Mac or iPad, and that was absolutely not the case back in ‘97.
There is a far larger discrepancy between what a low end Mac can do and what a high end Mac can do.... let's not open this can.
The Performa line kinda tried to make all of today's BTO have their own model number... which was doomed, and effectively replaced with BTO options
and as said earlier, it only stayed around for about two years before Steve just totally abandoned it.
People forget, but between the original iMac introduction in May 1998 and late 1999, there was the introduction of another iMac, an iMac DV, and an iMac DV special edition, all with different features, all at different price points, all that came in different colors.
Then the next year, the PowerMac G4 cube was introduced… That certainly didn’t fit into the four Mac matrix.
Then the titanium power book, which was later joined by aluminum power books before they all became aluminum, then the eMac…
And Later the iBook came in multiple sizes (12 and 14) the power book came in three sizes (12, 15, 17).
The Mac mini came out in 2005, that certainly wasn’t in the four product matrix.
That was something Steve did for one presentation, and that only stuck around for about two years.
The current iPad and Mac lineup have a lot more in common with the 2000s era Apple controlled by Steve Jobs then it does the 90s.
Not to forget the Macintosh Server lineup. Mactracker indicates that there was a server variant of the G3 Blue and White tower almost out of the gates (introduced January 1999). While Apple kept the server models based on their Power Mac lineup for a few years, they introduced the Xserve in May 2002. So yeah, the 2x2 matrix probably only existed in its strictest form for about, what, six months?
Two things can be true at the same time:
1. The old Jobs matrix is not relevant any longer
2. The current Apple lineups have too many SKUs and variations and it's confusing
1. The old Jobs matrix is not relevant any longer
2. The current Apple lineups have too many SKUs and variations and it's confusing
The iPad mini as its own category feels out of place. Aside from not having an M-series chip, it is, for all intents and purposes, a small iPad Air specs-wise. If Apple is planning on introducing a larger iPad Air next year, I think they could simplify the lineup by shoving an M-series chip into the mini and calling it an Air. So the lineup would be:
Budget/Education
iPad (10.9)
Standard
iPad Air (8.3, 10.9, or 12.9)
Pro
iPad Pro (11.1 or 13)
Budget/Education
iPad (10.9)
Standard
iPad Air (8.3, 10.9, or 12.9)
Pro
iPad Pro (11.1 or 13)
I am amused at reading the endless criticisms of Apple's iPad lineup, calling it a "mess", "confusing", etc, especially where the iPad is concerned. Since when is having more size and price point choices a bad thing? I don't agree with every product that Apple sells or discontinues (proud owner of the now-discontinued iPhone 13 Mini), but I do realize that Apple has done very well with their product lineups over the years, and considering their success, I figure they don't offer a product for sale in the market for no good reason.
I own two different iPad products and am happy with both. I am glad I was able to choose each product I wanted from what was available. In other words, Apple has made much more money than me, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt that they know what they are doing when they offer a number of products at different price points.
I own two different iPad products and am happy with both. I am glad I was able to choose each product I wanted from what was available. In other words, Apple has made much more money than me, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt that they know what they are doing when they offer a number of products at different price points.
Why we shouldn’t? What “can” you do in a Mac Pro that you can’t on a Mac Mini? The real difference is not whether you can (expect for very specific cases), but whether you would. I would never do some things on my iPad Mini, even if I “can” do almost the same as on my iPad Pro. Focusing on what it “can” do is missing the point.
True, but I don’t think the iPad is quite there yet.
I can quickly sum up the range suitably for most customers.
Want an iPad? Get the iPad Air.
But you want:
the smallest model? Get the iPad mini
the cheapest model? Get the iPad
the most future proof and professional friendly model? Get the iPad Pro
Sure, there are two models of iPad available right now, so I guess it really breaks down as:
want the cheapest USB-C model? Get the 10th Gen
want the absolute cheapest model? Get the 9th Gen
Basically, you use the iPad Air as a base then decide whether size, cost, or professional utility moves the needle towards a different model. That’s better than Apple’s Mac lineup currently, which looks something more like:
Want a Mac? Buy a MacBook Air.
But you don’t want a notebook? Buy a Mac mini.
But you want something with less of a footprint? Buy an iMac
Or you want something with more power? Well, there’s the Studio or the Pro, what size of case do you want?
Or let’s say you do want the notebook, but you want more power? Take your pick of one of several MacBook Pros.