Here's What the iPad Lineup Could Look Like in 2024

[Chuckeee]

Let’s talk about use cases.

I use a tablet primarily as a media viewer to playing back movies, streaming videos and maybe viewing YouTube or TikTok. For use while either in bed or flying.

So which iPad is best for me? None on them. I’m better off with a Fire Tablet.

What are the other use case? Students taking notes in class, laptop substitute while on travel, supporting salespeople in the field, …

 

[lindros2]

It's becoming reminiscent of the Sculley/Amelio days before Steve returned and famously streamlined the whole product line in one swoop.

Apple's a very different company in a very different situation today. That level of product line simplification isn't warranted. But they do need someone with some vision for cleaning it up and streamlining again. They are in the micro-market-segmentation phase of their existence. It's become all about price and profit optimization. Simplify and streamline. They are offering too many options right now. And not just with iPad.

Supposedly Apple makes $26bn/year on iPads.

That's not insignificant, especially as the entire Mac line made $29bn last year (down from the pandemic-fueled $40bn in FY 2022).

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

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?

Yeah, not to mention that at almost every event in the late 90s and early 2000s Steve used the phrase “good, better, best” to describe their specifications options, clearly showing that they were producing a lot more than just four types of computers.

 

[thenahon]

We need to go back to smaller devices still having "Pro" features. I want an iPad Pro mini and an iPhone 16 Pro mini.

 

[iPadified]

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.

Please open that can. High end Mac is “better” because it does compute quicker than a low end Macs. The only real differentiator between Mac is RAM that might be limiting in some few edge cases but please mention an app that cannot be started on a M1 Mac but works on an M3 max.

Same goes for iPads since iPadOS allows an app to allocate 16 Gb memory. There are iPad apps that need Mx series to run at all.

Not thinking that there is a large range of iPad users seems strange, especially since there are twice as many iPads sold per year compared to Macs. Do you really thing a three year old and an artist, pilot, teacher needs the same device?

 

[anshuvorty]

I just don't understand how this new refreshed lineup is any simpler.

You still have an iPad, iPad Mini, and the iPad Air, which are all geared towards entry-level consumers. More confusingly, both the iPad and the iPad Air come in 10.9-inch screen sizes, so it is still confusing. Who is 10.9-inch iPad for? Who is the 10.9-inch iPad Air for?

You have to simplify it even more, IMHO:

• iPad Mini - for consumers who want the smallest iPad
• iPad Air - 10.9-inch and 12.9-inch - for consumers who don't want the iPad Mini, but want a full-size iPad
• iPad Pro - 11.1-inch and 13-inch - for prosumers

..and for education, you can still keep the 10.9-inch iPad in the lineup, but just don't advertise it in the normal Apple Store.

This makes the most sense to me. Thoughts?

 

[MacFan782040]

They should really get rid of the whole “Air” concept at this point. Back when the MacBook Air came out. We were all lugging MacBooks with CD drives, 6 USB ports, VGA ports, etc, and the Air was a massive change. That’s not the case anymore and essentially all of the devices are the same size…

Should be:

iPad (mini, 11”, 13”)
iPad Pro (11”, 13”)

MacBook (14”, 16”)
MacBook Pro (14”, 16”)

I agree however the "Air" brand is the best selling (at least in the Macbook line) so they don't want to kill it.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Let’s talk about use cases.

I use a tablet primarily as a media viewer to playing back movies, streaming videos and maybe viewing YouTube or TikTok. For use while either in bed or flying.

So which iPad is best for me? None on them. I’m better off with a Fire Tablet.

What are the other use case? Students taking notes in class, laptop substitute while on travel, supporting salespeople in the field, …

well the Amazon fire tablet has plenty of trade-offs that you don’t get with the iPad…
Advertisements on the lock screen: you have to pay to remove these.
Very difficult Google application support.
Only 32 GB of storage and 3 GB of ram by default, although there is an optional SD card slot.
1080P display with mixed reviews.
Several TV providers and streaming sites not available without downloading the playstore, and even then I’m given to believe that it’s hit or miss if applications will work or not.
A several years out of date version of android installed by default, with Amazon’s operating system on top.

Which Amazon Fire Tablet Is Best for You?

Whether you need a travel-friendly slate or something affordable for the kids, we tested every model to find the right one for every occasion.

www.wired.com

In my personal opinion any iPad you can get is going to be better, even one that’s not the latest.
The iPad 9 and or the Air 4 should be able to be found for between 200 and $300, and it’s a much better product than the fire tablet.

 

[tazinlwfl]

You appear to be using a computer logic to the simpler devices that tablets are - this isn't an every day vs power-hungry workflow dilemma, iPads all run the same apps (very few exceptions), it literally makes no difference whether it's powered by an A14 or a M2 chip for 90% of use cases.

It could be simplified to be only about screen size (the biggest one having the more "pro" features as it were) and be done with it.

This is just a laughably bad take.
The higher end iPads do a lot more.
So all iPads should have ProMotion? Thunderbolt? LiDAR? Smart Connectors? Same set of P-cores and E-cores? Same Ram? Same screen brightness? Wouldn’t that make it all once price with no entry points beyond some enthusiast’s spec demands?
You obviously don’t understand what the higher end iPads are capable of with specific apps, and maybe that’s Apple’s fault for how good iPadOS is… but even the same apps across different devices have different features - dictated by the specs, usually the chips/GPUs. Just because some people can’t figure out what to do with an iPad besides watch Netflix doesn’t mean the rest of us Pro users aren’t actually making use of the hardware.

I think we're seeing a change here.

I expect Apple will now keep the Air models one SoC generation behind the Pros to help differentiate them...

So:

Air = Older Pro iPad Chips
Pro = New Pro iPad Chips, etc...

Even better, makes the most sense to keep the Air prices down. Let the Pro users pay more and keep the prices low once it makes its way down the ladder. As a Pro user I approve.

 

[Chuckeee]

The iPad 9 and or the Air 4 should be able to be found for between 200 and $300, and it’s a much better product than the fire tablet.

A new Fire HD8 without ads is less than a $100. And while an iPad might be marginally better. It isn’t twice or three as good. Many ( including my self) don’t care about RAM or processor speed if I’m just watching movies, Netflix, YouTube or TikToc. An SD card, Bluetooth and WiFi are a bigger concern.

Instead of listing spec numbers, what are the specific use cases for all of the different iPad models?

 

[raindogg]

Not that Apple will listen, but I think they need to get rid of the "Air" on both iPads and Macs. The lineup should be
iPad, iPad Pro
iPhone, iPhone Pro
Macbook, Macbook Pro

The Air becomes the base model.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

A new Fire HD8 without ads is less than a $100. And while an iPad might be marginally better. It isn’t twice or three as good. Many ( including my self) don’t care about RAM or processor speed if I’m just watching movies, Netflix, YouTube or TikToc. An SD card, Bluetooth and WiFi are a bigger concern.

But it sounds like you found what you want, literally the cheapest tablet you can find.
If that’s all you care about any fire tablet should do fine, but just like in the computer world it’s the difference between a $200 Chromebook or windows computer versus a MacBook Air or an XPS.
Just casually reading reviews of the latest fire tablets, they’ve all got the same criticisms. They are already outdated, they’re covered in ads even if you pay to have them removed Amazon still goes over the top just like they do with all of their echo products, it’s built out of very cheap materials, it is using an extremely old processor, it’s laggy out of the box with certain tasks, it has extremely limited third-party application support out of the box, and it does not sound like a good experience at all.

Sure, the fire tablets will probably get the job done fine for now if you absolutely need a tablet and don’t want to spend much, but at the end of the day a tablet that’s under $100 is going to come with all of the drawbacks that cheaply built barely profitable products have.

 

[lewchenko]

Having a lot of choice isn’t that bad a thing in my opinion so I don’t agree the line up needs to be simplified providing there is a price point for everyone.

Where it does get annoying though is when certain features are held back to the most expensive iPad possible , yet available as standard on cheaper non Apple tablets.

Also , there are even more options than it appears once you add in discounted refurbs.

 

[Confused-User]

With no new iPad models launched this year, Apple ostensibly has some significant changes in store for its tablet lineup and accessories in 2024.

That's at least twice today you've used the word "ostensibly". It doesn't mean what you think it means. It carries an implication of disbelief - that the speaker doesn't think the stated clause is actually correct. What you're saying here is that you don't really think Apple has these changes in store, or at least that there's reason to doubt. Obviously that's not what you mean to say.

Perhaps you meant "apparently" or "obviously".

 

[Coreymac84]

Please open that can. High end Mac is “better” because it does compute quicker than a low end Macs. The only real differentiator between Mac is RAM that might be limiting in some few edge cases but please mention an app that cannot be started on a M1 Mac but works on an M3 max.

Same goes for iPads since iPadOS allows an app to allocate 16 Gb memory. There are iPad apps that need Mx series to run at all.

Not thinking that there is a large range of iPad users seems strange, especially since there are twice as many iPads sold per year compared to Macs. Do you really thing a three year old and an artist, pilot, teacher needs the same device?

A three year old, an artist, a pilot and a teacher can all use an iPad Air.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Instead of listing spec numbers, what are the specific use cases for all of the different iPad models?

they don’t necessarily have their own use cases, you can do a lot of the stuff on the most expensive ones that you can do on the cheapest ones and the other way around.
It’s really all about what you care for, and trying to ignore the specifications is just stupid because that’s literally the only difference.
The iPad nine and 10 are clearly mostly for education customers, and those who just want a tablet and nothing else. They’ve got good enough screens and are using older iPhone processors, they’ll get the job done for several years for parents and teachers and school districts and those who just (like you) mostly use them for consuming media.
The iPad mini is for those… Who want a smaller tablet. There’s a lot of people that just like the small form factor, especially pilots where I’ve heard it’s extremely popular.

The iPad Air and Pro serve pretty much the same market, those who want a tablet that can also be a decent laptop replacement/full on artistic tool. They’ve got faster connectivity with USB-C/thunderbolt ports, they’ve got access to the most capable Apple Pencil and keyboard, they’re the only iPads that can run Final Cut Pro, they’ve got double or four times the amount of ram as all of the other iPads, they’ve got much better speakers, microphones, displays, and cameras. Not to mention, the iPad Air and Pro are the only ones that support stage manager and external displays.

Sure, there’s plenty of overlap. Just like there’s overlap between the iPhone SE and the 15 Pro Max.
I honestly don’t think it’s that difficult to categorize who would use the different sorts of iPads.

 

[crsh1976]

This is just a laughably bad take.
The higher end iPads do a lot more.
So all iPads should have ProMotion? Thunderbolt? LiDAR? Smart Connectors? Same set of P-cores and E-cores? Same Ram? Same screen brightness? Wouldn’t that make it all once price with no entry points beyond some enthusiast’s spec demands?
You obviously don’t understand what the higher end iPads are capable of with specific apps, and maybe that’s Apple’s fault for how good iPadOS is… but even the same apps across different devices have different features - dictated by the specs, usually the chips/GPUs. Just because some people can’t figure out what to do with an iPad besides watch Netflix doesn’t mean the rest of us Pro users aren’t actually making use of the hardware.

You just described the iPad Pro, which is in a league of its own, but make no case for all the other iPads that have dramatically underused hardware features.

And none of this really matters anyway, iPad sales are not driven by high-end features, tablets are a commodity rather than the laptop replacement even Apply stopped promoting it as.

 

[applesed]

I want a 15 inch iPad that has the option of running MacOS. That way I can use a keyboard as the only part of the computer on my lap and a Tablet Floor Stand - Gooseneck Swivel Holder Mount, to get the best couch ergonomics.

 

[MarkNewton2023]

Apple finally covers all their iPad customer needs. It is a great business move. Keep calm and be successful!

 

[tickedon]

The interesting question posed is why would Apple’s OCD allow an air (one small camera bump) to fit into a case with a larger camera hole for the iPad Pro camera setup…. doesn’t seem very Apple-esque.

I do wonder if the line up might actually end up looking like…

Mini

iPad
iPad Pro (previous gen, m2) 11 & 13
iPad Pro (current gen, m3) 11 & 13

Immediately tidies it up and allows more sharing of magic keyboards etc. until design is changed again.

 

[tazinlwfl]

You just described the iPad Pro, which is in a league of its own, but make no case for all the other iPads that have dramatically underused hardware features.

And none of this really matters anyway, iPad sales are not driven by high-end features, tablets are a commodity rather than the laptop replacement even Apply stopped promoting it as.

So either there are reasons for tiered specs or there aren’t.
Either there’s room for entry level pricing for the oldest supported hardware (with multi-year updates planned) or there isn’t.
The Pros are high end, all the bells and whistles.
The Airs are the mid range M-series.
The Base is the education, entry level.
The only outlier is the Mini? Which is basically a smaller Base iPad for more niche use than the rest.

The base iPad eventually gets the Air hand-me-downs, which are Pro hand-me-downs. This happens because all the higher end tech has been paid for by the enthusiasts and pros, so it’s cheaper by the time it makes it to the base model. Without the ladder, everything is more expensive for everyone.

My iPad is my primary computing device. For coding, art, editing, media consumption, web browsing, and more. If it paired with my Apple Watch, I’d probably drop my phone entirely. I would absolutely buy a new M3 iPad Pro before a new M3 MacBook Pro.

 

[darngooddesign]

Two external monitors. As you can sea I am a iPadOS only user. And I have to sit alway a the desk were there is a 34“ monitor instead of two 24“.

If the 14” M3 MBP only does one external display, I doubt the M3 iPad will do two.

 

[darngooddesign]

You'd think they wouldn't release any iPad in 2023 to try and clean up the line up. Yet it seems that the line up will be more inconsistent and confusing than ever.

Doesn’t seem confusing to me.

Small
Budget
Two sizes of medium quality
Two sizes of high quality.

 

[Foxglove9]

Looking to buy 2 iPad Pros for about a year now. I figured I'd wait for the refresh, but it's been taking longer than I imagined. I guess my wait will soon be over.

 

[TVreporter]

My wife - a total non-tech person - trying to find an iPad for her mother, summed it up earlier today:

"This is too confusing."

Clean the lineup Tim!