Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPad iPad 2018 (6th gen) and the new 10.2" rumors (sep 2019)

J

Joplin

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 5, 2008
52
45
This month I bought the 2018 base iPad for €249. This is a great price, the lowest it has ever been in my country. I kind of figured with the March release of the Air 3 and Mini 5 there wouldn't be a base iPad refresh this year, but now it seems like there still might be.

So I've been thinking: should I have waited with buying this unit? I really like the device, and it seems to be fast enough for all my needs. So generally I think I did okay and the A10 should last quite a while still. Also the iPad 2019 would not be for sale for such a low price for at least a year, or maybe never, so there's that. The low cost of entry is something that makes the 6th gen iPad a worthy option, I feel.

But let's assume the iPad 2019 gets the 10.2" screen and maybe an A11 (not A12) chip. I'd also guess a non-laminated screen and 2GB RAM. If they'd manage to keep the $329 list price, wouldn't they make the iPad Air 2019 a bad value proposition? I feel as if there'd be very little difference between the base and Air devices. If the Air 3 had the 120hz display and quad speakers, sure, but it doesn't.

If they unveil something truly terrific I suppose I could always sell my 6th gen with a fairly small loss, but that's something to be decided later.

What do you think will be the specs and price of this rumored 10.2" iPad 2019?
 
I wouldn’t expect too many additional features. Otherwise it would compete directly with the Air that was released just a few months ago. Frankly, I am surprised they are updating the based model. Seems like Apple would try to simplify their iPad lineup like they just did with the MacBooks.
 
Mainsail said:
I wouldn’t expect too many additional features. Otherwise it would compete directly with the Air that was released just a few months ago. Frankly, I am surprised they are updating the based model. Seems like Apple would try to simplify their iPad lineup like they just did with the MacBooks.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's exactly the thing that caught me off guard. If we assume the 10.2" will replace the current base model at the current price point, the Air 2019 becomes very expensive in comparison.

$329 rumored 10.2" / A11 / 2GB / Non-laminated
$499 Air 2019 10.5" / A12 / 3GB / Laminated / TrueTone

The Air just doesn't seem to compare favorably in such a scenario, since you're paying almost $200 more and you're still not getting the true QOL features such as 120hz and stereo speakers. With the base iPad at 9.7" the Air grants you screen estate and smaller bezels, but with the base unit at 10.2" this becomes a moot point.

Maybe they'll stick to the A10? Even then I think for most users the Air would not be worth it.
 
Joplin said:
Yeah, that's exactly the thing that caught me off guard. If we assume the 10.2" will replace the current base model at the current price point, the Air 2019 becomes very expensive in comparison.

$329 rumored 10.2" / A11 / 2GB / Non-laminated
$499 Air 2019 10.5" / A12 / 3GB / Laminated / TrueTone

The Air just doesn't seem to compare favorably in such a scenario, since you're paying almost $200 more and you're still not getting the true QOL features such as 120hz and stereo speakers. With the base iPad at 9.7" the Air grants you screen estate and smaller bezels, but with the base unit at 10.2" this becomes a moot point.

Maybe they'll stick to the A10? Even then I think for most users the Air would not be worth it.
Click to expand...
I will be somewhat surprised if the 10.2" is 2 GB. I would expect it to be 3 GB. All of the other recent releases have been 3 GB (or 4 GB for the flagship models). Even the Apple TV 4K from 2017 is 3 GB.
 
EugW said:
I will be somewhat surprised if the 10.2" is 2 GB. I would expect it to be 3 GB. All of the other recent releases have been 3 GB (or 4 GB for the flagship models). Even the Apple TV 4K from 2017 is 3 GB.
Click to expand...
I agree that 3GB seems more sensible, however that even further decreases the extra value the Air would offer. I doubt many users would actively notice the difference in daily, simple use between even an A10/3GB and A12/3GB.

I mean, I'd rather have A10/3GB than A11/2GB. I wonder if Apple will make the base iPad *that* attractive.

The 2019 iPod Touch is an A10/2GB device, which when it was announced strengthened my belief that the 2018 iPad would not see a refresh this year, as the A10 was still deemed current/good enough by Apple to put in a refreshed product.
 
Joplin said:
I agree that 3GB seems more sensible, however that even further decreases the extra value the Air would offer. I doubt many users would actively notice the difference in daily, simple use between even an A10/3GB and A12/3GB.

I mean, I'd rather have A10/3GB than A11/2GB. I wonder if Apple will make the base iPad *that* attractive.

The 2019 iPod Touch is an A10/2GB device, which when it was announced strengthened my belief that the 2018 iPad would not see a refresh this year, as the A10 was still deemed current/good enough by Apple to put in a refreshed product.
Click to expand...
Remember the Air has double the storage of the 6th Generation iPad. That accounts for a lot of the difference in price.

With app sizes supposedly shrinking with iOS13/iPadOS, I can't see Apple moving away from the current 32GB/128GB tiers. The 7th Generation iPad will be firmly aimed at the budget/education markets.
 
  • Like
Reactions: EugW
AJB1971 said:
Remember the Air has double the storage of the 6th Generation iPad. That accounts for a lot of the difference in price.

With app sizes supposedly shrinking with iOS13/iPadOS, I can't see Apple moving away from the current 32GB/128GB tiers. The 7th Generation iPad will be firmly aimed at the budget/education markets.
Click to expand...
Yup. If there is a 10.2" with 3 GB, I fully expect it to come with 32 GB. However, I'm thinking they could price it at US$399. The Air at $499 jumps is 64 GB, with a much nicer screen. They could keep the 32 GB 2018 2 GB iPad model around to meet the $329 price point. So:

$329 - 2018 iPad 9.7" with 2 GB RAM and 32 GB storage
$429 - 2019 iPad 9.7" with 2 GB RAM and 128 GB storage
$399 - 2019 iPad 10.2" with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage
$499 - 2019 iPad 10.2" with 3 GB RAM and 128 GB storage
$499 - 2019 iPad Air 10.5" with 3 GB RAM and 64 GB storage and much nicer screen
$649 - 2019 iPad Air 10.5" with 3 GB RAM and 256 GB storage and much nicer screen
 
EugW said:
Yup. If there is a 10.2" with 3 GB, I fully expect it to come with 32 GB. However, I'm thinking they could price it at US$399. The Air at $499 jumps is 64 GB, with a much nicer screen. They could keep the 32 GB 2018 2 GB iPad model around to meet the $329 price point. So:

$329 - 2018 iPad 9.7" with 2 GB RAM and 32 GB storage
$429 - 2019 iPad 9.7" with 2 GB RAM and 128 GB storage
$399 - 2019 iPad 10.2" with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage
$499 - 2019 iPad 10.2" with 3 GB RAM and 128 GB storage
$499 - 2019 iPad Air 10.5" with 3 GB RAM and 64 GB storage and much nicer screen
$649 - 2019 iPad Air 10.5" with 3 GB RAM and 256 GB storage and much nicer screen
Click to expand...

Wow, that seems like a pretty complicated line-up, since you didn't even include the iPad mini and the iPad Pro 11in and iPad Pro 12in. Also, there are the cellular and non-cellular options. I would think it would be more like this:
  • iPad Mini: $350 3GB RAM and 64GB storage, with other storage/cellular options
  • iPad Air 10.5": $450 3GB RAM and 64GB storage, with other storage/cellular options
  • iPad Pro 11": $725 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, with other storage/cellular options
  • iPad Pro 12.9": $900 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, with other storage/cellular options
So basically, 10% price reduction and streamlined product line up....kind of like what they did with the MacBooks. During the holidays, you will see these on sale for another $100 off at big box stores.
 
AJB1971 said:
Remember the Air has double the storage of the 6th Generation iPad. That accounts for a lot of the difference in price.

With app sizes supposedly shrinking with iOS13/iPadOS, I can't see Apple moving away from the current 32GB/128GB tiers. The 7th Generation iPad will be firmly aimed at the budget/education markets.
Click to expand...

The 64GB storage on the Air is a good point. With the silly Apple tax on storage in mind, of course, because in the real world the price difference between 32 and 64GB is almost nothing.

I agree: if the 10.2" entry level iPad comes with 3GB RAM, I can't see it shipping with anything but 32/128GB configurations.

10.2"/3GB/64GB is basically an Air with a slightly worse screen. Then again, even with 32GB for all things and purposes it's really still an Air, with a slightly worse screen.

I don't know what to expect, though, seeing some speculations in a list like the posts above mine, it makes me wonder if Apple would be willing to cannibalize on Air sales to such an extent. I do know that if the rumored base 2019 model comes with 3GB RAM, it might be a worthy upgrade from the 2018 iPad for heavier users.
 
AJB1971 said:
Remember the Air has double the storage of the 6th Generation iPad. That accounts for a lot of the difference in price.

With app sizes supposedly shrinking with iOS13/iPadOS, I can't see Apple moving away from the current 32GB/128GB tiers. The 7th Generation iPad will be firmly aimed at the budget/education markets.
Click to expand...
Higher storage is an upsell for customers and another bullet point to justify upgrading to the Air 3 but that extra 32GB only costs Apple less than $5.

The biggest increase in cost is likely due to the laminated versus non-laminated display.
 
Last edited:
Joplin said:
The 64GB storage on the Air is a good point. With the silly Apple tax on storage in mind, of course, because in the real world the price difference between 32 and 64GB is almost nothing.

I agree: if the 10.2" entry level iPad comes with 3GB RAM, I can't see it shipping with anything but 32/128GB configurations.

10.2"/3GB/64GB is basically an Air with a slightly worse screen. Then again, even with 32GB for all things and purposes it's really still an Air, with a slightly worse screen.

I don't know what to expect, though, seeing some speculations in a list like the posts above mine, it makes me wonder if Apple would be willing to cannibalize on Air sales to such an extent. I do know that if the rumored base 2019 model comes with 3GB RAM, it might be a worthy upgrade from the 2018 iPad for heavier users.
Click to expand...
Agreed. Even at 10.2"/A12/3GB/32GB, that seems way too close in specs to the iPad Air 3.

Then again, I think they're only just dropping the iPhone 7 now and will be keeping the iPhone 8 (A11/2GB) and 8+ (A11//3B) so that's possibly 10.2"/A11/2-3GB/32GB. It'll be very interesting to see how much RAM Apple puts in the new base iPad as that kinda tells us how much longer we can expect Apple to continue supporting 2GB.
 
rui no onna said:
Agreed. Even at 10.2"/A12/3GB/32GB, that seems way too close in specs to the iPad Air 3.

Then again, I think they're only just dropping the iPhone 7 now and will be keeping the iPhone 8 (A11/2GB) and 8+ (A11//3B) so that's possibly 10.2"/A11/2-3GB/32GB. It'll be very interesting to see how much RAM Apple puts in the new base iPad as that kinda tells us how much longer we can expect Apple to continue supporting 2GB.
Click to expand...

I feel that even with an A11 a 10.2" iPad would be too similar to the Air 3 to warrant a significantly lower price. At any rate my guess would be the A11 and not the A12 for the new base iPad.
 
Kuo talked about the 10.2" iPad nearly 6 months ago - it was bound to come this year.

The 10.2" model will likely use A12. I doubt Apple will release a new iPad that doesn't support ARKit 3. The A12 will be a year old by the time 10.2" is launched.

The iPad Air (2019) has a 6 month lead on using the A12. The Air also has more features including Smart Connector, True Tone, and a far better FaceTime camera. Apple doesn't mind charging $499 for those features.
 
JPack said:
Kuo talked about the 10.2" iPad nearly 6 months ago - it was bound to come this year.

The 10.2" model will likely use A12. I doubt Apple will release a new iPad that doesn't support ARKit 3. The A12 will be a year old by the time 10.2" is launched.

The iPad Air (2019) has a 6 month lead on using the A12. The Air also has more features including Smart Connector, True Tone, and a far better FaceTime camera. Apple doesn't mind charging $499 for those features.
Click to expand...
I agree. There will likely never be an A11 iPad.
 
JPack said:
Kuo talked about the 10.2" iPad nearly 6 months ago - it was bound to come this year.

The 10.2" model will likely use A12. I doubt Apple will release a new iPad that doesn't support ARKit 3. The A12 will be a year old by the time 10.2" is launched.

The iPad Air (2019) has a 6 month lead on using the A12. The Air also has more features including Smart Connector, True Tone, and a far better FaceTime camera. Apple doesn't mind charging $499 for those features.
Click to expand...
I think it could go either way.

2017 iPad: Apple A9 (2015)
2018 iPad: Apple A10 (2016)
 
JPack said:
Maybe that's something to think about. Would we prefer:

A11/3GB

or

A12/2GB?
Click to expand...
I'd rather have the A11/3GB (like iPhone 8 Plus). However, considering there is no other device with A12/2GB, I think if it does get A12 it will also have 3GB.

Apple A12
iPhone XR: 3GB
iPhone XS/XS Max: 4GB
iPad mini 5: 3GB
iPad Air 3: 3GB
 
JPack said:
The 10.2" model will likely use A12. I doubt Apple will release a new iPad that doesn't support ARKit 3. The A12 will be a year old by the time 10.2" is launched.
Click to expand...

I disagree. Even with A12 and even if this new iPad comes out, to require ARKIT3 a device must have a TrueDepth camera (in addition to the A12). Air 3 and Mini 5 don’t have TrueDepth cameras and they don’t support ARKIT3 so what do people expect a ( I assume) new iPad which is the budget model to receive it.
 
Homme said:
I disagree. Even with A12 and even if this new iPad comes out, to require ARKIT3 a device must have a TrueDepth camera (in addition to the A12). Air 3 and Mini 5 don’t have TrueDepth cameras and they don’t support ARKIT3 so what do people expect a ( I assume) new iPad which is the budget model to receive it.
Click to expand...

That only applies to apps that use multiple cameras or perform multiple face tracking. ARKit 3 apps that do motion tracking won't need the TrueDepth camera.

It's all about the A12 Neural Engine being 8X faster than A11.
 
rui no onna said:
Higher storage is an upsell for customers and another bullet point to justify upgrading to the Air 3 but that extra 32GB only costs Apple less than $5.

The biggest increase in cost is likely due to the laminated versus non-laminated display.
Click to expand...
Yes, but we’re talking about the price the customer pays, not the cost of production.

Even then, Apple wants to keep the cost of the device as low as possible, whilst maintaining a reasonable profit margin, to allow them to compete in the education market.

As others have previously said, the 6th Generation iPad is probably the best value for money device that Apple currently sells. It acts as an introduction to their ecosystem and I expect its successor to fulfil exactly the same role.

The 32GB Wi-fi 6th Generation iPad may be the least glamorous iPad that Apple makes, but it’s almost certainly the biggest seller.
 
Last edited:
AJB1971 said:
Yes, but we’re talking about the price the customer pays, not the cost of production.

Even then, Apple wants to keep the cost of the device as low as possible, whilst maintaining a reasonable profit margin, to allow them to compete in the education market.
Click to expand...
True. That said, even Apple doesn't charge $100 for 32GB upgrades anymore. Going from 64GB to 128GB on the iPhone XR was just an extra $50 (78 cents/GB), iirc.

AJB1971 said:
As others have previously said, the 6th Generation iPad is probably the best value for money device that Apple currently sells. It acts as an introduction to their ecosystem and I expect its successor to fulfil exactly the same role.

The 32GB Wi-fi 6th Generation iPad may be the least glamorous iPad that Apple makes, but it’s almost certainly the biggest seller.
Click to expand...
Oh yes, definitely agree. Even the 5th gen was a pretty good deal for its time despite the lack of Pencil support. It was a good, inexpensive upgrade for anyone who was still on an iPad 3 or older. Interestingly enough, despite similar multi-core performance as the Air 2, the 5th gen was actually noticeably faster in some tasks (likely thanks to faster storage and faster single-core).
 
€249 is a very good price. Don't forget that the recommended retail price is €359 in most European countries. If a new 10.2" model is released, initially it won't be discounted.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rui no onna
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back