iPad Air-3 Heavier than iPad Air-2 ?

[augustya]

Somebody earlier just brought this to notice of everyone that iPhone 6s is heavier than the iPhone 6 yet nobody notices it, if it is such a increase in weight between the iPad Air-2 and iPad Air-3 I guess no one including myself will have any complaints !

 

[maflynn]

that iPhone 6s is heavier than the iPhone 6 yet nobody notices it

There's a 12 page thread in the iPhone forum about the 6s weight and how many people are disappointed in it being heavier. I think this diputes the claims that people won't notice it much

 

[augustya]

There's a 12 page thread in the iPhone forum about the 6s weight and how many people are disappointed in it being heavier. I think this diputes the claims that people won't notice it much

That would be extreme Nit-Picking !

 

[maratus]

I wouldn't mind Air 1 weight and size as long as it gets better battery life and Pen support. Another must is 4GB of RAM. Otherwise I'm not interested.

My 4-year old iPad 3 is doing fine, but it finally became slow and upgrade-worthy. Air 2 with 2GB of ram could've been a nice upgrade, but I decided to wait as I didn't use it much at that time. Today in 2016 2GB simply don't give future proofing.

 

[maflynn]

That would be extreme Nit-Picking !

you mentioned that no one noticed the weight differeince between the 6 and 6s and in fact it was the subject of a lively debate. My point is that people did notice, I'm not sure how that can be qualified as nit picking.

 

[Nipommu]

i'll personally send you my ipad air 3 (ipad pro 9.7) if you can tell the difference. it will be negligible. it'll be like going from iphone 6 to iphone 6s, probably less. you are making it sound like they will produce a product waaaaay bigger and heavier than it will be

 

[augustya]

i'll personally send you my ipad air 3 (ipad pro 9.7) if you can tell the difference. it will be negligible. it'll be like going from iphone 6 to iphone 6s, probably less. you are making it sound like they will produce a product waaaaay bigger and heavier than it will be

I truly wish that whatever you have said does turn out that way ! Amen !

 

[Mr.C]

I think what it boils down to is that we are all spoilt due to the fact that the iPad Air 2 is lighter and thinner then previous iPads especially the ones prior to the original Air. It's a question of wanting our cake and eating it so to speak. In my opinion when you're talking in terms of millimetres and grams especially when it comes to a minuscule difference it's pretty negligible.

Further more once you start adding cases, covers and sleeves any weight difference is going to matter that much anyway. Those who use the iPad "naked' fair enough but I like many have a case for mine and the extra bulk and weight makes the decrease in weight unnoticeable anyway. That said if I was to get the features of the iPad Pro in a smaller form factor at a cost of slightly more weight and thickness then the iPad Air 2 which I currently own I would be OK with that. I would prefer it not to be but it's a compromise I would be willing to accept.

 

[sracer]

I think what it boils down to is that we are all spoilt due to the fact that the iPad Air 2 is lighter and thinner then previous iPads especially the ones prior to the original Air. It's a question of wanting our cake and eating it so to speak. In my opinion when you're talking in terms of millimetres and grams especially when it comes to a minuscule difference it's pretty negligible.

Further more once you start adding cases, covers and sleeves any weight difference is going to matter that much anyway. Those who use the iPad "naked' fair enough but I like many have a case for mine and the extra bulk and weight makes the decrease in weight unnoticeable anyway. That said if I was to get the features of the iPad Pro in a smaller form factor at a cost of slightly more weight and thickness then the iPad Air 2 which I currently own I would be OK with that. I would prefer it not to be but it's a compromise I would be willing to accept.

I've pretty much settled on using a smart cover and only a skin on the back of my Air 2. IMO the Air 2 is insanely thin... but you are correct people do get accustomed to what they have.

It is reasonable to expect trade-offs (size/weight vs. function) but it is possible that Apple can find a way to include support for the Pencil in a 9.7" form-factor without increasing weight/thickness.

 

[Channan]

There were people who literally complained that the 6s was 0.2mm thicker and very slightly heavier than the 6.

So really it doesn't matter if they make anything thinner/lighter or thicker/heavier, there will ALWAYS be people who complain about it. Apple will do whatever they need to do to fit the tech they want to release inside the devices. Period. No complaints of "it's too thin" or "it's too thick" will ever sway that, because it's the technology inside the devices and the engineering to make it happen that dictate that.

I never saw anyone complain about the thickness of the iPhone 6s. Maybe if you had a 6 case you really wanted to use, but I didn't even see anyone complaining about that.

 

[augustya]

I never saw anyone complain about the thickness of the iPhone 6s. Maybe if you had a 6 case you really wanted to use, but I didn't even see anyone complaining about that.

So do I ! I have never ever till now come across anyone who has been complaining about the thickness of iPhone 6s ! I mean really ? Did there exist something like that ??

 

[Sparky2012]

So do I ! I have never ever till now come across anyone who has been complaining about the thickness of iPhone 6s ! I mean really ? Did there exist something like that ??

Not trying to be argumentative but you don't mind the 6s thickness at 7.1mm but will complain if the Air 3 is even slightly thicker than the Air 2 which is already insanely thin at 6.1mm?

 

[Mr.C]

I've pretty much settled on using a smart cover and only a skin on the back of my Air 2. IMO the Air 2 is insanely thin... but you are correct people do get accustomed to what they have.

It is reasonable to expect trade-offs (size/weight vs. function) but it is possible that Apple can find a way to include support for the Pencil in a 9.7" form-factor without increasing weight/thickness.

I use a Logitech folio type case on my iPad air 2 which does add some extra weight and bulk but also offers more protection. That said I may go with just a clear TPU or polycarbonate back shell and smart cover on my next iPad. I usually carry it in one my bags anyway so it's not that big an issue. Let's hope Apple can keep the same form factor and weight or close to it and at the same time add the additional features and specifications.

 

[lagwagon]

I never saw anyone complain about the thickness of the iPhone 6s. Maybe if you had a 6 case you really wanted to use, but I didn't even see anyone complaining about that.

There were threads right around release of people complaining about the 6s being heavier than the 6 (and 6s+ being heavier than the 6+ also)

 

[aces99]

Not trying to be argumentative but you don't mind the 6s thickness at 7.1mm but will complain if the Air 3 is even slightly thicker than the Air 2 which is already insanely thin at 6.1mm?

I don't think he even knows what he is saying. He is all over the place.

 

[Channan]

There were threads right around release of people complaining about the 6s being heavier than the 6 (and 6s+ being heavier than the 6+ also)

This is all I can think when I hear that.

 

[lagwagon]

This is all I can think when I hear that.

I agree. And people did ridicule them for it. The point I was making is no matter what is done (thinner/lighter, thicker/heavier) there will always be a group of people that will complain. Even the OP is complaining that the new 9.7" might be fractions of a millimetre bigger and a few grams heavier from a device that is already only just over 6mm thick and extremely light. It won't be noticeable at all.

It's funny that people hate thinness but then rage over adding 0.2mm 5-20 grams for new technology inside the device.

 

[Channan]

I agree. And people did ridicule them for it. The point I was making is no matter what is done (thinner/lighter, thicker/heavier) there will always be a group of people that will complain. Even the OP is complaining that the new 9.7" might be fractions of a millimetre bigger and a few grams heavier from a device that is already only just over 6mm thick and extremely light. It won't be noticeable at all.

It's funny that people hate thinness but then rage over adding 0.2mm 5-20 grams for new technology inside the device.

Well I, personally, don't mind the iPad getting slightly thicker to add new features like a force touch display, Pencil support, etc., but thicker just for a bigger battery is definitely not something I want for the iPad. Definitely for phones, though, because battery life is simply not good enough on phones, IMO.

 

[lagwagon]

Well I, personally, don't mind the iPad getting slightly thicker to add new features like a force touch display, Pencil support, etc., but thicker just for a bigger battery is definitely not something I want for the iPad. Definitely for phones, though, because battery life is simply not good enough on phones, IMO.

Even on phones it's isn't exactly a huge issue. iPhones still beat out android phones that have larger batteries. Even look at the s7 edge. I've seen videos that it is only marginally better at best than a 6s+ that has almost 1000mAh less.

It's all down to software and how iOS is far more efficient. Apple also maintains a specific goal and pretty much never changes no matter what thickness the phone is.

Now could Apple put in an equally sized 3600mAh battery that's in the s7 edge and absolutely destroy any other current smartphone on the Android side? Yeah, but at the cost of having a light, easy to hold device. It doesn't need to when it already out lives nearly all other competitors. Most companies design things for the average user. The average user gets at least 1 day or more. Power users have battery add-on options for their specific heavy use needs.

It's far, far better to have a light, easy to use device and have options of adding more battery than a device that is always heavier and bulkier with no option to decrease that.

 

[Count Blah]

you mentioned that no one noticed the weight differeince between the 6 and 6s and in fact it was the subject of a lively debate. My point is that people did notice, I'm not sure how that can be qualified as nit picking.

Haven't we established that opinions here in macrumors, should be ignored as not the norm?

1 gram of difference is not something 99.999% of purchasers would notice/care about

 

[obamtl]

To the OP, I think it might help you if 0.05mm was put into perspective as to how tiny it is. Take a look at your middle finger. Now imagine if the width of your pinky was divided into 200 equal parts. One of those would be approximately 0.05mm. Another way to put it is imagine splitting a strand of hair in half. That half would still be thicker than the difference. You simply can't perceive it with a human eye, and it is well within rounding errors.

 

[Channan]

Even on phones it's isn't exactly a huge issue. iPhones still beat out android phones that have larger batteries. Even look at the s7 edge. I've seen videos that it is only marginally better at best than a 6s+ that has almost 1000mAh less.

It's all down to software and how iOS is far more efficient. Apple also maintains a specific goal and pretty much never changes no matter what thickness the phone is.

Now could Apple put in an equally sized 3600mAh battery that's in the s7 edge and absolutely destroy any other current smartphone on the Android side? Yeah, but at the cost of having a light, easy to hold device. It doesn't need to when it already out lives nearly all other competitors. Most companies design things for the average user. The average user gets at least 1 day or more. Power users have battery add-on options for their specific heavy use needs.

It's far, far better to have a light, easy to use device and have options of adding more battery than a device that is always heavier and bulkier with no option to decrease that.

To be fair, even though the Galaxy S7 Edge is a tad thicker, it's still 89% and 87% the volume of the iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6s Plus respectively, so overall it's still more compact than the Plus iPhones even with a bigger battery.

But the Plus isn't really the issue. The Plus does already get pretty good battery life, since it's much larger than the standard iPhone so it has a much larger battery. The smaller iPhone could stand to be a tad fatter to give it a good-sized battery.

 

[lagwagon]

To be fair, even though the Galaxy S7 Edge is a tad thicker, it's still 89% and 87% the volume of the iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6s Plus respectively, so overall it's still more compact than the Plus iPhones even with a bigger battery.

But the Plus isn't really the issue. The Plus does already get pretty good battery life, since it's much larger than the standard iPhone so it has a much larger battery. The smaller iPhone could stand to be a tad fatter to give it a good-sized battery.

The point I was saying though is.

It's better to have a device lighter with options to add battery for those who need it.

VS

A device thicker and heavier with no way of making it thinner or lighter when that extra battery is not needed.

This is why I never get all the "I want more battery" comments over and over every year. It's easy to add battery with the dozens and dozens of battery cases already available without penalizing everyone who doesn't need it.

 

[bufffilm]

It's easy to add battery with the dozens and dozens of battery cases already available without penalizing everyone who doesn't need it.

Please point me to the dozens and dozens of battery cases for the 6s.

Exaggerate much?

 

[Channan]

The point I was saying though is.

It's better to have a device lighter with options to add battery for those who need it.

VS

A device thicker and heavier with no way of making it thinner or lighter when that extra battery is not needed.

This is why I never get all the "I want more battery" comments over and over every year. It's easy to add battery with the dozens and dozens of battery cases already available without penalizing everyone who doesn't need it.

I don't do cases, and a battery case takes multiple times more space than a battery built inside the iPhone would require. I've seen battery cases as thick as the iPhone itself with less capacity than the built-in battery.