Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPad Air 5 Reviews: Great Value With M1 Chip at $599 Starting Price
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Why doesn’t Macrumors get review units too? Come on, this site has been around when Apple was struggling. Macrumors should even be on Apples board of directors at this point.
The screen on the Pro is brighter (500 vs 600 nits) and includes ProMotion. The Pro also includes FaceID, which I’ve come to vastly prefer over TouchID especially when my iPad is docked with the Magic Keyboard. The other key difference is you can upgrade to higher storage capacities and higher RAM amounts on more expensive Pro models.
I think The Verge made it clear for potential buyers this time:
If you are in hesitation, then get the iPad Air, it’s a nice-to-have, nice-to-use tablet. But if you know and really value what iPad Pro offers, get the Pro.
With higher-end iPads all featuring M1 and 8GB of RAM, it’s time for iPadOS to make a leap forward.
If you are in hesitation, then get the iPad Air, it’s a nice-to-have, nice-to-use tablet. But if you know and really value what iPad Pro offers, get the Pro.
With higher-end iPads all featuring M1 and 8GB of RAM, it’s time for iPadOS to make a leap forward.
The problem with the Pro is that once you're paying that much, you might as well get a Macbook, which is a far more capable system.
I can't justify a Pro. It makes no sense when a Macbook Air actually costs LESS (than the Pro + Keyboard) and does far more. They even have the same freaking CPU now, and the M1 Macs can run most iPad apps.
I am reading others in these forums, once again, stating that iPadOS is limiting and that the “power” of the M1 chip is not being utilized.
What it seems to me is that most of these users just don’t use the many “professional” vertical apps developed as custom B2B solutions or vertical professional markets. My firm develops apps for real estate, medical offices, and production companies that are extremely powerful and run faster on better chip hardware. It utilizes the camera hardware, Apple Pencil, and battery efficiency better— as such, our pro apps are better than apps developed for traditional laptop computers.
I hope this offers another perspective on professional use cases for the current iPadOS. I am certainly not opposed to iPad further improving, but the conversation needs to be reframed regarding the current iPads.
What it seems to me is that most of these users just don’t use the many “professional” vertical apps developed as custom B2B solutions or vertical professional markets. My firm develops apps for real estate, medical offices, and production companies that are extremely powerful and run faster on better chip hardware. It utilizes the camera hardware, Apple Pencil, and battery efficiency better— as such, our pro apps are better than apps developed for traditional laptop computers.
I hope this offers another perspective on professional use cases for the current iPadOS. I am certainly not opposed to iPad further improving, but the conversation needs to be reframed regarding the current iPads.
I think that the definition of "value" here may be a bit subjective. $150 between Air 256GB and Pro 11" 256GB isn't just a few pennies. That's a 20% increase for a somewhat brighter screen (100nits) with variable refresh ProMotion and some extra cameras. Personally, I never use the rear facing cameras on my iPad - it's just awkward, bulky, and my iPhone is so much more convenient.
Extend that further and provide a comparison is the same units with cellular connectivity.
iPad Air 256GB + 5G - $899
iPad Pro 11" 256GB + 5G - $1099
Now the cost difference grew by an additional $50 which adds the mmWave features for the Pro and makes the total increase 22% over the similar Air.
So, the question then is whether you want to pay $200 / 22% more for 100nits, ProMotion, extra cameras, and mmWave? For me, those features aren't going to be of enough added benefit to justify the increase. Plus, the Air is available in a nice range of colors that the Pro models don't offer.
TBH, you don't know what you are talking about. You probably view everything through your own eyes rather than try to understand what others see or want. I bought the iPad Air 2020 64GB and it has plenty of storage. But I don't play arcade games, take photos or videos on it, try to use it for a laptop replacement, etc. Let us face facts, iPadOS is a pathetic OS that doesn't even have a truly usable filing system, so laptop replacement is out of the question. The Air 4 is plenty powerful for an iPad that is basically only good enough for web surfing, viewing media, social networking, and lighter tasks such as that. iPads, even the iPad Pros, are no good for doing professional tasks like editing RAW images and video. Even spreadsheet maintenance on an iPad sucks. That is because iPadOS sucks. So I bet a lot of people who bought the Air 4, and lot of people who buy the Air 5, will go for the 64GB mdel.
TBH, you fit the definition you portrayed on me also, your usage does not correlate with others. i have a 12inch pro with 128gb, no arcade, just couple photos and videos, and some downloaded tv from netflix, that alone is pushing 20gb. my usage is fairly common, and it is expected within the regular realm of usage most people pay for a ipad for personal use. when you pay the price apple is charging for the next ONLY upgrade tier for storage, you might as well pay the small difference between the pro and the air.
probably, companies and firms would most likely by the base since its for business practices, there is a market for that, the corporate market. but for most personal use, 64gb is just too 2015.
Don't forget to add that the Pro models also have quad-speaker, FaceID, Thunderbolt 4 USB-C (vs USB-C Gen2), better mic system
I am not versed on the resale of non-Apple items. You could enlighten me there maybe? Are Windows PC and Samsung phones catching up in terms of resale value? I would think the lack of long term support would be prohibitive.
Recent examples:
I paid $250 for my Apple Watch SE and I could sell it for $150 if I was inclined. A ~two year old iPad Air 4 is reselling for over $400 when I paid $549 brand new.
What more do you want? The 13 Pro I have would sell for around $1000 on eBay, I think I paid about that for it new.
I know they've got their margins to make, but 64 GB base is a little insulting for the price. Also, would like to get one with cellular at some point, but $150 is a bit steep when it will mostly be used on Wi-Fi.
If paying a premium for internal for storage insults you, you're invested in the wrong tech eco-system or need thicker skin. This has been the Apple way for years. 64gb really is acceptable on a base device, they want you to optimize into the iCloud anyway for your long term storage. I pony up on the laptop to get a large dedicated drive, that's my hard copy of my Cloud. For iOS and iPadOS, I don't see the point in a whole lot of storage unless you have specialized business needs on the road or are an avid gamer enthusiast.
For my kids, we have three 256GB Airs and they manage to use about 1/2 to 2/3.
This ^ I’m keeping my fingers crossed that M1 in the iPad Air is a hint that pro apps (like Logic Pro, which I use) are coming to iPadOS. I have the 4th gen air, and I will use it until it wears out unless my iPadOS dream comes true.
If you need 64GB or 256GB, the iPad Air is likely the better value device. If you need 128GB, then the iPad Pro is probably the better value one.