With the current iPad Pro being lighter and thinner, what do you think the future of iPad Air will be like? I mean, even the name itself is no longer fitting. What can Apple really do to keep Air appealing, apart from its lower price? I could think of adding an OLED screen with ProMotion to it, but what else could they do without sabotaging iPad Pro?
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iPad Air iPad Air future?
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I actually think if Apple goes to OLED this year the iPad Pro’s will get thicker cause they’ll get an M5 and probably a vapor chamber. If so then I could see the current Pro chassis’ tricking down to the Air and there you go, the thinnest Air ever.
I don’t think iPad Air will get refreshed this year, so no OLED for it yet. iPad Pro could be refreshed as soon as this October, so we will see what happens to it then. Any Air improvements will still remain a mystery, however.
With the base iPhone getting ProMotion this year, I’m hopeful that the iPad Air will get it at the next refresh. It’s the only reason I go for the Pro usually.
I don’t see the point of the Air
Might as well just have the base iPad and the Pro
Might as well just have the base iPad and the Pro
I don’t see the point of the base model. Keep the air and the pro.
Apple toys aren't cheap. People will pay up for the air as the low priced option. With the education discount they both drop in price. Everyone can get it price reduction. They didn’t even ask for proof when I bought my newest iPad.
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The mid-tier price point, the current Air starts at $599, the Pro - at $999. So it is a $400 difference, which is not negligible for many people. In comparison, the price difference between iPhone Air and Pro Max is $200.
I just went through this decision making process. I went with the 11" iPad Air to replace my 1st gen 11" iPad Pro. I never really used the Pro to it's full potential so that is why I went with the Air.
I could not see going with the standard 11" iPad since it really isn't a performance boost with the A16 chip over the 1st Gen 11" Pro with the A12X chip. Plus neither supports Apple Intelligence.
I decided to save the money with the iPad Air since I won't use all of the features on the iPad Pro. I decided to stick with the 11" as that suits my needs best.
This is one of the reasons I went with the Air instead of the Pro. The other being my use case and not needing all of the Pro's features.
I could not see going with the standard 11" iPad since it really isn't a performance boost with the A16 chip over the 1st Gen 11" Pro with the A12X chip. Plus neither supports Apple Intelligence.
I decided to save the money with the iPad Air since I won't use all of the features on the iPad Pro. I decided to stick with the 11" as that suits my needs best.
This is one of the reasons I went with the Air instead of the Pro. The other being my use case and not needing all of the Pro's features.
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And most people don’t need a pro. If Apple put promotion lcd screens in the iPad Air then it would make it even harder to justify the pro model.
I have an m1 iPad Air and I have had it for 3 years now and it has been the best tablet I’ve ever owned. It has its limitations but for how I use a tablet the air is perfectly suited.
I still like the lcd screens over Oled, even mini led would be preferred but again a nice quality 90hz lcd screen with pro motion would be good enough. M4 on an air would be pretty amazing to me.
I also have an M1 Air, which is perfectly fine for everything I do, but with the new Pro being thinner and lighter now, Apple will also need to change the chassis, IMO, to still make sense of the Air name. According to the latest leaks, the new Pro won’t have any design changes, just more RAM and an M5. Apparently no front-facing double-cameras either.
So what will Apple do with their Air line in the spring 2026 then? A better screen would be good and a lighter body would be great too. I would really like of they could use the same strategy as with iPhone Air this year - same great screens as iPhone Pro in a much slimmer and lighter chassis.
I think so, too. The iPad Airs needs to be made „airy“ again.
For me, the Mini also belongs to the Air family. Just the 9" version. But they won't drop the iconic name 'mini'.
But I have no idea how they could achieve that.
For me, the Mini also belongs to the Air family. Just the 9" version. But they won't drop the iconic name 'mini'.
But I have no idea how they could achieve that.
When the watch industry was competing to produce the thinnest watch in the late 1960s and early 1970s, it did the following.
Watches are like iPads. They have a case and a circuit board with the axles for the moving parts. So they drilled the axle bearings into the case and left out the circuit board. That way, they could get below 1 mm. This principle lives on in Swatch watches in a simple (because inexpensive) form.
At the same time, cars also moved away from frames to self-supporting bodies.
So the iPad Air's case could also serves as the battery case. And the electronic components are mounted directly.
Ifixit will love this.
Watches are like iPads. They have a case and a circuit board with the axles for the moving parts. So they drilled the axle bearings into the case and left out the circuit board. That way, they could get below 1 mm. This principle lives on in Swatch watches in a simple (because inexpensive) form.
At the same time, cars also moved away from frames to self-supporting bodies.
So the iPad Air's case could also serves as the battery case. And the electronic components are mounted directly.
Ifixit will love this.
Air is the mid-range product. Apple doesn't need to do anything special.
Most people using iPad are consuming content. Base iPad lacks display lamination. The Pro is too much.
Price is a huge motivator for consumers.
Most people using iPad are consuming content. Base iPad lacks display lamination. The Pro is too much.
Price is a huge motivator for consumers.
I just received my iPad Air this morning and have it all setup. The M3 chip is definitely faster than the A12X chip in my 2018 11" iPad Pro. So far I am liking the Air. It will take a bit to get use to the Touch ID. Face ID has me spoiled. But I also saved quite a bit by going with the Air.
I would have agreed with this before Pro got so much slimmer. Now, however, the very name Air applied to the current models does not make much sense any more, so I guess Apple will need to get it somewhat slimmer and lighter at the next revision.
Apple spends a ton on r&d for a new hardware design. Say for example the iPad Air. It is a similar design to the pro but deviates in significant ways.
Manufacturing costs are expensive up front but drop significantly over time and Apple will squeeze as much time out of a hardware design as possible and as consumers we benefit.
I feel until the iPad Pro has a major hardware redesign the air will be second so I don’t see any major cosmetic changes. They could change the screen by adding a 120 hz LCD panel similar to the previous air model. With the pro having Oled the air with IPS display is a significant enough difference for Apple to get people to buy the pro over the air. At the same time the lcd IPs tech is older and cheaper than OLED or mini led. This offers Apple the cost advantage to components used in the air.
So Pro gets all the latest and greatest tech and you pay the most for it. Apple leverages old hardware and hardware designs from pro models to air models over time. Apple has reduced manufacturing costs by using components that are older downstream the product line. Apple has made this technique an art. It is smart in my opinion and has several advantages.
So as we are not going to see any major hardware redesigns on any iPads the changes will be internal or component refresh like better screen, more ram or storage and faster cpu. The look and thickness will be identical on all models until they refresh the design. Apple plans to use hardware for a set amount of time in advance and refreshes internals like cpu/ram, storage, cameras, screen tech. And when I say screen tech I mean minor changes like exactly same tech screen with a faster refresh rate or louder speakers, etc.
Since iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 air both have 120hz refresh rate it is likely that the air line including MacBook and iPad may get 120hz screens. If this happens in subsequent releases then one of the major sticking points on the air line will be resolved as most mid range and budget Android tablets and Windows laptops have 120hz screens and this will bring the air (Apple's mid-range) feature parity with the competition.
In terms of hardware redesign I doubt the internal upgrades to the air line would require any changes at all in hardware design. Apple likes scales of economy make their products more profitable over time and allow to be very competitive on price. Pro hardware might be the only exception to this in rare occasions.
If you can get the next iPad air with m4 and 120hz lcd screen and no other major changes would be enough for me to upgrade or at least consider it where as before if they just updated the processor I would just ignore and keep waiting. The m1 5th Gen iPad air is so good that it is tempting to keep as long as possible.
In terms of hardware redesign I doubt the internal upgrades to the air line would require any changes at all in hardware design. Apple likes scales of economy make their products more profitable over time and allow to be very competitive on price. Pro hardware might be the only exception to this in rare occasions.
If you can get the next iPad air with m4 and 120hz lcd screen and no other major changes would be enough for me to upgrade or at least consider it where as before if they just updated the processor I would just ignore and keep waiting. The m1 5th Gen iPad air is so good that it is tempting to keep as long as possible.
I will like to see some improvements to the iPad Air that you wouldn't expect in the Pro lineup though every tech now and days seems to be oh so predictable, Promotion- Oled- Vapor Chamber CPUs they are all expected down the line due to its availability from the higher "Pro" standpoint
Though I am ready and excited for it, I think Apple should add upgrades that maybe you wouldn't see in the Pro lineup, like for instance Design- I believe the iPad could do so much better having a different design than its comparison to the iPad Pro, they look very similar
Though I am ready and excited for it, I think Apple should add upgrades that maybe you wouldn't see in the Pro lineup, like for instance Design- I believe the iPad could do so much better having a different design than its comparison to the iPad Pro, they look very similar
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Absolutely but the iPad Air since 2020 is basically a 2018 iPP with upgraded chip/RAM, but inferior display and speakers. It needs a redesign.
Currently it is struggling with identity unlike the macbook air and iphone air.
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I think you’re overthinking it, the air is just a name for a mid-tier iPad. Sure it doesn’t follow the naming conventions of other Apple products but that’s not a big deal.
