All iPads iPad Air is such an underwhelming update it is a shame

[LovingTeddy]

The new iPad Air seems very handicapped and not worth the dollar value it holds. The old 10.5inch iPad Pro is cheaper as refurbished section. It is really hard to recommend new iPad Air when old iPad Pro is cheaper. There are several reasons for that:

1. The old iPad Pro has Promotion technology. This is important for Apple Pencil While i do not notice drastically differentm, but the difference is there.

2. The quad speaker makes all the difference. It is such nice thing to have quad speaker system. The two speaker system is lacking.

3. Camera system is still very outdated. No HDR support, No 4 K recording, no flash. Just very outdated camera system.

4. RAM. The old 10.5inch iPad has 4GB of system RAM while iPad Air has only 3. If you ask me which is more future proofing, I think it is the 10.5 iPad Pro.

5. The A10X processor is not far behind A12 process found on the iPad Air. The iPad Air is basically iPad version of iPhone XR. While iPhone XR gets 4794 single core and 11215 on mutli-core and A10X gets 3916 single core and 9345 multi-core. This is not a big margin at all.

Overall, I think the iPad Air is very lackluster update. iPad Pro 10.5 is not only cheaper as refurbished unit, but also very close in performance while provide better display, speaker, cameras. To me, iPad Air is a downgrade iPad Pro 10.5. Anyone who is actually looking replacing their old iPad really should look at refurbished iPad Pro or used one.

iPad mini update on other is very good for a good price. If you are on budget, the 2018 iPad is not a bad choice at all. There are plenty of deals around for brand new 2018 iPad.

Overall, I think Apple should just update the 2018 iPad to A12 and throwing 3GB RAM and charge little bit more. Also I really found odd that Apple update its iPad and choose to adopt first generation Apple Pencil. Isn’t Apple is all about moving forward with new technology?

 

[MacDevil7334]

The new iPad Air seems very handicapped and not worth the dollar value it holds. The old 10.5inch iPad Pro is cheaper as refurbished section. It is really hard to recommend new iPad Air when old iPad Pro is cheaper. There are several reasons for that:

1. The old iPad Pro has Promotion technology. This is important for Apple Pencil While i do not notice drastically differentm, but the difference is there.

2. The quad speaker makes all the difference. It is such nice thing to have quad speaker system. The two speaker system is lacking.

3. Camera system is still very outdated. No HDR support, No 4 K recording, no flash. Just very outdated camera system.

4. RAM. The old 10.5inch iPad has 4GB of system RAM while iPad Air has only 3. If you ask me which is more future proofing, I think it is the 10.5 iPad Pro.

5. The A10X processor is not far behind A12 process found on the iPad Air. The iPad Air is basically iPad version of iPhone XR. While iPhone XR gets 4794 single core and 11215 on mutli-core and A10X gets 3916 single core and 9345 multi-core. This is not a big margin at all.

Overall, I think the iPad Air is very lackluster update. iPad Pro 10.5 is not only cheaper as refurbished unit, but also very close in performance while provide better display, speaker, cameras. To me, iPad Air is a downgrade iPad Pro 10.5. Anyone who is actually looking replacing their old iPad really should look at refurbished iPad Pro or used one.

iPad mini update on other is very good for a good price. If you are on budget, the 2018 iPad is not a bad choice at all. There are plenty of deals around for brand new 2018 iPad.

You’re comparing the list price of the Air to the refurbished price of the Pro. That’s not really a fair comparison.

Some sites are selling off remaining inventory of 10.5” Pros for $499 new (same as the Air). At that same price, I would recommend the Pro as well for the reasons you outlined. But, as the discounts start happening, the Air will be sold for less than the price of the Pro. Neither the 10.5” Air or Pro will really be sold for their list prices. The Air starts $150 cheaper, so it will be cheaper than the Pro when discounted too. The lower price inevitably comes with compromises in components.

 

[JPack]

Much of it comes down to how much you value 2 years additional iOS updates the iPad Air will receive. The 10.5" Pro uses the A10 family, so updates will end with iOS 14, maybe 15.

It's also fair to note you're comparing a refurbished product with a new product.

 

[LovingTeddy]

You’re comparing the list price of the Air to the refurbished price of the Pro. That’s not really a fair comparison.

Some sites are selling off remaining inventory of 10.5” Pros for $499 new (same as the Air). At that same price, I would recommend the Pro as well for the reasons you outlined. But, as the discounts start happening, the Air will be sold for less than the price of the Pro. Neither the 10.5” Air or Pro will really be sold for their list prices. The Air starts $150 cheaper, so it will be cheaper than the Pro when discounted too. The lower price inevitably comes with compromises in components.

Much of it comes down to how much you value 2 years additional iOS updates the iPad Air will receive. The 10.5" Pro uses the A10 family, so updates will end with iOS 14, maybe 15.

It's also fair to note you're comparing a refurbished product with a new product.

There are will always be discounted iPad Pro on the market, either used or refurbished. Heck, the iPad Pro 9.7inch is still on Apple’s refurbished site.

iPad Pro 10.5 is clearly better choice over iPad Air 3 just by the screen, speaker system and camera system. Simply iPad Pro 10.5 offer better bang of the buck when go refurbished.

iPad Pro 10.5 is not far behind on performance. Therefore, i think iPad Pro will handle future update reasonably well.

 

[JPack]

There are will always be discounted iPad Pro on the market, either used or refurbished. Heck, the iPad Pro 9.7inch is still on Apple’s refurbished site.

iPad Pro 10.5 is clearly better choice over iPad Air 3 just by the screen, speaker system and camera system. Simply iPad Pro 10.5 offer better bang of the buck when go refurbished.

iPad Pro 10.5 is not far behind on performance. Therefore, i think iPad Pro will handle future update reasonably well.

Refurbished is still refurbished, meaning Apple only guarantees the enclosure and battery have been replaced. For some people, this might not matter. For others, they might not have access to refurbished products but have access to edu discounts.

 

[sracer]

The new iPad Air seems very handicapped and not worth the dollar value it holds. The old 10.5inch iPad Pro is cheaper as refurbished section. It is really hard to recommend new iPad Air when old iPad Pro is cheaper.

The 10.5 Air wasn't intended to be an update to the 10.5 Pro. The 11" Pro was. Apple has started overlapping models to temporarily offer a wider range of options. The Air can be considered an update to the 2018 iPad (non-Pro).

I suspect that the 2018 9.7 iPad will be discontinued in Oct/Nov of this year.

 

[Beachguy]

Honestly, when I first saw it, I was very underwhelmed.

 

[rui no onna]

The 10.5 Air wasn't intended to be an update to the 10.5 Pro. The 11" Pro was. Apple has started overlapping models to temporarily offer a wider range of options. The Air can be considered an update to the 2018 iPad (non-Pro).

More like an update to the iPad Air 2.

Caveat with the refurb iPad Pro 10.5, limited supplies. There's no guarantee of availability. Nice if you can get one in your desired configuration, though.

 

[MacDevil7334]

The 10.5 Air wasn't intended to be an update to the 10.5 Pro. The 11" Pro was. Apple has started overlapping models to temporarily offer a wider range of options. The Air can be considered an update to the 2018 iPad (non-Pro).

This. If Apple had introduced the new Air at the same price as the previous 10.5” Pro, the trade offs would certainly have been disappointing. But Apple didn’t do that. Instead, they downgraded a few features that average consumers (notice I did not say the people who hang out on these forums) don’t care about and lowered the price by a comparable amount.

If you can get a 10.5” Pro at the same $499 price as the new Air while retailers are clearing out stock, by all means go for the Pro. But, once stock is gone, you need to look at the Air for what it is: a notable upgrade over the entry level $329 iPad that offers most of the features of the iPad Pro line but at the traditional iPad price of $499. Taken in that light, the new Air is honestly a pretty good value for most consumers. Yes, it doesn’t look as good up against the 10.5” Pro (much like the 2017 9.7” iPad didn’t look great against the Air 2 it was replacing). But, that situation will only last a few weeks as retailers clear out stock.

 

[Mackinjosh]

Hopefully one of the upgrades of the new Air is that it doesn't develop bright spots on the screen. I've never seen a 10.5 iPad Pro in any display unit that didn't have the issue.

 

[LovingTeddy]

The 10.5 Air wasn't intended to be an update to the 10.5 Pro. The 11" Pro was. Apple has started overlapping models to temporarily offer a wider range of options. The Air can be considered an update to the 2018 iPad (non-Pro).

I suspect that the 2018 9.7 iPad will be discontinued in Oct/Nov of this year.

I don’t know about that.. If Apple were to discountinue iPad in Oct/Nov time frame, they better comes up with something replace it at this price range. If not, then the iPad starting price would be 400 dollars with that iPad mini 5.

While mini 5 is option, but i suspect this is only meant for pleasing small group of people. Majority of people would go for bigger 9.7 iPad. This will increasing starting price to nearly 500 dollars (and 650 in Canada plus tax would be 734 dollars). I highly doubt average users would justified to spend that kind of cash on iPad.

 

[sracer]

I don’t know about that.. If Apple were to discountinue iPad in Oct/Nov time frame, they better comes up with something replace it at this price range. If not, then the iPad starting price would be 400 dollars with that iPad mini 5.

$499 has been the traditional starting price point for the iPad. The low cost iPad was targeted at schools and may continue to be sold through those channels. (in much the same way that the iPad 2 was sold to schools after they ceased to be available to regular consumers)

I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything, just indicating that people shouldn't be surprised if the 9.7 2018 iPad gets discontinued this Oct/Nov. (for perspective, months ago I explained that the 10.5 Pro would be discontinued in March 2019... just sayin')

 

[AJB1971]

If the new Air is discounted to the same degree as the 6th generation iPad then I can see it becoming a compelling proposition for a lot of people.

The Pro models appeal to those wanting the very latest technology, but they don’t offer value for money for a lot of users. The lack of updates suggests that the Mini is very much a niche model. That leaves a choice for most people between the 6th generation iPad, which is aimed at the budget/education market, and the new Air.

I still think that Apple will replace the 6th generation iPad shortly, but it’s likely to be a very minor update - A11 processor and the 10.2" display.

 

[EugW]

Much of it comes down to how much you value 2 years additional iOS updates the iPad Air will receive. The 10.5" Pro uses the A10 family, so updates will end with iOS 14, maybe 15.

Nah. The iPad Air 2 started with iOS 8, and my guess is it will end with at least iOS 13, or possibly even iOS 14.

The iPad Pro 10.5 started with iOS 10, and my guess it will end with at least iOS 15, and possibly even iOS 16.

Remember, everything from the 2013 iPad Air and up are supported by iOS 12, and the iPad Air 2 has twice the RAM of the iPad Air. Given that the 2017 iPad Pro 10.5" has twice the RAM of the 2017 iPad, I wouldn't be surprised to see the 2017 iPad Pro 10.5" get one more extra year of support vs. the 2017 iPad. The 2019 iPad may outlast the 2017 iPad Pro 10.5 for iOS updates, but if that happens, I wouldn't be surprised if it's only by one year, considering that the 2017 iPad Pro has 33% more RAM, and the CPU performance is quite close.

 

[LovingTeddy]

$499 has been the traditional starting price point for the iPad. The low cost iPad was targeted at schools and may continue to be sold through those channels. (in much the same way that the iPad 2 was sold to schools after they ceased to be available to regular consumers)

I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything, just indicating that people shouldn't be surprised if the 9.7 2018 iPad gets discontinued this Oct/Nov. (for perspective, months ago I explained that the 10.5 Pro would be discontinued in March 2019... just sayin')

iPad sale has been declining year over year before the 329 dollar iPad introduced around 2017 with iPad 5th generation (talking about Apple’s confusing naming scheme). If Apple wants its iPad sale to decline again, then i think they would discontinue iPad 2018.

I would very surprised that Apple does not offer some short of replacement product for 2018 iPad. That would be huge mistake at Apple’s part. Mainwhile, iPad Pro 10.5 still offer much bang of bucks compare with the iPad Air 3red generation.

 

[JPack]

Nah. The iPad Air 2 started with iOS 8, and my guess is it will end with at least iOS 13, or possibly even iOS 14.

The iPad Pro 10.5 started with iOS 10, and my guess it will end with at least iOS 15, and possibly even iOS 16.

Remember, everything from the 2013 iPad Air and up are supported by iOS 12, and the iPad Air 2 has twice the RAM of the iPad Air. Given that the 2017 iPad Pro 10.5" has twice the RAM of the 2017 iPad, I wouldn't be surprised to see the 2017 iPad Pro 10.5" get one more extra year of support vs. the 2017 iPad. The 2019 iPad may outlast the 2017 iPad Pro 10.5 for iOS updates, but if that happens, I wouldn't be surprised if it's only by one year, considering that the 2017 iPad Pro has 33% more RAM, and the CPU performance is quite close.

iOS 13 should confirm if Apple stops iOS updates based on RAM or processor.

If iPhone 5s/iPad Air are dropped but not iPhone 6, we'll know it's memory.
[doublepost=1553116229][/doublepost]

iPad sale has been declining year over year before the 329 dollar iPad introduced around 2017 with iPad 5th generation (talking about Apple’s confusing naming scheme). If Apple wants its iPad sale to decline again, then i think they would discontinue iPad 2018.

I would very surprised that Apple does not offer some short of replacement product for 2018 iPad. That would be huge mistake at Apple’s part. Mainwhile, iPad Pro 10.5 still offer much bang of bucks compare with the iPad Air 3red generation.

Apple literally says on their webpage the $329 iPad is "Our most popular iPad."

The 2 most credible people in the industry have said Apple is updating the entry level iPad this year. Apple has 3 more iPad models coming based on EEC registration. It would be absurd to believe the entry level iPad isn't getting updated.

 

[EugW]

iOS 13 should confirm if Apple stops iOS updates based on RAM or processor.

If iPhone 5s/iPad Air are dropped but not iPhone 6, we'll know it's memory.

iPhone 6 only has 1 GB RAM too.

 

[joeblow7777]

$499 has been the traditional starting price point for the iPad. The low cost iPad was targeted at schools and may continue to be sold through those channels. (in much the same way that the iPad 2 was sold to schools after they ceased to be available to regular consumers)

I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything, just indicating that people shouldn't be surprised if the 9.7 2018 iPad gets discontinued this Oct/Nov. (for perspective, months ago I explained that the 10.5 Pro would be discontinued in March 2019... just sayin')

I’m betting that you’re wrong this time. Apple won’t discontinue the standard “iPad” without a new model in the same price range to replace it. iPads hadn’t been selling well for a while and I think the 5th and 6th Gen iPads with their fair specs and price helped a lot.

 

[Donar]

I think i will upgrade from iPad 2018 to iPad Air 2019. Not because i need a new iPad but i want to get rid of the iPad mini 2 my daughter is using. She will get the the iPad 2018 then.

I do not use the Speakers that much, and my Apple Pencil hardly get‘s used. 3GB of RAM should be enough for the things i am doing with the Air 2019. I think getting a better CPU matters more than getting more than 3GB of RAM for the things i am doing. => e.g. Swift Playgrounds is much faster on my iPad 2018 than on the iPad Air 2 of my son, both have 2GB of RAM.

The iPad Air 2019 will probably go to my son when my old iPad Air 2 (which replaced his iPad mini 1) will get to slow to play his favourite games.

 

[EugW]

I’m betting that you’re wrong this time. Apple won’t discontinue the standard “iPad” without a new model in the same price range to replace it. iPads hadn’t been selling well for a while and I think the 5th and 6th Gen iPads with their fair specs and price helped a lot.

Agreed. Apple is moving toward a three tiered sales model. They did that for the iPhone, and now they're doing that for the iPad.

If you think about it though, they kind of had a low priced tier already even back in the iPad Air days. That low priced tier was the iPad 2, which they kept around for a long time. It was released March 2011, and wasn't discontinued until 3 years later in March 2014.

 

[sracer]

I’m betting that you’re wrong this time. Apple won’t discontinue the standard “iPad” without a new model in the same price range to replace it. iPads hadn’t been selling well for a while and I think the 5th and 6th Gen iPads with their fair specs and price helped a lot.

It seems to me that the overly aggressive sales on the 2018 iPad are part of the plan... give everyone who wants one every reason to buy one. By Oct/Nov most of those who wanted one will have bought one. Apple is NOT in the commodity tech market and even though they're making money on the 2018 iPad, they don't want that low price to be the new normal.

 

[LovingTeddy]

It seems to me that the overly aggressive sales on the 2018 iPad are part of the plan... give everyone who wants one every reason to buy one. By Oct/Nov most of those who wanted one will have bought one. Apple is NOT in the commodity tech market and even though they're making money on the 2018 iPad, they don't want that low price to be the new normal.

I think it is already the new normal as Apple has pushed the 329 price pointed started aroun 2017 for 5th generation iPad. Then iPad sales starting to climbing right after that.

I think that Apple will either keep the 6th generation iPad until next March and replaced it with the current iPad Air at lower prices point or replace it with something different. Apple has done that before with iPad 2 and iPad mini hang around for quite few years now,.

I think Apple would position 9.7 inch iPad as general entry level iPad, 10.5 inch iPad as mid-tire iPad and 11 and 12.9 inch iPad as higher tire of iPad. This makes perfect sense.

Apple is doing the same with Mac line up, where the MacBook Air being the entry level, MacBook Air as mid-tire and MacBook Pro as higher end. Mac mini in entry level, iMac in mid-tire and iMac Pro and MacPro are in highest tire.

Where Apple has even four tire iPhone right now.
[doublepost=1553356713][/doublepost]After careful consideration, I purchased refurbished 6th generation iPad for my wife to replace her 2017 5th generation iPad. To me, the iPad Air is still not worth the asking price. Even though A12 bunch marked lot higher than A10, but day to day usage doesn’t seems to reflect that.