iPad Air Ipad Air no sense

[Steven Blink]

I have an iPad Air and I remember when this series was born to offer compact dimensions and less weight, it was named Air for that purpose.
But what's the point now?
It has the same dimensions and weight as the basic iPad and is larger than the iPad Pro.
Does it still make sense to produce the Air? Wouldn't it be better to offer the basic iPad that does everything, and the iPad Pro for professionals?
At the Apple Store, they told me that the Air is bought by those who want a Pro but can't spend that much, but they mainly sell the basic iPad, and true professionals buy the iPad Pro.

 

[vanilla_prison]

I agree that the Air moniker doesn’t make sense anymore, now that the Pro is actually the thinnest and lightest model. I will say, though, that I think there should still be a middle of the road option for the reasons you already listed. Not everyone wants to spend 1k+ on an iPad, but they are willing to spend a little extra for features like a laminated display, M series chip, and 13” variant. I think that the Air still has a solid place in the lineup, but that they should go the route of the iPhone models. Many people would still love the Pro if it was a little bigger and heavier, especially if that meant it was that way to accommodate more pro features. Things like bigger battery, more ports, vapor chamber, etc would be welcome additions.

 

[snipr125]

Yeah the iPad Air desperately needs a re design in the same style as the iPhone Air/Macbook Air. The whole point of the Air line is that it is thin and light, but the iPP M4/M5 has those features locked in.

 

[JPack]

Given the success of the 17 Pro/Max this year, Apple will likely adopt the same ideas about form factor and features with iPad Pro.

 

[JTK Awesome]

Apple needs an across-the-board reset for both # of tiers and naming of tiers for each product.

Maybe every product should be offered in 3 models: SE -> Pro -> Max ?

My $0.02. But Tim Cook never listens to me so here we are.

 

[menju]

it needs thiner bezels too

 

[Greenmeenie]

While I agree that Apple has strayed from the meaning of the word AIR in their iPad segment, i still think the iPad Air makes sense for most people in that it comes with many pro features for a much cheaper price. It is a great iPad which makes sense for the majority of iPad users. Having said that, it is kinda weird that the iPad Air is thicker than the iPad Pro. Meanwhile the Macbook Air and the iPhone Air are both much thinner than their counterparts. Perhaps Apple will change this incongruity with their nomenclature in the future? I dunno 🤷‍♂️

 

[Abazigal]

I kinda get why Apple is segmenting their iPads the way they do.

• iPad Pro. The most advanced features and technology for the most demanding workflows.
• iPad Air. Pro features at a more affordable price (eg: stage manager).
• iPad mini. A small screen / form factor.
• iPad. Budget priced, while still sporting decent performance.

If there is just the iPad Air and iPad Pro, you end up with there being no iPad at an entry-level price, or the iPad Air being priced low enough that it starts eating into iPad Pro sales. Each exists so that Apple is able to price their products at the level that lets them maximise their profits.

 

[joeblow7777]

It's a mid-range model between the base and the Pro. It makes sense to me as a product, but the name "Air" stopped making sense as soon as the Pro became the thinner and lighter model.

 

[menju]

which brings the question. what PRO features should be within iPad Air Scope?

 

[Yebubbleman]

The original iPad started at $500. The iPad Air currently starts at $600. The iPad Air is the evolution of that device and its feature set. However, Apple since upped the price by $100 and then decided it wanted to cut back on features so it could fit a supposedly-education-friendly pricepoint of $330 (now, $350), so it produced the standard iPad.

While I don't exactly understand which uninformed non-technical customers (read: not the people on MacRumors that follow all the minute differences between every Apple product) are going to pick the standard iPad over the 11-inch iPad Air, I can definitely otherwise see a point to both products being in the lineup.

But, then again, I might be the wrong person to weigh in; I'm pretty much exclusively an iPad mini customer nowadays; the other iPads are interesting to me as someone who doesn't buy them, but I have no other vested interest in any of them other than curiosity.

 

[FriendlyMackle]

And consider that original $500 price in 2010 would be $742 in today’s dollars.
So the base ipad at $350 today would be under 50% the cost of that original base cost back in 2010. The naming doesn’t really make sense other than to establish the ‘Air’ as higher-tier features than the base iPad. In terms of weight, none of them (at the same size) are more than one or two ounces difference. I think there’s only so much you can do with a slab of glass, metal, and battery.

 

[r_mack]

I have an 11” iPad Pro M1 (3rd gen) The display is great. It’s ProMotion LED but not mini-LED. Now all Pros use ProMotion OLED. Why not upgrade the Air with the previous tech, that is, the same display in my current 3rd gen - ProMotion LED? It would be a huge win for middle of the line users looking for a better device but not needing pro features.

Just my two cents.

 

[r_mack]

And… thinner bezels.

 

[Homme]

It didn’t make much sense since the Air 3 came out. That iPad Air didn’t help the fact that the Air 2’s actual successor is the 9.7 inch iPad Pro ( and to a certain extent the 5th gen budget iPad which replaced the Air 2 when that was officially released in March 2017). Air 3 was released way too late after the Air 2 to be considered a “successor” especially since the jump from the legendary A8X to a non branding X chip these years later in 2019.

Another problem with the Air is the fact that in history it has intertwined with the Mini lineup in between the Pro and Budget iPads in terms of random tech ( not aimed at the A7 versions ( forget the Mini 3 lol), A8X/A8 versions and even up to the A12 versions of the Air and Mini since they were largely the same in specs.

Since The redesign of the Air the problem had started, I mean it’s great that the Air 5 had the M1 chip from A14 but the Mini 6 got the A15 and was released before the Air 5. Feels awkward though

Then the Mini 7 with a 2 generation newer SoC came out when the M2 Air was out ( followed by the M3 air months later which only existed because again the Mini 7’s SoC to the M2 Air

And now we will get an A19 Pro Mini and the next Air is getting the M4 its still a bit old in its way

What truly doesn’t make sense is 3 types of iPads having an 11 inch screen. The very least Apple can do is add a flash at the back of the camera For the next Air.