Leaker: Apple to Launch New Low-Cost iPad This Year With A12 Chip

[chucker23n1]

I don’t get the complaining about Apple’s product lines. Literally every tech company has multiple lines with multiple options. People have brought up Dell in this thread. Ever try shopping for a Dell computer? Do you want an XPS, G series, Inspiron, Vostro, Latitude, Alienware, or “Precision Mobile Workstation”? And those are just the laptop lines....

Yes, and it sucks. That's way too many products.

Jobs-era Apple wins in part because they no longer do the Performa 6220CD and the Centris and the Quadra and the LC.

There's a middle ground there, and sure, there could be more models. For example, the MacBook line-up might make a lot of people happy with a MacBook Chunk® that's a much fatter version of the MacBook Pro that adds back many ports like HDMI, USB-A, and Ethernet, offers better thermals, makes the SSD and RAM replaceable, etc.

 

[Bustermd]

Yes, and it sucks. That's way too many products.

Jobs-era Apple wins in part because they no longer do the Performa 6220CD and the Centris and the Quadra and the LC.

There's a middle ground there, and sure, there could be more models. For example, the MacBook line-up might make a lot of people happy with a MacBook Chunk® that's a much fatter version of the MacBook Pro that adds back many ports like HDMI, USB-A, and Ethernet, offers better thermals, makes the SSD and RAM replaceable, etc.

The ipad line of all of them is the most ”Jobs-era” like in my opinion. Jobs divided things into desktop or laptop, and in those categories pro versus consumer. In the current iPad line there are three “trim levels” if you will: Base iPad, Air level (which the Air and Mini fall in to, Mini is essentially the same just a smaller size), and Pro level (with two sizes). I don’t think that is unreasonable at all. Obviously others might disagree, but different strokes I guess. The market will decide if its a good idea or not.

 

[HornbackMD]

Do we need 500 different iPad models? Fkn hell man this character Cook is so desperate for sales but so stingy to drop the price of the over priced iPads. Guy wants to drop the price of items by giving u jack **** in return. Just the ability to say hey I have an iPad.
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literally NO ONE complained about “so few models” when we had only ONE model for YEARS under jobs.

yes the problem is he is creating a platform to make more by giving you less product in return. It’s quite easy to see actually. Under Jobs we got the best product at all times. This idiot increased the price of the best products by hundreds, sales went down, so he created a lesser product for the price we used to pay for the best. And now no ones buying the average iPad either so he’s giving you less...again. That’s how you ruin your brand.

I know this is old post. But really want to respond. The original iPads through the Air 2 were 499 with 16 GB storage. So what you are saying is absolutely false. We get much better for cheaper now. And seeing how Apple is a 2 TRILLION dollar company, by far the biggest, I don’t think one can call the CEO an idiot with any credibility.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

I know this is old post. But really want to respond. The original iPads through the Air 2 were 499 with 16 GB storage. So what you are saying is absolutely false. We get much better for cheaper now. And seeing how Apple is a 2 TRILLION dollar company, by far the biggest, I don’t think one can call the CEO an idiot with any credibility.

But how many different models of the iPad were for sale? How many different models of the iPhone have been for sale? How many different models of MacBooks have been for sale. Offering 'choice' is one thing, but the backend inventory costs money. Apple is infamous for burying billions of dollars of inventory, and parts too, that just didn't sell. The story of management maneuvering a bonus while dumping tons of old inventory is out there, if you look. It was pre-steve, but it was part of the reason Apple almost failed out of existence. ANY corporation can spend themselves into bankruptcy. Tied around the neck by bad model and inventory decisions. Not that pointing that out would change Cook's direction, it's valid to point it out.

Cheers...

 

[Apple_Robert]

Yeah, I understand the $329 iPad. But the $499 Air just doesn't really add that much. It needlessly confuses the line-up, a lot like the 13-inch $1299 Pro when the $999 Air and $1799 Pro exist.

Maybe it is because there is a wide customer base price wise between the two models, especially when being sold at third party retailers.

 

[chucker23n1]

But how many different models of the iPad were for sale? How many different models of the iPhone have been for sale? How many different models of MacBooks have been for sale. Offering 'choice' is one thing, but the backend inventory costs money. Apple is infamous for burying billions of dollars of inventory, and parts too, that just didn't sell. The story of management maneuvering a bonus while dumping tons of old inventory is out there, if you look. It was pre-steve, but it was part of the reason Apple almost failed out of existence. ANY corporation can spend themselves into bankruptcy. Tied around the neck by bad model and inventory decisions. Not that pointing that out would change Cook's direction, it's valid to point it out.

Cheers...

I think Apple is quite far away from having inventory problems with the iPad.

I'd be more concerned with choice paralysis. If the choice between a $329 iPad and an iPad Air is too hard, the customer may end up walking out the store with neither.

 

[Neepman]

I think Apple is quite far away from having inventory problems with the iPad.

I'd be more concerned with choice paralysis. If the choice between a $329 iPad and an iPad Air is too hard, the customer may end up walking out the store with neither.

The $329 iPad (and after discounted to 249) is the best value in all of tech, a rarity for apple. They just don't want people to know it's all the iPad 99% percent of us need and have muddied the waters and raised their margins... with the air. The iPad air. The middle no one needs.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

I think Apple is quite far away from having inventory problems with the iPad.

I'd be more concerned with choice paralysis. If the choice between a $329 iPad and an iPad Air is too hard, the customer may end up walking out the store with neither.

I was contemplating getting a new iPad, and was lost in the models myself. I ended up not buying, so that is true, at least for me. I would want the face ID feature if I were to buy now, and, WOW, that's an expensive feature. I read where many (some) of the other iPads *could* do it, but it's not enabled, just like face ID reportedly isn't enabled in many macs that would be capable of doing it too. Odd, but they must have a reason (money?).

I may, eventually, decide to get a new one. The future is too uncertain right now, and the prices are too high for the face ID ones for now.

Cheers...

 

[manu chao]

The $329 iPad (and after discounted to 249) is the best value in all of tech, a rarity for apple. They just don't want people to know it's all the iPad 99% percent of us need and have muddied the waters and raised their margins... with the air. The iPad air. The middle no one needs.

The Air allows them to upsell people that got into the door via the $329 price and to get people into the door with $499 price and upsell those to the Pro. It also provides an anchoring where people pick the middle in a three-model offering.

 

[Neepman]

The Air allows them to upsell people that got into the door via the $329 price and to get people into the door with $499 price and upsell those to the Pro. It also provides an anchoring where people pick the middle in a three-model offering.

Isn't that what I said The air really is a scam. Its about one click better than the standard iPad in all aspects for a much larger amount of money. Certainly. if you are a power user there is an advantage for a pro model but you are paying a lot for that privilege. Picking the middle in this case is just apple trolling (and snaring) suckers.

 

[manu chao]

Isn't that what I said The air really is a scam. Its about one click better than the standard iPad in all aspects for a much larger amount of money. Certainly. if you are a power user there is an advantage for a pro model but you are paying a lot for that privilege. Picking the middle in this case is just apple trolling (and snaring) suckers.

Well before Apple branched out of conventional computers, they offered, eg, the same laptop model in three configurations (different amount of storage, CPU speed, RAM), following the same tree-model strategy. If the Air is bad value for money, then the Pros are even more so. You can also look at the prices of all available iPhone models (inkl. their storage spec), they are pretty evenly spread from top to bottom with little overlap generated by the storage options.

Covering a full range of price options isn’t that evil a strategy. Yes, it helps Apple maximise the amount of money they can extract from their customers but it also helps the customers extract the maximum of features for a given amount. There are people that cannot afford or justify an iPad Pro, but either want more than the base iPad offers or are content to spend more to get more.