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iPad 9.7 with pencil support.
I have a Pr0 9.7 and the specs are very very different.
2 speakers vs 4.
1080 vs 4k video
8M pixel vs 12M Pixel
Display Not Laminated vs Laminated.

Better off finding an old stock 9.7.
I think the prices will be coming down.
I got my Pro 9.7 last year for $429 because Best Buy had a one day sale.
Thanks, I was wondering how this compared to my 9.7 Pro.
 
In case anyone was wondering what the market thought of today’s announcements:

1B4307D9-96BC-4AC9-93EF-D5E02FF279AC.jpeg
 
A top notch :)

Like somebody took a bite of the iPad PRO.
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This is a great product. An A10 with Pencil/Crayon support, enhanced AR sensors, better camera, Swift playgrounds, Creative Curriculum, nicely enhanced iWork with really nice Pencil support, and only $299 for schools. Schools will go crazy for these. Tablets or PCs that do not have advanced AR support are relics and won”t be able to complete, and Apple knows it.

Does that mean the AR sensors on the iPad PRO 12.9" are not as good? Actually does iPad PRO 12.9" has AR sensors?
 
Seems like this new budget iPad with Apple Pencil support and A10 processor will cannibalize sales of iPad Pros. Sure, the Pro has a better display and a few other advantages, but the features and usability gap between the budget iPad and the Pro have just shrunk substantially, while the price gap has not.

Hopefully (for Apple's sake) a new iPad Pro will be introduced in June that will have enough new features to justify the price differential between it and this new Apple Pencil supporting budget iPad.

I'm pretty sure the iPad Pro will be updated with a massive Bionic processor like the X and new graphics chips as well as FaceID and TrueDepth.
 
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What is mean by "...air gap between the display and cover glass on the new tablet..." Is this good or bad?
 
I guess almost everyone is happy that the (highly likely Apple paid) storm of HomePod articles is over ..
HomePod was all hype and no followthrough. The only thing it was good for was leaving a ring on your favorite coffee table.
 
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What is mean by "...air gap between the display and cover glass on the new tablet..." Is this good or bad?

Bad. It means when you touch the pencil to the glass, there's a noticeable gap between where the pencil is and where the screen is because the screen isn't laminated right to the glass. Ideally, you want the pencil to 'touch' the pixels, if you will.
 
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In case anyone was wondering what the market thought of today’s announcements:

View attachment 755763

That's more the proof about how dumb the market is and how over hyped this event was by clueless people (I mean no livestream and a presentation in a school should have been enough information about the scale and focus of the presentation).
 
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HomePod was all hype and no followthrough. The only thing it was good for was leaving a ring on your favorite coffee table.

Right.. bad joke, lies, go on, and when the actual sales come out and they're fine, retraction, no, you'll slink into darkness like all other detractors.
 
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how does it compare to current non-pro models, is it a viable replacement for Air generation iPads?
 
iPad 9.7 with pencil support.
I have a Pr0 9.7 and the specs are very very different.
2 speakers vs 4.
1080 vs 4k video
8M pixel vs 12M Pixel
Display Not Laminated vs Laminated.

Better off finding an old stock 9.7.
I think the prices will be coming down.
I got my Pro 9.7 last year for $429 because Best Buy had a one day sale.
“Very very” different is quite a stretch. And as an aside, is anyone actually using an iPad to film 4K video?
how does it compare to current non-pro models, is it a viable replacement for Air generation iPads?
It is quite a bit faster than the Air’s but has an unlaminated display.

It has a faster processor and Apple Pencil support compared to the 2017 non-pro iPad. Also seems to be about an ounce heavier. Price is the same.
 
What is mean by "...air gap between the display and cover glass on the new tablet..." Is this good or bad?
It's bad. Basically on iPad Pro it will feel like the content is right on top of your screen and you are actually touching the content while on this iPad the content will feel like it's inside the screen. The Air gap makes the screen cheaper to replace but compromises on brightness. The iPad Air 2 had a laminated screen at this price bracket so Apple is being very miserly here with this screen.
 
“Very very” different is quite a stretch. And as an aside, is anyone actually using an iPad to film 4K video?

It is quite a bit faster than the Air’s but has an unlaminated display.

It has a faster processor and Apple Pencil support compared to the 2017 non-pro iPad. Also seems to be about an ounce heavier. Price is the same.
The (1st gen) Air has the air gap, too, same as the 2018 model.
 
Lol bearing by this, imagine what the new "low end" macbook air will be.. don't expect much.
 
It's bad. Basically on iPad Pro it will feel like the content is right on top of your screen and you are actually touching the content while on this iPad the content will feel like it's inside the screen. The Air gap makes the screen cheaper to replace but compromises on brightness. The iPad Air 2 had a laminated screen at this price bracket so Apple is being very miserly here with this screen.
Air 2 started at $399 not $329. Even with refurbs, 2017 iPad 32GB WiFi is $239 while Air 2 32GB WiFi is $289 and even the Air 2 16GB is $269.

It's matter of personal preference whether one finds the air gap intolerable. We've got the Air, Air 2, Pro 9.7 and 2017 iPad and the air gap doesn't bother anyone in our household.
 
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