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Next Low-Cost iPad Said to Feature Thinner, Lighter Design

Andres Cantu said:
They will keep the A12. They mention nothing of an A-chip upgrade.

I’ve said it before, they’re on a tick-tock cycle with the budget iPad: design, chip, design, chip.
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though they didn’t mention the A12 another report last month mentioned the A13 though

but then we already have 3 iPads with the A12 already we don’t need another one with the A12
 
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Blackstick said:
The $329 (often $299) iPad is a gem in Apple's lineup. It's a great value for the money. And the easiest way for people to get into the Apple ecosystem, at this point. Thinner/lighter is always good.
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“Always good”?! 🙈

It has sometimes meant poorer battery life.

It means incompatibility with previous cases and screen protectors.

As others have pointed out, it can make it harder to hold — and

If too thin, we could have bendgate all over again!

So, no way that thinner/lighter is *always* good. That is, as a well-known public figure would say, “Malarkey!” 😎
 
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Translation: Old iPad Pro -> Prev gen iPad Air -> New iPad

The sort of parts and bins, hand me down supply chain optimization must be running smoother than ever, if in a very uninspiring way
 
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I would be so pumped if this is true. Nursing the Air 2 with 16gb because of the laminated display. I can maybe even hold out until security updates cease but I was thinking I'd never get a cheap laminated update.
 
A laminated screen that renders economic repair a futility for Education buyers. Us taxpayers just love moves like that. Just like Ford stopped making the easily repairable $12K Crown Vic police cruiser so to force departments to buy $50K Explorers that are pretty much a total in any but the slightest mishap.
 
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I am so tired of Apple's ridiculous obsession with thin products when the battery life of their products is deplorably short. So few people I know want thinner, lighter products, while almost everyone I know would welcome more thickness to have longer battery life.

Yes, I want several-day battery life, not most-of-a-day battery life. And nearly everyone I know wants the same from Apple.
 
Good that they finally use the original iPad Air chassis. Hopefully base storage is upped to 64GB. If it keeps the A12, then it's just a rebadged iPad Air 3. If that's the case, then the mini should come down in price.

I'm guessing the mini dropping to $299, and this rebadged iPad Air filling the $399 price point. So same strategy as the iPhone 12, using the mini version to mask price increase... 😅
 
I'm still using the same iPad Air I bought 3 to 4 years back (iPad Air, 1st gen, released in 2013). I probably won't replace my iPad when it goes (battery is degrading), but nice to hear new iPads in the $300 price point (despite Apple not liking to go too low on pricing)! Big issue is my iPad's become a gaming device, and at $300, I'd rather just get a Nintendo Switch at this point.
 
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ian87w said:
Good that they finally use the original iPad Air chassis. Hopefully base storage is upped to 64GB. If it keeps the A12, then it's just a rebadged iPad Air 3. If that's the case, then the mini should come down in price.

I'm guessing the mini dropping to $299, and this rebadged iPad Air filling the $399 price point. So same strategy as the iPhone 12, using the mini version to mask price increase... 😅
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The iPad mini 6 is rumored to get a redesign that's essentially the same as the iPad Air 4 and with TouchID in the power button. In addition to that, some rumors say it'll also get a mini-LED display while others say not. If that's true, no way it drops to $299.
 
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smulji said:
The iPad mini 6 is rumored to get a redesign that's essentially the same as the iPad Air 4 and with TouchID in the power button. In addition to that, some rumors say it'll also get a mini-LED display while others say not. If that's true, no way it drops to $299.
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Or they might keep the current mini and drop its price. Might just be a day dream though... :D Apple is about cutting cost and increasing prices these days...
 
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4jasontv said:
That was my point. Right now the battery lasts longer than someone can continuously hold it. As soon as you have to put it down you might as well plug it in. Apple needs to have the courage to cut the battery life down to a functional length and in doing so they will reduce the weight. Of course cutting the battery weight will increase the length of time most people can hold it. Finding the balance will take trial and error, but right now the iPad battery is excessive.

Off the top of my head magsafe offers a solution where one can get, say 3-5 hours of battery life with a built in battery, and another 3-5 hours with a magsafe solution for those that can't access an outlet. The nice thing about this is that small group of people who think the iPad battery is still to short could just add another magsafe battery. Especially if you can stack them.

Or heck, get rid of the primary internal battery all together and make the environmentalists happy by exclusively using magsafe batteries. Let the user decide how much battery life and weight they want.
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That’s not a bad idea. I much prefer the industrial type iPad Pro chassis over the standard iPad one. And in my experience I have had no bending issues with this thin chassis until I accidentally sat on it (with thin Smart Cover case on). I manually bent it back as best as I could and there have been no signs of any internal damage since that time.
 
LOL, it would be like the current Air. What redesign? It's low cost, it's going to use older Apple design, and older chip. Classsic. But it also means the death of Lightning port on iPad lineups.
 
swrobel said:
Without a doubt the most confusing Apple product line.
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True, the charging port is also confusing. New Air and Pros already go with USB-C, but not the low cost iPads. But then again, all iPhone 12 lineups still use Lightning. Not to mention Apple Watch also use their own custom charger. Talking about fragmentation? This is the most bizarre time to invest in Apple products.
 
Looking to replace my 6 year old iPad mini... but all the iPad in Apple’s line-up have flaws or missing features.

Current Lineup
iPad Pro (Bendable and previous gen CPU)
iPad Air (Bendable and no FaceID, inferior screen compared to Pro)

Rest of the iPad’s could be fine for me if the supported Pencil 2!

So I hold my breath until Apple releases an iPad that’s for me.
 
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