PSA: Don't Buy an iPad Right Now, New Models Coming in 2024

[Abazigal]

But if you want touch so much, there are a few options, from many other devices who do have touch enabled. to touch screen overlays (to convert any screen into a touch screen), or simply a drawing tablet (with or without a screen).

I typically use the iPad's rear camera for scanning documents, taking photos and videos, and using it as a makeshift visualiser when paired with a cheap stand I purchased online.

The closest alternative I can find for my use case would be the Surface Book.

Microsoft’s 13.5-inch Surface Book 3 puts modern guts in a dated design

A premium dead end.

www.theverge.com

Which Microsoft themselves seems to have neglected since 2020, and which seems to have been discontinued altogether on my local MS website (just went to check to do a price comparison). So even MS isn't that good at maintaining their hardware lineup.

Or can you say Macs are objectively better today for video editing than a x86 PC?

The comparison is typically Mx Mac + FCP vs Windows PC + Premiere. The advantages of going with a MacBook Pro is often longer battery life and better sustained performance (especially when not plugged in to an external power source).

The benefits of a Mac dwindle somewhat when comparing desktops, since not everyone cares for the smaller form factor of the Mac Studio or its lower power consumption and more quiet operation.

So, I'm criticizing Apple because I WANT the Apple products to be better and more flexible. Because I KNOW they can be more. It has the potential to do so. Apple is being simply too draconian and is penny pinching to the detriment of the ecosystem. I don't think they'll listen to a comment from a random user on a small forum, but you can only hope.

I believe Apple is vested in making better products, just that their definition of what a better product entails doesn't necessarily jibe with your own. It's also ironic that you criticise iPad software as being too rigid when I find it the exact opposite - it has more flexibility because the iPad can be used in both portrait and landscape mode. For example, I can turn my iPad into a makeshift clipboard simply by launching notability and using it in portrait mode. That's flexibility you don't get in a laptop, which is always in landscape orientation.

I don't see the iPad ever running macOS either. It's supposed to be computing made easy for the masses who just want a large screen that connects to the internet. Maybe it's the pro iPad models that's the problem, by setting unrealistic expectations in its users who have paid Macbook-level pricing for them and therefore expect a similar degree of functionality.

I don't know what the solution to this is; I don't think it's by making the iPad more like a Macbook.

 

[Joe Dohn]

I typically use the iPad's rear camera for scanning documents, taking photos and videos, and using it as a makeshift visualiser when paired with a cheap stand I purchased online.

The closest alternative I can find for my use case would be the Surface Book.
[...]

Which Microsoft themselves seems to have neglected since 2020, and which seems to have been discontinued altogether on my local MS website (just went to check to do a price comparison). So even MS isn't that good at maintaining their hardware lineup.

Try the Surface Pro 9, which seems similar enough: https://www.microsoft.com/pt-pt/d/surface-pro-9/93vkd8np4fvk?activetab=pivot:descriçãogeraltab

Also, since the Surface Pro 9, there has been an important change: Microsoft made it much easier to repair, more modular, publishes schematics and sells replacement parts openly. This means that if your speakers or storage fail, you can simply buy the replacement parts from them and install them yourself. That's a big win for me.

I believe Apple is vested in making better products, just that their definition of what a better product entails doesn't necessarily jive with your own. It's also ironic that you criticise iPad software as being too rigid when I find it the exact opposite - it has more flexibility because the iPad can be used in both portrait and landscape mode. For example, I can turn my iPad into a makeshift clipboard simply by launching notability and using it in portrait mode. That's flexibility you don't get in a laptop, which is always in landscape orientation.

That change is very recent – it only happened in what, iOS / iPadOS 15?
Also, I'm not sure what you are comparing this to, since other devices CAN switch from landscape to portrait mode. Here's the Surface Pro 9 doing exactly that:

Even so, this "flexibility" is not enough for me. Being allowed to run more apps is far more important.

 

[MisterSavage]

Definitely waiting for the new iPad Pro in 2024. Will be upgrading from 2018 model.

Same. My battery is finally staring to get a little crappy.

 

[zombierunner]

Same. My battery is finally staring to get a little crappy.

I leave mine plugged in. It can only last about 4-5 hours without it. 😅

 

[Crowbot]

I believe Apple is vested in making better products, just that their definition of what a better product entails doesn't necessarily jive with your own.

Jibe, not jive. Sorry, it's a thing with me.

 

[Abazigal]

Jibe, not jive. Sorry, it's a thing with me.

Thank you. I stand corrected.

 

[ArrayDecay]

OLED would be cool but lightness would be even better. If Apple can shave 5 oz off the Air...

 

[damnhandy]

If someone has a 3rd gen 11 iPad Pro and is looking for a new model, it might be wise to hold out. I'm currently rocking a 1st gen 11" iPad Pro. The current iPad Air is an upgrade over this model I have, and the 4th gen iPad Pro is even more of an upgrade. A good sale on the 4th Gen iPad Pro could be a great buy. Sure, it doesn't have OLED, but does that really matter?

In 2017, I got a Fuji X-T2 kit, knowing full well that the X-T3 was coming out in 4 weeks. Why did buy the X-T2? Lens and Body cost $1399 while the X-T3 cost $1499 body-only. The X-T3 with the same lens was $1,899. At the time, the new features didn't justify the additional cost. I also couldn't afford it either.

That said, the advice in the headline is ridiculous. Not everyone can swing the latest and greatest, nor should they. Being informed that a new release is imminent with compelling new features is the reason why I visit this site. Being told not to buy something because a new version is coming out is sloppy.

 

[Joe Dohn]

That said, the advice in the headline is ridiculous. Not everyone can swing the latest and greatest, nor should they. Being informed that a new release is imminent with compelling new features is the reason why I visit this site. Being told not to buy something because a new version is coming out is sloppy.

And we don't really need the latest and greatest M3 processor just to watch YouTube, which gets to the point we mentioned earlier on Apple allowing the iPad to do more.

 

[DaveTheRave]

This guy says a new iPad Air is imminent:

 

[throAU]

It's been almost a year since the M2 iPad Pro was released. It's also another 8 months till the M3 iPad Pro is released (estimated).

We are currently in the middle of what is supposedly a 1.5 year refresh cycle. Kinda like a neither-here-nor-there timing. I can really see arguments both for getting the M2 iPad Pro if you are in the market for one, and for opting to wait.

Yeah I get it, but if you actually need a device today, your choices are

• no device and go without for indeterminate period of time
• a perfectly fine device NOW

 

[Sweet_Caroline]

I want a new iPad. My husband got the 11 inch pro M2 and I like it a lot. It’s over kill for me, but I do like it. Eventually he will get sick of me using his and get me a new iPad 😂

 

[Abazigal]

Try the Surface Pro 9, which seems similar enough: https://www.microsoft.com/pt-pt/d/surface-pro-9/93vkd8np4fvk?activetab=pivot:descriçãogeraltab

Thanks. I played around with a few configs and the i7/16gb ram/512gb storage option costs more than a 15" MBA (even with the free keyboard thrown in thanks to my educator discount), though I guess that's fair considering it's both a laptop and a tablet in one.

While their battery life states 15 hours, the verge suggests a more reasonable 7 hours, which is pretty good for a windows laptop, and way more than I would give it credit for. I am guessing zoom will cut it down even further, and sustained performance is another issue altogether, but I won't really be using it for any heavy lifting except for the occasional video editing.

I can't say I am a fan of the keyboard (I have purchased, and returned, the Logitech keyboard folio for my iPad), but that's par the course for any non-macbook trackpad.

2 Thunderbolt 4 ports is sweet, and overkill for my needs, but I am not complaining. As is the 3:2 aspect ratio.

The surface pro design just isn't for me, but it's nice to see how it has iterated and improved over the years.

 

[Joe Dohn]

Thanks. I played around with a few configs and the i7/16gb ram/512gb storage option costs more than a 15" MBA (even with the free keyboard thrown in thanks to my educator discount), though I guess that's fair considering it's both a laptop and a tablet in one.

While their battery life states 15 hours, the verge suggests a more reasonable 7 hours, which is pretty good for a windows laptop, and way more than I would give it credit for.

Do note that there are two Surface 9 models: ARM and Intel. ARM has better battery life, but no eGPU support.

 

[aknabi]

Counterpoint: Buy something when you want it.

Right... if you want to buy a new iPhone this coming Sept 11, then that's the right decision to make!

 

[O.N.Y.X]

Eventually he will get sick of me using his and get me a new iPad 😂

That’s one strategy but requires some patience

Why not get a refurbished one from Apple?

 

[pete1]

Don’t buy an iPad now because there is a new one coming next year? Are you kidding me? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. In that case no one should ever buy a new iPhone cos there is a new one next each year. Seriously wow…

I agree, next year isn’t imminent either, and the improvements are probably just marginal anyway. Unless you specifically like to be on the cutting edge, just get what you need today.

 

[Saturn007]

So do I go ahead or do I hold off? I don’t usually comment on writing, but that is one convoluted sentence, where it would have been clearer and easier to simply use the standard “you might want to hold off”.

Unless you get paid by the word, then you could have used “you might want to not go ahead and instead hold off”. 😃

Edit: Saturn007, I checked to make sure no one pointed that out already, but I guess you were typing it at the time!

Glad to see someone else cared about this — and that a bunch of others liked our comments about proper English and clear writing! Thanks for your final comment when you spotted I was adding the very thing you were! Much appreciated.

 

[scottylans]

I am not sure the iPad air will get more for the time being, they already accidentally made it too good.

Very very happy with my 4, let alone the suprising 5 which came not long after

 

[ackmondual]

I guess you can also put it as "don't buy an iPad", period. [shrug]

Me... if you offer a brand new, 9th gen Ipad with 256 GB of storage, at say, $350... I'd bite.

 

[makitango]

Github codespace in a browser. Or your own vscode server. I went this way because of the horrible upgrade prices on mac. Or jupyterlab if it suits you. I use my macbook air this way for a while now, and with stage manager probably would work on ipad too. And since I mostly work at my desk anyway, I could replace the Macbook Air+iPad with an iPad Air + Mac Mini for less, and finally go back to having dual monitors.

iPadOS is much inferior to window management and tabbing and managing clipboards as compared to macOS. There are significant advantages in having unprecendented file access and not be hamstrung by what iOS allows and disallows, not to mention what extensions you can install and how you can use them.

With workflows, I do not at all mean the capability of accessing GitHub codespace because that would be an insult to the word „workflow“.

 

[kden]

Don’t buy an iPad now because there is a new one coming next year? Are you kidding me? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. In that case no one should ever buy a new iPhone cos there is a new one next each year. Seriously wow…

Did you read the article?? It clearly says “so if you can hold off on buying a new tablet, you should”… Seems like solid advice for me since I already own a 2021 iPad Pro and holding off for a new version is a great idea over upgrading now.