Roundup: iPad Air and Retina iPad Mini First Impressions

[mdelvecchio]

no touch-id?

the touch ID sensor is likely the supply constrained part that is slowing down iphone 5s sales. since more people lock their phones and theyre more likely to be single-user, it makes sense to direct the limited-supply sensors to the phone.

 

[hugodrax]

definately upgrading from my ipad 1.

half a pound lighter than my ipad1, smaller formfactor and thinner plus more powerful CPU than my ipad 1 and retina screen to boot.

looks like a no brainer. although I am going for the 128GB vs the 64GB one I have. (pdf library etc..)

 

[tdtran1025]

They really took a hit on profitability in order to ward off attacks from Android camp, and it's a good strategy. This is coming from a user of both Amdroid and iOS.
I still think the Air model is a sight to behold!

 

[mdelvecchio]

The Verge calls the iPad Air "really beautiful,"...

That's amusing. It has a brick shape (as are all other tablets). What exactly is so beautiful about it? One could not come up with a more boring shape even if he tried.

youre taking a lot of detail for granted. consumer devices havent always been so attractive and well put together. use some crappy plastic tablets that bend and creak and youll understand.

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Back in college, I had used my iPad everyday for taking notes, studying, annotating PDFs, reading textbooks, etc. But now that I've graduated, it's hard to justify such a purchase, when my MBA and iPhone 5S are capable of so much.

i have the opposite experience of you -- in college i used non-tablet computers all the time, but after college hardly touch them and prefer an ipad. on the sofa, sharing with friends on the toilet (not sharing with friends!), in the kitchen, it travels like a magazine.

 

[tdtran1025]

Haven't been on the forums today so I'm not sure if people have been bitching but My God, I cannot believe the new iPads lack touchID.

Complain all they will but that would bump the price $50 more, maybe? Apple will not and cannot afford to price it out of the competitions, I think.

 

[XboxMySocks]

The Verge calls the iPad Air "really beautiful,"...

That's amusing. It has a brick shape (as are all other tablets). What exactly is so beautiful about it? One could not come up with a more boring shape even if he tried.

Right, because shape is the single most important thing in looks.

Also, it's not a brick shape at all.

 

[mdelvecchio]

No Touch ID? Now I'm gonna think twice before buying an iPhone 5S contemplating whether Apple is actually going to expand this technology anytime soon. And so are many other people.

sure, pal. youre not going to get something that saves you time because its not on *other* devices, despite the fact that it didnt even exist as a feature a month ago.

interesting logic some of you have.

the sensors are likely supply constrained and reserved for meeting the enormous iphone demand.

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I was hoping for AT LEAST an IGZO display if nothing else.

as a software developer and avid apple product purchaser, i have no idea what an IGZO is or why i need one on my tablet. i suspect that i dont.

Battery life is the same,

considering they upped its processor with dramatic performance gains, and reduced its weight by a 1/3, that it did not suffer battery is impressive indeed.

screen is EXACTLY the same,

ive never found myself wishing my retina screen was more retina-y.

it has the processor of a phone,

do you know how childish you come off? really? the iphone has an amazing processor, the processor of a high-powered tablet. see what i did there?

iOS 7 is currently just a stretched out version of the iPhone version for iPad.

what on earth is that even supposed to mean?

MAJOR disappointment.

the disappointment is inside you. truly. i see all the same products and think they sound great. they offer much value to me and i look forward to investing in them as new tools.

 

[iBreatheApple]

Complain all they will but that would bump the price $50 more, maybe? Apple will not and cannot afford to price it out of the competitions, I think.

Thanks for the laugh.

 

[DVK916]

sure, pal. youre not going to get something that saves you time because its not on *other* devices, despite the fact that it didnt even exist as a feature a month ago.

interesting logic some of you have.

the sensors are likely supply constrained and reserved for meeting the enormous iphone demand.

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as a software developer and avid apple product purchaser, i have no idea what an IGZO is or why i need one on my tablet. i suspect that i dont.



considering they upped its processor with dramatic performance gains, and reduced its weight by a 1/3, that it did not suffer battery is impressive indeed.



ive never found myself wishing my retina screen was more retina-y.



do you know how childish you come off? really? the iphone has an amazing processor, the processor of a high-powered tablet. see what i did there?



what on earth is that even supposed to mean?



the disappointment is inside you. truly. i see all the same products and think they sound great. they offer much value to me and i look forward to investing in them as new tools.

I realized now he is just a troll, who recently joined. Probably some android troll.

 

[Chaszmyr]

I was hoping for AT LEAST an IGZO display if nothing else.

Battery life is the same, screen is EXACTLY the same, it has the processor of a phone, RAM is the same, camera the same crappy 5MP back and 1.2MP front, no 802.11 ac, only 16GB base. On top of that iOS 7 is currently just a stretched out version of the iPhone version for iPad. "iPad Air" is already fully outdated before even being released. MAJOR disappointment.

BTW does anybody know why IGZO display was not included or when it will be included?

A lot of factors go into choosing a display for a product such as the iPad. Display quality, of course, but also size, weight, component price, and manufacturing time. I don't know which of these was the reason for not changing the display, but the iPad's display is pretty darn good, even if not the best in the industry.

Additionally, the CPU may not be as fast as you have in your MacBook Pro, and the camera may not be as good as the one in your phone (good thing no one is taking your phone away, right?), but the biggest problem with the iPad from a usability standpoint was weight. Problem solved! I'm actually pretty thrilled with the iPad Air.

 

[nviz22]

I am disappointed in the prices. I am sure the iPad Air and the iPad Mini 2 are quality devices, but I feel like moving from the $329 point to a $399 and then keeping the $499 with only the size difference is moot. The Mini is meant to compete with the Nexus 7, right? So why not give someone like myself an opportunity to buy one without paying a premium? Too bad it comes out now because I rather buy the PS4 over the iPad Air or Mini 2 seeing as I already have a Nexus 7 2013 model. (Willing to sell and go back to iOS at some point.)

 

[kobalap]

This keynote was awful! iPad Mini for $400? Are you kidding me? No one could possibly think about paying that much.

Absolutely no one. Except the several million people who will buy an iPad mini (before the end of year even). But other than them, absolutely no one.

 

[Ugg]

I have an iPad 3rd gen. And while I love it a lot, while traveling I think a smaller iPad would be ideal. I'm going to have to go to Best Buy and check them out.

 

[D.T.]

I have an iPad 3rd gen. And while I love it a lot, while traveling I think a smaller iPad would be ideal. I'm going to have to go to Best Buy and check them out.

I can tell having owned a 3rd and [currently] a 4th gen, plus extensive exposure to the cMini (non-retina), the Mini form factor is just fantastic. Factor in a +huge+ SOC (CPU/GPU) update and bump it to 2048x1536 (resulting in 324PPI!), it should be amazing.

 

[macdog24]

decisions, decisions ...

--

 

[mclld]

Why did the old 16 gig mini only get a $20 drop? Also, why is the ipad 2 still being sold at $399? Shouldnt the last year version be $399 and not a version two years older?

 

[dilbert99]

Same old price differences between US and Australia...

iPad US: $499
add on Australian GST 10%: $548.90
iPad equivalent price in AUD - exchange rate 0.97 USD for 1 AUD: $565

iPad AU price: $598 or over 5% dearer

 

[gnasher729]

The Verge calls the iPad Air "really beautiful,"...

That's amusing. It has a brick shape (as are all other tablets). What exactly is so beautiful about it? One could not come up with a more boring shape even if he tried.

Lilo, you would never see it.
And if you saw it, you would never admit it.

 

[btallada9870]

The audience really needs to start booing when the base model of 16 GB is revealed.

 

[gnasher729]

Same old price differences between US and Australia...

iPad US: $499
add on Australian GST 10%: $548.90
iPad equivalent price in AUD - exchange rate 0.97 USD for 1 AUD: $565

iPad AU price: $598 or over 5% dearer

Thank Australian consumer protection laws. They don't come for free. Actually, just AU$33 for better protection isn't expensive.

 

[mclld]

The audience really needs to start booing when the base model of 16 GB is revealed.

Agreed, for all companies who do this

 

[ziggie216]

Wonder what is Apple's reason of not having the Touch ID. Other than saving for next year iPad...

 

[kobalap]

Why did the old 16 gig mini only get a $20 drop? Also, why is the ipad 2 still being sold at $399? Shouldnt the last year version be $399 and not a version two years older?

Or... we can just get over it. If we don't want last year's iPad Mini for $299 or the iPad 2 for $399, we can just go and buy something else.

I'm sure there is some Blackberry tablet out there that is right up your alley.

 

[WilliamLondon]

...but then again, might just wait until next year when it presumably gets Touch ID.

Exactly, why buy now? Why enjoy the device even when it's not perfect? And when next year rolls on and the newest iPhone toasts bread, why not wait till the iPad toasts bread too? Why buy a device that isn't perfect, despite the fact it's mostly perfect?

Wait forever and live in less than mediocrity or live in today and at least enjoy the devices and products we have available to us now, despite the fact they may not be what we want them to be, because forever and forever more they will never be what we truly want, because we don't live in the future, only our expectations do.

The Verge calls the iPad Air "really beautiful,"...

That's amusing. It has a brick shape (as are all other tablets). What exactly is so beautiful about it? One could not come up with a more boring shape even if he tried.

You're right, it should have been a rhombus. [rolls eyes]

 

[mclld]

Or... we can just get over it. If we don't want last year's iPad Mini for $299 or the iPad 2 for $399, we can just go and buy something else.

I'm sure there is some Blackberry tablet out there that is right up your alley.

lol is this real life?