Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Still don't get why the iPad got thicker again with no added value under the hood at all....

Its the same dimensions as the iPad Air (1) it's likely that the fully laminated display is .05 in thinner. That's probably where a significant portion of the cost savings (399 vs 329) comes from, the display is cheaper to manufacture.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AxiomaticRubric
Will make the new iPad pro more attractive (cosmetically) when compared to the regular iPad. People aren't really paying for specs for Apple products but they will pay for something thinner that looks nicer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Substance90
My personal theory is that we're not going to see that 10.5-inch iPad until after the iPhone 8, if it does indeed have smaller bezels and no Home button. If those rumors aren't true though, and it's a more modest redesign, it could be sooner.

I would think this iPad will debut somewhere shortly after the iPhone 8. Because if you consider the September 2017 Keynote, you have the iPhone 8, revamped AppleTV, possibly a Series 3 Apple Watch, 2nd Gen Apple Pencil and the new OLED iPad. That's a lot of hardware in a condensed time frame, including the release/debut of iOS/macOS/watchOS. Perhaps Apple will debut the 10.5 iPad around November, as they did with the first 12.9 inch iPad Pro.
 
Apple seems a little confused right now. Ditch the Air, but the thickness doesn't provide us with let's say more battery life or other advantages. Why not keep it as thin then?

Just because we don't want a thin MBP and we do want full functionality on these laptops doesn't mean they have to reverse the iPad?!?
Apple's thin tablet is the iPad Pro. I bet they saw a lot of people getting the air 2 instead of the pro.
 
Maybe I don't understand

But I thought Apple was all about bells and whistles and not slicing everything away for a lower price
Now this isn't a tablet with nothing in it, but it's just a tablet like every competitor has, not the thing that'll blow everyone away, thought Apple was about magic?
 
Apple seems a little confused right now. Ditch the Air, but the thickness doesn't provide us with let's say more battery life or other advantages. Why not keep it as thin then?

Just because we don't want a thin MBP and we do want full functionality on these laptops doesn't mean they have to reverse the iPad?!?

They seem like they are undoing some confusion to me. The 'Air' moniker is outdated and no longer in line with the rest of their products. An iPad Mini, iPad, and iPad Pro lineup is logical. While the 'new' iPad is thicker than the iPad Air 2 its replacing, its the same size the original iPad Air.

They just need to apply this to the rest of their product lineup. The Macbook Air no longer makes sense when the Macbook is lighter and smaller. You can criticize their individual products, but I think ditching the 'Air' name makes too much sense.
 
One glaring omission and perhaps one of the most important specs is the display pixel density. The iPad Mini 4 has a resolution of 326 ppi, whereas the larger iPad has a eye straining display resolution of 264 ppi. Major noticeable difference in sharpness between the two displays.

Although the iPad has a larger display, you can't hold it farther away from you than the mini, so the relative coarseness of the pixels is easy to see.

image.png
 
You may say "Only price and processor updates?!" but it's still more than Macs get.
Gee, Apple, it's not like we're asking for the moon.
 
Price point is very very good. I'll give them that. But also a bit unApple-like... they are so stubborn on selling premium products that this feels a bit weird..

This is the iPad SE and is straight out of the iPhone SE game plan.

iPhone 5S starts as flagship. One generation later, moved to mid-tier under iPhone 6/6+. +2 generations, moves to third place under 6S/6S+ and 6/6+. +3 generations, updated internals in old 5S case with unpolished chamfered edges

iPad Air starts as flagship. One generation later, moved to mid-tier under iPad Air 2. +2 generations, discontinued. +3 generations, updated internals in old iPad Air case with unpolished chamfered edges
 
Last edited:
Sensible to reuse the old iPad Air 1 product line to hit the lower entry price.
Cannot expect innovation to happen in the value line.
Apple needs those 32-bit devices to be upgraded, to finish the migration to 64-bit.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lkalliance
The thicker non laminated screen is undoubtedly cheaper to make, but there is another very important point that would really matter to educational markets. With the non laminated screen, if you crack it, you can usually just replace the glass and not the whole screen. This is a whole lot cheaper. With the Air 2 if you crack it you need a whole new screen which is pretty expensive. This will really matter to schools who have to bear the cots of insuring against this or have it baked into their lease deals.

It's only as thick as the Air 1 and so not a bg deal, certainly a tradeoff worth making IMHO as any school iPad is likely to be wrapped in a seriously padded case from my experience!
 
The iPhone will always get the good stuff first, and the headphone port removal. I would have been quite happy for that port on the iPad to have been removed.
Why?
If you don't like it don't use it.
I wouldn't buy an iPad without a headphone jack.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HVDynamo
New iPad is too thick and heavy, size and weight are everything when it comes to hand held devices that you spend a long time holding, especially an iPad, doesn't matter quite as much with a phone but still important.

Apple have got it wrong again, just like with the red iPhone having a white front.

They never quite get it right and give you what you want.

Ya, that extra .07 lbs and .05" thickness is a killer.
 
Apple seems a little confused right now. Ditch the Air, but the thickness doesn't provide us with let's say more battery life or other advantages. Why not keep it as thin then?

Just because we don't want a thin MBP and we do want full functionality on these laptops doesn't mean they have to reverse the iPad?!?
No, they're the opposite of confused. The Air branding is being removed from their product lineup to result in exclusivity for wireless products/services. It only came to the iPad because they had the iPad Pro in mind, and then they decided not to use the Air branding for the 12" MacBook and that messed up the situation.

The main reason it's thicker is because the display is not laminated. However this is a trade off they made to enable them to offer it at $329. That's an important price point because the majority of iPad customers don't want to spend a large amount. This will attract new customers, old customers, and appeal to the education market in a new way.
 
Ya, that extra .07 lbs and .05" thickness is a killer.
not a killer, but the form factor and the display is one of the lasting strengths the iPad has. So the new iPad is going to be a major downgrade compared to the iPad Air 2 , which can probably be bought at the same pricepoint nowadays.

Anyways, it seems like Apple is a bit desperate at this point. Trying everything to make a difference in this stagnant product.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jb-net
Maybe I don't understand

But I thought Apple was all about bells and whistles and not slicing everything away for a lower price
Now this isn't a tablet with nothing in it, but it's just a tablet like every competitor has, not the thing that'll blow everyone away, thought Apple was about magic?

Not Every Apple product has to have bells and whistles. Which, if somebody wanted more features for An iPad, that would be the next step up with the iPad Pro line. You have Options. Apple makes a product that lasts with an appealing price point.

The iPad is a declining product line and has been for while. This was a huge move by Apple to make an affordable starting price point for an iPad and draw in those into Apple's ecosystem, which we all know how Seamless that is.

Not Every single product has to be state of the art or setting new boundaries. Apple still makes a great product and they can do so by making it affordable for those who want to have an iPad that will accomplish mosts of their tasks on the media side of things.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: luxetlibertas
I'm probably going to buy this to upgrade my iPad Air. The Air is pretty hobbled by only having 1GB of RAM, and this will solve that problem.

I have no need for the other pro features and the size and weight is identical to the Air which is fine for me.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.