The New iPad vs. 9.7-inch iPad Pro and iPad Air 2

[recoil80]

Seems like the refurbished iPad Air 2 is the best value now, more than ever.

I haven't decided yet, but I think the best buy is the refurbished Air 2. I could even find a brand new one from an Apple reseller or other channels.
My only concern is that Apple could decide to remove Air 2 from the list of supported devices in future iOS releases sooner than the new iPad. Of course it is something we cannot know today, and I'm confident Air 2 will receive iOS updates until 2019 at least.

 

[vmistery]

If nothing else it is great news for us iPhone 6s / iPad Pro users as it shows the A9 is still current and is likely to be supported for a very long time yet. If I was in the market for a budget iPad I would certainly go for the newer one over the Air 2 based on the newer chip alone as I suspect it will get at least 1 if not 2 years additional support over the 8 series devices (which mainly had 1GB of RAM with the execption of the iPad). Of course this is just a guess and this version feels like it was released as a filler. The only odd thing is retaining the mini 4.

 

[thekeyring]

not sure if youre serious... that's a mess
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where do we start..

Yes, I'm serious. Unless you think Apple should offer one iPad, one iPhone, one iMac, etc but that's a complaint that you could have made about the iPod lineup or Mac lineup when Steve Jobs was CEO. Hardly new.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

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 The 'Air' moniker is outdated and no longer in line with the rest of their products.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.

Yes, but what happens when Apple comes out with gen 2 of the low cost iPad? They tried this with the 3rd generation and 4th generation iPad but they broke up that naming scheme with the iPad air 1 and air 2.

 

[rudychidiac]

The new iPad is a great low cost product, the specs are medium ranged, it's powerful while compromising features. So I guess it's great for the people who don't need the shiny features of the pro iPads. For example dad, he's finally going to upgrade from iPad (3rd generation) to this one.

 

[Sandman77]

So this 5th Generation iPad is actually the 7th Generation? Well done Apple.

 

[Bacillus]

Customers are never happy.
A new iPad without killed features, ports, etc. in a refurbished proven enclosure
Oohh man, I am sooo excited. Tim's team worked so hard to make this reality.
Time for a raise (dunno what these poor bastards earn but it can't be enough)

 

[Jabloid]

Is it just me or it's easy to get confused with all the ipad names now... ipad mini , ipad , ipad pro , ipad air , ipad 2-3? Lol

I actually think this might be a step towards simplifying that exact situation. The "Air" moniker is becoming somewhat redundant across the line up. A return to simply "iPad" (and MacBook for laptops) for me is an improvement.

 

[obiwan]

It's a whole 1.4 mm thicker - Apple must have totally lost it.

 

[sudo1996]

Customers are never happy.
A new iPad without killed features, ports, etc. in a refurbished proven enclosure
Oohh man, I am sooo excited. Tim's team worked so hard to make this reality.
Time for a raise (dunno what these poor bastards earn but it can't be enough)

Well, what reason is there to buy the new one if the old one is about as good? Most customers probably aren't these rage types on MacRumors, but they see a few options and pick the best/cheapest, so one might worry about Apple's sales of this new gen.

 

[Bacillus]

I actually think this might be a step towards simplifying that exact situation. The "Air" moniker is becoming somewhat redundant across the line up. A return to simply "iPad" (and MacBook for laptops) for me is an improvement.

Ahh, so a MacBook on Craigslist can be anything of 78 models/configs

 

[anthorumor]

Thicker so you don't accidentally put it in your back pants pocket, sit down, and bend it?

 

[sudo1996]

Yes, but what happens when Apple comes out with gen 2 of the low cost iPad? They tried this with the 3rd generation and 4th generation iPad but they broke up that naming scheme with the iPad air 1 and air 2.

I honestly don't know why they started calling them "air" except maybe to differentiate from the mini. And "air" doesn't make much sense for that.

 

[iPlayStation]

3D Touch?

Also does this "refresh" include the faster touchID that the 6S has?

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.

A real iPad should run OSX.

 

[Jsameds]

I honestly don't know why they started calling them "air" except maybe to differentiate from the mini. And "air" doesn't make much sense for that.

In 2013 the iPad Air was so thin and light compared to anything else at the time it really did earn the 'Air' moniker. In 2017 however it's normal to have tablets this size (and smaller) so 'Air' is really no longer appropriate for something of that size.

Same goes for Macbook. Even the regular Macbook is now thinner and lighter than the Macbook Air.
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A real iPad should run OSX.

An OS and apps designed for mouse/keyboard being used with a touch interface? Yuk, no thanks.

The iPad needs better apps designed for touch input.

 

[simonmet]

They made it thicker?

 

[kameradhund]

I wonder if they made the new IPad thicker compared to IPad Air 2 to stop the noise vibration prevalent in the latter model.

THIS was my first thought too. then i thought 'omg, apple finally made the perfect ipad and how well it would match the iphone se!

BUT then i learned about the old screen they are using and now I am irritated.

still hoping, that the first reviews will show that it was a misunderstanding and it is still the laminated newer screen version. one can dream haha.

ps. maybe the noise vibration comes with the laminated screen. never thought about that before.. hmm..

 

[blackcrayon]

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.

Ha, it's $329 from Apple. What were you expecting, an 8 nm A13 running the thing? And it was a fairly quiet release. Obviously the bigger guns are coming with the Pro update later this year.

 

[Jsameds]

Ha, it's $329 from Apple. What were you expecting, an 8 nm A13 running the thing? And it was a fairly quiet release. Obviously the bigger guns are coming with the Pro update later this year.

^ This. Personally it's not for me but there's no denying it's a great product at a great price.

I will be waiting for Pro 2.

 

[scupking]

I think it's good Apple is going to simplify the iPad line. It will be iPad mini, iPad and iPad Pro. No one seemed to complain much about the design of the air 1 so this is good for a budget iPad. If you think about it the big advancements in iPad was the ipad 2 and iPad Air 2. The next big change will be the pro 2.

 

[jouster]

Hmmmm.....should I get the Power iPad? The iPad Quadra? The iPad Centra? It's all so confusing...

 

[Jsameds]

Hmmmm.....should I get the Power iPad? The iPad Quadra? The iPad Centra? It's all so confusing...

What's confusing?

 

[dannys1]

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.

Was the iPad Air too thick and heavy? It was by far the thinnest device ever made at the time...and now someone is saying Apple are making their budget devices too thick??

 

[iPlayStation]

In 2013 the iPad Air was so thin and light compared to anything else at the time it really did earn the 'Air' moniker. In 2017 however it's normal to have tablets this size (and smaller) so 'Air' is really no longer appropriate for something of that size.

Same goes for Macbook. Even the regular Macbook is now thinner and lighter than the Macbook Air.
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An OS and apps designed for mouse/keyboard being used with a touch interface? Yuk, no thanks.

The iPad needs better apps designed for touch input.

OSX UI can be designed for touch screen. Your assumption is if Apple introduced iPad OSX, they wont change OSX UI. My assumption is iPad OSX with Touch UI, or no iPad OSX at all. I wish the former.

 

[Jsameds]

OSX UI can be designed for touch screen. Your assumption is if Apple introduced iPad OSX, they wont change OSX UI. My assumption is iPad OSX with Touch UI, or no iPad OSX at all. I wish the former.

It can be done, but I'd rather they concentrate on making iOS better than retrofitting a desktop OS to a touch interface.