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iPad Time for a non-pro 12.9” iPad?

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pika2000

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Jun 22, 2007
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The iPad increasingly becomes my go to device at home, that I start wanting a 12.9” iPad. But I don’t want to spend a huge money for Pro as I don’t need such “pro” features. Is it time for Apple to bring a non-pro version of the large iPad? Apple could simply use the older 12.9” shell, and spec it just like the Air 3, but with a larger screen, and I would probably be interested.

Anybody else feel the same? Or will it be forever just a wish, like a 15” MacBook Air... :D
 
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pika2000 said:
The iPad increasingly becomes my go to device at home, that I start wanting a 12.9” iPad. But I don’t want to spend a huge money for Pro as I don’t need such “pro” features. Is it time for Apple to bring a non-pro version of the large iPad? Apple could simply use the older 12.9” shell, and spec it just like the Air 3, but with a larger screen, and I would probably be interested.

Anybody else feel the same? Or will it be forever just a wish, like a 15” MacBook Air... :D
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From a "I want a $1000 tablet for $500" perspective... yes! From a practical perspective, no.

The "premium" Pro has manufacturing issues even though there is headroom in the MSRP to produce one that doesn't have those issues. Producing a 12.9 version of the budget 2018 iPad (or 2019 Air 3) would be fraught with even more issues.

Besides, I need/want a headphone jack, I don't want a camera bump, I want a smartcover (NOT smart folio), just to name a few things missing from the 12.9 Pro.
 
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I guess that the desire for a larger screen is one way of making more profit on the manufacturer side. It would surely be nice for many people to have the option for a cheaper big iPad but I doubt we’ll see it anytime soon.
 
I’m not as well educated on tech as some of you and have a question. Is a possible chip upgrade worth waiting for or should I go with the 3rd gen? Will the speed and power features justify a possible wait until spring or summer? Thanks for any advice.
 
JLBJ said:
I’m not as well educated on tech as some of you and have a question. Is a possible chip upgrade worth waiting for or should I go with the 3rd gen? Will the speed and power features justify a possible wait until spring or summer? Thanks for any advice.
Click to expand...
The A12X still have better GPU and multi core CPU performance than the A13. That's also the reason Apple didn't bother with an A11X, as the A10X has comparable performance to the A11. Thus it's understandable if Apple just skip A13X and go straight to A14X for a more significant performance jump from the A12X.
 
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pika2000 said:
The A12X still have better GPU and multi core CPU performance than the A13. That's also the reason Apple didn't bother with an A11X, as the A10X has comparable performance to the A11. Thus it's understandable if Apple just skip A13X and go straight to A14X for a more significant performance jump from the A12X.
Click to expand...

Thanks.
 
Digitalguy said:
CPU improvement in 4th gen pro won't matter much at this level. What will matter for longevity is if they increase RAM to 6GB and base storage to 128 (my guess is that they will, as well as making the whole ipad more robust after all the bendgate)
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It's probably worth waiting a bit longer then. I'm trying to combine my iPad and MacBook Air. I don't do any real heavy computing and think it will work.
 
JLBJ said:
It's probably worth waiting a bit longer then. I'm trying to combine my iPad and MacBook Air. I don't do any real heavy computing and think it will work.
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It definitely is if you are not in a hurry, cause you can either buy a better the device for the same price as now, or at that point, 3rd gen pros will probably sell for under $500 as people upgrade to the 4th gen...
 
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Digitalguy said:
It definitely is if you are not in a hurry, cause you can either buy a better the device for the same price as now, or at that point, 3rd gen pros will probably sell for under $500 as people upgrade to the 4th gen...
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I will try to control myself! When I get the bug, it's tough!
 
Having had many iPads in the past my approach to purchasing a new one is simply when I want or need it. For my mostly home use, the first generation Pro is perfectly fine.
Since the lower end iPads all have 3 GB RAM and Apple doesn’t even mention RAM for iOS devices it’s pretty safe to assume that that will last another 3-5 years easily.
 
pika2000 said:
The iPad increasingly becomes my go to device at home, that I start wanting a 12.9” iPad. But I don’t want to spend a huge money for Pro as I don’t need such “pro” features. Is it time for Apple to bring a non-pro version of the large iPad? Apple could simply use the older 12.9” shell, and spec it just like the Air 3, but with a larger screen, and I would probably be interested.

Anybody else feel the same? Or will it be forever just a wish, like a 15” MacBook Air... :D
Click to expand...
I wouldn't say so.
 
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