Unreleased iPhone, Entry-Level iPad, and iPad Air Imported Into India Ahead of Rumored Spring Launch

[imnotthewalrus]

Keep in mind, Apple has replaced the flagship iPad within 6 months before. I got burned on the 3rd generation iPad and still have not forgiven Apple.

Same story here. The Gen 3 iPad was poo.

 

[Spock]

Same story here. The Gen 3 iPad was poo.

I skipped the iPad 2 because I wanted a Retina display so I jumped on the 3 and while the display was gorgeous, it was like you said, poo.

 

[code-m]

For me is not the os holding the pro, but the lack of pro apps.

Luma fusion and affinity shows you can do pro apps, but other devs are not developing for iPad!

Some Pro apps are restricted by the OS. Not having a proper Finder type app is just an example. Heck I am unable to easily attach a document in 3rd party email apps without resorting to finger gymnastics.

 

[code-m]

I literally bought my wife the new entry level iPad last week... I guess I should return it amd wait?

Probably a good idea if you can wait for a couple months.

 

[code-m]

the same was rumoured in late 2020/early 2021: iPad 9 to be released in spring, recycling the air 3 chassis ..

what happened was that we saw a (minor) spec bump in the fall of 2021 (a13, center stage and storage)

I will not get too excited - until I see it

I am sure pandemic restrictions and supply chain issues had nothing to do with delaying a chassis replacement. Then again from a marketing standpoint have it done for the 10th/X generation like the iPhone would also make for great headlines and press coverage. 10.5” display with power button TouchID, USB-C and smaller body but maybe the same curved sides vice a flat edge design to separate it from the Air.

 

[code-m]

That would be nice. I tried to buy the base model 10.2 iPad this past weekend. Sold out across the country in Best Buy + Walmart!

Tea leaves have spoken.

 

[James Godfrey]

Apple are masters at product segmentation and “selling” customers up and this is only possible when products are markedly and obviously different. And they are notorious for holding off on OLED for their non-“Pro” devices.

For this reason, no new product under the standard 10.2” iPad or iPad Air will get displays that are OLED or better. At least not for the foreseeable future.

OLED and mini-LED displays will remain iPad Pro exclusives until iPads Pro get displays that are an obvious step up from the current pro-motion displays.

iPad Air is already 10.9”. Giving it OLED or mini-LED or really anything that’s markedly better than the current LCD would cannibalize a substantial number of 11” iPad Pro sales.

New, markedly better display on iPads Air happens after iPads Pro upgrade to even better displays.

With a few minor exceptions, Apple’s strategy is always giving flagship models new features first and then letting these features slowly trickle down to lesser models once flagships upgrade to even better parts.

yeah I fully agree…

It is for that reason I have a feeling the ‘entry level’ iPad that is mentioned in this article is a miniLED 11” Pro still retaining M1.

I think this because giving the 11” (the most popular size) miniLED at this stage (a year after launch of miniLED in the 12.9), gives the Pro line up another year of refresh life IMO, and will buy Apple time for a redesigned pro which has been rumoured, which I believe will come in Spring 2022 and not the fall this year which is what everyone is expecting.

This will in turn pave the way for a screen upgrade on the Air next year also.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

I am sure pandemic restrictions and supply chain issues had nothing to do with delaying a chassis replacement. Then again from a marketing standpoint have it done for the 10th/X generation like the iPhone would also make for great headlines and press coverage. 10.5” display with power button TouchID, USB-C and smaller body but maybe the same curved sides vice a flat edge design to separate it from the Air.

No chassis redesign, no USB-C, no significant upgrades besides new wireless chips, new CPU chip, maybe better cameras.

The 10.2” iPad is the bottom tier iPad that’s aimed at the most casual of all Apple consumers and educational institutions who simply need nothing more than an iPad that can run all the apps in the AppStore and comes in at an affordable price.

iPad Air is middle tier, and Pro is flagship.

Apple is not putting USB-C in the bottom tier iPad as it’s a feature that encroaches on Air and Pro territory.

Many consumers would gladly save money and just get the lowest spec 64GB 10.2” iPad if it had the same great storage and display connections that USB-C offers on the Air and Pro. And this is exactly why Apple refuses to put it in the 10.2” iPad.

Apple is not giving the bottom tier ipad a redesign until iPad Air moves on from its current design.

It’s basic “up-selling” strategy: You can’t get a consumer to buy the medium fries if the small fries is not a significantly and obvious smaller amount than the medium fries.

Apple also does not and has not kept old designs and done weird semi-overhauls, like taking an old chassis and moving it from Touch ID to Face ID, or put an OLED or edge to edge display in a on LCD model that had a bezel design.

Apple only “upgrades” bottom tier iPads and iPhones by taking old designs and doing easy upgrades on them that don’t require significant r&d(not by comparison to doing a new design at least): New CPU, new cameras, wireless charging, fast charging, better wireless, etc.

This is also why the SE 2022 will not get a redesign or jump to the XR/11 body -The 11 is still in the official 2021-2022 lineup on apple.com and still going strong in sales. It’s only when the XR/11 design is pushed out of the lineup that the SE can move away from the iPhone 8 design. This will happen no earlier than fall 2022. But SE 2022 launches in Q1-Q2 so it’ll be another iPhone 8 repeat with upgrades (iPhone 8 Plus if we’re lucky so it can accommodate the 5G battery drain, but I doubt it).

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

I don’t get why people keep expecting Apple to upgrade bottom-tier iPhones and iPads in ways they have never done previously.

iPad Air and Pro are the ones that get exciting changes along with the annual mid tier and Pro iPhones.

Apples bottom-tier products have never been anything but old designs with a few new internals that very obviously are a still a big step down from the mid-tier and flagship, even if it is an upgrade by comparison to the last bottom-tier model.

You’re not getting new designs and mid to flagship tier features from Apple in a $329 iPad. Stop the daydreaming!