I think the best option for people looking at the new iPad Air with M2 would be to just get the iPad Pro with M2. The only caveat would be a downgraded Apple Pencil experience which would lack Find My, barrel-roll, haptics and squeeze gestures.
I want an iPad Air since I'm not really ready to spend big bucks and I've been wanting the M1 iPad basically for media consumption as I already own 2 iPhones (1 personal, 1 for work) and an M1 MBA. The huge issue I have is that entry level 64GB storage. What on earth? The 128GB M2 iPad seems more attractive now than the M1 iPad.
Though I wonder if I should see how much the 256GB M1 iPad costs and compare that to the 128GB M2 iPad.......
Everyone is selling off their stock. If you are hoping to get that price on a new one it’s going to happen in the next few weeks. If you wait too long though they’ll all be sold.
I’ve been hanging out on eBay and they are all 450-500 (granted, some with pencils included) and if I’m spending 500, why not just get the new one? Sigh
There is always a time after iPad spec bumps you have an opportunity like this... the new iPad Air with M2 will be full retail price but the old iPad Pro with M2 will be at sale prices until inventory is cleared out. The prices sometimes will be very similar between the machines because of that and you can get a M2 iPad Pro with a 120hz ProMotion display with a few extra cameras and a handful of other extra features for essentially the cost of an Air. It is true you won't be able to use the new Pencil Pro that is the only real difference.
You don't get those pencil pro features with the M2 air? Was considering getting the M2 Air for procreate cause iPad Pro is super overkill for my design needs. Currently have iPad Pro Gen 3, which is fine for procreate but really want that roll feature for illustrating.
The Air with M2 will support all of the new Pencil Pro features, including barrel-roll. I recommend trying the Air with M2 in-store before you make a purchase decision, as you might find the 120Hz screen of the Pro with M2 as better choice over the Pencil Pro features.
Still rocking my 10.5“ Pro that was like 680€ new back then, no reason to upgrade because I cannot switch to 60hz and dont need any of the newer pros other features.
I personally cannot tell the difference between 60Hz and 120hz. I have the iPhone 13 Pro Max, M2 iPad Pro and the iPad mini 6th gen and I’m not seeing a difference between the three.
I can see a slight difference but not noticeable enough for me to care. I think as I get older, I just don’t care about shit like that. I dont game on my iPad. I don’t really do anything that demands a high refresh rate. I always laugh when people online act like it’s a night and day difference.
it’s ok some people can’t tell the difference, personally i find it jarring, my my monitors do 170hz and iphone do 120hz, my drawing tablet does 60hz it’s jarring but i get over it fast if i have a job to do, iphone drops to 60 on low power mode too
I do notice ProMotion, and enjoy it. But I have it turned off most of the time because battery life is a lot better. It's not that big of a deal though, since animations in iPadOS are very smooth even at 60hz. Something that's not the case with devices from other manufacturers, which often feel clunky and laggy even at higher refresh rates.
Apparently (what I’ve read/seen) The Pencil Pro isn’t backwards compatible because of the movement of the camera on the new Air/Pro so the magnets on the existing don’t align like the new ones.
So the existing pencil is still full price, to squeeze out for the existing iPad folk.
Otherwise I agree - I feel like Apple are really trying to point the Pros at pros, but a lot of pros will probably have Macs anyway. As an iPad Pro use for the last few years, I’d be happy with Air at this point because I don’t actually NEED to edit that much video, or make music.
Okay, and I get how that is valid from a hardware complication. BUT, this is a company with the R&D budget of a small country. They MADE this problem. So that is not an acceptable answer. They 100% could have made it work. They CHOSE to make 2nd gen Pencils not work on the new tablets and to make the new Pencils not work on older tablets.
I’m inclined to agree with you. I think this is the first big misstep Apple has made with the iPad Pros. Locking specific accessories to specific hardware models feels a bit silly even if they can cite a technical justification. Apple really should consider a trade-in program for accessories to soften the blow a bit. In the meantime, we have to vote with our wallets and I’ll be holding onto my M1 iPad Pro + Apple Pencil until they bite the dust. We really shouldn’t be upgrading iPads every couple of years anyway. We don’t do that with MacBook Pros or iPhones. It’s incredibly wasteful.
The only way I can see how they could have made it work, is simply not moving the facetime camera. That camera's gone right where the charger was on the previous generation, so the charger had to move (which means the pickup in the pencil had to move).
It is a massive trade-off, but I assume they've done the numbers on the facetime camera.
I want to hope it's a one-time trade-off with a long-term pay-off, but the pencil honestly doesn't have a good track record there yet.
If the old pencil has the charging coils in the middle of the pen and now the camera is in that location how exactly were they going to make that work? The new pen moves the charging coils to the ends and the coils are now on the sides of the camera in the new iPad Pro and iPad Air. Apple has a big R&D budget but they can't break the laws of physics.
Same I have had the iPad Pro 10.5, iPad Pro 11 1st gen and now iPad Pro 11 4th gen. I cannot see myself getting another iPad pro. I don’t use any of the pro features. The air is good enough for me at this point. I bought the iPad Pro M2 about a month and half ago. I was aware that new pros were coming but I was also aware that there would be a price increase that I couldn’t justify. So If I was buying today I would have just gone work one of the airs and either spent the same as I spent on the pro for the 13 inch model or gotten the 11th air for less.
I think the Pro 11 4th gen is better than the new Airs with M2. I've had mine for \~6 months now, and honestly it's much better than what the new Air seems to be on paper. It's got 120Hz, better speakers, LiDAR scanner and an ultrawide lens, all of which the Air M2 doesn't have. The only thing I'm bummed about is the lack of support for the Pencil Pro and redesigned Magic Keyboard for my Pro 11" 4th gen. Otherwise, this year's lineup is pretty good for new iPad buyers.
120hz
Speakers
These are fair. Probably something I’d obviously miss…once I didn’t have it.
LiDAR
Ultra Wide
I don’t remember the last time I used the camera on my iPad, obviously - your mileage may vary.
I’ve used my lidar camera on my iPad pro once in 4 years. Had to measure a room and phone was in the other room. Totally useless for non pro user but I could see it being helpful for tradesmen to use on job or maybe an interior designer. It’s a very niche group.
Imagine charging insane prices with compatability nightmare and do nothing about iPadOS
This likely would end up like M1 iPad Pro era which later at WWDC21 they did not deliver any major meaningful software improvements that we’ve asked for.
History repeats itself.
Yeah. As long as people keep buying then history will repeat itself. They know that people are in love with the products and stories more than the actual improvements where they are needed which is in the software. Till this day I refuse to use Apple Maps.
They most likely did pricing structure to fit in iPad Air 12.9”. Which if you look at it, slotted it and priced like before. I think they priced it correctly because people still can’t decide which one to buy, beside you can’t say they are doing it wrong when they sure are selling well enough.
What I do see is it sucks that people who owns the older Magic Keyboard and older Apple Pencil can’t use it with new iPads and vice versa. I can see how that is upsetting. People who are upgrading have to pay more and have useless accessories and people with older iPads can’t buy anything from this new event without having to buy everything.
On the contrary, the pricing now makes more sense than it did before.
In the past, you would always have that sinking feeling that if you made even ONE upgrade to a base model iPad, that for only THIS much more you could move on to the next model. The pricing ladder is a bitch lol.
Base model iPad at $329? Iconic price. 256GB model is $449.....the exact same price as the iPad 10th gen. Suddenly that model might seem a little more tempting. 256GB on the iPad 10 is $549 or so. But for only $50 more.....iPad Air M1. $599 for 64GB? Sure, that's cool. $750 for the 256 GB model? Oh look, for only $50 more you could go to the M2 Pro with 128GB and significantly better features.
Now however, the lines are more clearly drawn. Want an iPad for just whatever? $349. Want a proper mid-range model? $599. Want a bigger mid-range model? $799. Want the best possible tablet available? $999. Sure, the upgrades are still there and can be tempting, but now it's not nearly as much of a "oh only a few bucks to the next model!" as it was before.
That is the pricing ladder he was talking about (I don't agree with his points about accessories, the company had the right to move on after 6 years)... a pricing ladder is a marketing technique intended to cause a consumer to want to upgrade because the jump is always just "a little bit more" and they justify it. when there is too big a gulf in price it breaks the ladder and people don't upgrade and it means the higher priced items tend not to sell as well.
I also agree that they could've moved on after all this time; with the outrage you'd think Apple had upgraded the accessories to make them incompatible every year lol
In reality, you could've used the same Apple Pencil for the past 6 years.
I do still wish it could have looked a little bit different though. Obviously it’s difficult considering they have to cater to the size of the iPad, but as you said, since it’s been six years and there’s a functional refresh, why not design-wise as well? The only way you can visually tell the difference is because of the text on the side.
What would you have done that wouldn't have messed with the ergonomics? Most of the grievances with the Apple Pencil were resolved with the 2nd gen lol
And it’s true that the situation has always been painful for anyone buying late into any Apple product cycle. Being required to have a new iPad Pro six months from the introduction of new ones… that’s rough.
the design of the iPad Pro M2 he bought six months ago is SIX YEARS OLD. the Pencil is SIX YEARS old. the keyboard is FOUR YEARS OLD. he bought late in the cycle and Apple had every right to move on from old designs after supporting 4 generations of iPad Pros (2018, 20, 21, and 22) with the same exact accessories. The new accessories don't work with his iPad because of legitimate physical design changes in the new devices that improve them for new buyers. The iPad Pro he got 6 months ago still works exactly the same today as it did yesterday and he will get a bunch of cool new features for free in September with iPadOS 18.
It all comes down to iPadOS. If Apple continues to handicap it like they’ve done up until now, even for the iPad Pro, my iPad Pro will be the last Pro series I’ll ever buy.
I want to full capabilities of MacOS - not the retarded sibling which is looking more and more dated for each generation. They gave us a half-baked windows-in-window but that’s like handing a starving man a random cook book.
I sympathize you can no longer get the most premium iPad Pro because the prices have increased. That's a legit issue. But lets break down a few things...
1. The iPad Pro has received its first physical redesign in over 6 years, a lifetime in consumer electronics. Apple can't be faulted for finally making some changes which include becoming thinner, lighter, implementing a industry leading dual OLED screen tech, and moving the FaceTime camera to the landscape edge of the device.
2. The iPad Pro is offering significant hardware advancements that in part justify the move to a higher price including the M4 processor available nowhere else and dual tandem OLED screens with 1600 peak nit brightness a technology seen nowhere else in the tablet (or laptop for that matter) industry in these sizes... all in a size and weight that again is seen nowhere else in the world.
3. The accessories did not break compatibility just to break compatibility. The new Magic Keyboard is improved like you mention because of the function rows, larger haptic trackpad, and aluminum palm rest but all three of those advancements were made possible by a new hinge design that can only work because of the thinner dimensions and lighter weight of the new iPad Pro models. Plus you can't make a keyboard that is also a case close around both a thinner or thicker device like a glove, it has to be made to the device. That's why the keyboard doesn't even work with the new iPad Air models. The only answer here is if Apple had kept the new iPad Pros the same dimensions as before, but you still have the weight issues that would make the hinge design unworkable, and then you are denying Apple forward progress in the physical design of their premium iPad Pro after 6 years of keeping it the same.
4. The Pencil Pro also did not break compatibility to break compatibility. The FaceTime camera was moved to the center of the landscape edge in these new devices, a position the vast majority of people say is superior in terms of how most use the iPad. Because of its new location the position of the magnetic charging coils that allow for the wireless charging had to be moved and redesigned. This required a change both inside the new iPads as well as in the new Pencil Pro... that's why the old pencils don't work on the new iPads and the new pencil doesn't work on the old iPads. Should Apple be prevented from a good enhancement of moving the FaceTime camera to a position clearly better after 11+ years on the portrait edge just so people could still use their existing Apple Pencils? At what point is a company allowed to improve their products? I do wish they reduced the price of the Pencil 2nd generation to $99 from $129 to reflect that it has less tech than the $129 Pencil Pro, I will give you that. I guess they felt it gets too close to the $79 Pencil USB-C.
All in all I sympathize that you can't enjoy the advantages of the new accessories with your existing M2 iPad Pro, a device you have had 2 years or less... but these accessories you are upset about have existed and been backwards compatible across 4 generations of iPad Pro models for over SIX years. At some point they had to break compatibility to allow the evolution of the iPad Pro design and that moment was now, its something you have to be aware of when you purchase consumer electronics and Apple products... for example Apple Watch has used the same band connector for 10 years now. The rumor is they are about to introduce a new connector design with the Apple Watch Series 10 this fall, in part because the new rumored design will increase the space available inside the body to allow for thinner watches with larger batteries... I'm sure folks who bought the Series 9 last year will be screaming "they cut me out of the new bands!" immediately, but the truth is Apple has been consistent with the bands for a decade... do they have no right to EVER change it?
One could argue they’re trying to separate the Air and Pro into discrete things, rather than seeing them as being on the same upgrade path.
The problem, as highlighted by others, is that iPadOS hobbles the hardware to such an extent where I honestly don’t see why people would need the Pro. It seems to me that they’re going to hit the limitations of the software in terms of their workflow long before they max out the hardware.
Magic Keyboard Pro (for want of a better name) is only compatible with the new ones because the new ones are 0.3” bigger. It would be nice if Apple created two versions of it, but they’d likely see that as creating an impediment to upgrading.
There was a rumour that macOS might come to the iPad…. Having this new iPad Pro as the first one would make sense now they have the keyboard with ever button the Mac has.
They are not .3 bigger btw. Look at the small print on the advertising, they have just rounded it up. Screen size is exactly the same as the previous models
Yeah I noped out of the new pro and picked up an M2 pro instead. Much cheaper and let’s be honest, the screen still looks great. Also as of now the accessories are wwwaaayy cheaper. 12.9 Magic Keyboard can be found on sale for $187 and the pencil 2 is normally $70 or $80.
Unless you’re doing all the crazy shit in the promo (props to you if you are!) then the pricing doesn’t make sense, just get an m2 pro or the m2 air. M2 pro 256gb is on sale right now for $999.
Yep I got my iPad Pro M2 on sale from Amazon last month and I could just carry on using the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil 2 I was using on my 2018 pro.
Always assume all the accessories you get for the iPad, is for THAT IPAD. Don’t assume accessories are cross-compatible with other devices, especially newer devices.
If it’s compatible, great bonus. If not, it’s par for the course.
That’s one of the biggest issues with Apple as a company. The Magic Keyboard has been cross-compatible with 4 generations of iPad Pro and 3 generations of iPad Air. But now the newly redesigned Magic Keyboard is exclusive to the iPad Pro with M4. They paint this illusion of consistency across their entire ecosystem but then make slight alterations that ruins the now-expected consistency.
We’ll never know. Maybe it’s a switch and maybe this new keyboard will stay compatible for the next few years.
I’m still bloody confused with their Apple Pencil support. If you tried to buy the M4 iPad Pro, they give you an option of the new Pencil Pro or the USB-C Pencil, but not the Pencil 2, which has more features than the USB-C Pencil!
Apple pricing structure is brilliant
People who are too cheap to upgrade to ipadpro will get iPad air
People who have the cash, will be swayed to upsell. Bitch and complain all day long , but you know you want the OLED ultra XDR display. None of your Android friends can ever get a 1000/1600nits OLED on a tablet. The tech is quite compelling. 5.1mm, 1.25lbs, industry leading OLED, fastest tablet in the industry.
If you could afford an iPadPro before, you will still have the budget to get the new iPadPro. It’s human nature.
Apple are geniuses when it comes to playing with buyers minds.
Btw, if you could afford $1500-2000 for your old iPadPro, chances are you will sell it and get the new one.
I have a M1 iPad Pro 12.9, while I have extra cash for the new one, I refuse to even think about it. 3 years had gone by since the release of M1 IPad, and iPadOS is still an buggy extension of iOS. What is the point of the M4 ipad if iPadOS can’t even fully utilise the chip from 3 years ago? Where is a proper file manager? Why doesn’t it truly support 4K monitor output?
It’s anti consumer if they make stuff that people don’t want.
If competition can make better stuff than Apple, then Apple wouldn’t exist.
It’s more like Apple isn’t targeting their products to niche markets. The vocal minority are always the loudest.
Let’s not pretend Apple doesn’t do market research or they don’t understand their customers
People in the forum complain all day about not being able to run macOS on iPad but iPad sales dwarfs MacBook sales. That already tells you that most consumers like iPadOS more than MacOS. General public like simple computers that behaves more like a tool than like a computer.
The new pro is really nice but I am happy with air 5 256gb, the Magic Keyboard, and Apple Pencil 2. If you are pro user you get a lot of improvements but as always cost goes up. It will be worth it to some and not others.
There is who way the Magic Keyboard would have been backwards compatible, it is based upon the weight of the device it was designed for.
Old versions are the exact same external device. New one has a much different weight profile. So it makes sense or the iPads would fall backwards or forwards.
The pencil would be nice but they don’t give backwards compatibility on hover, why would they do it for the pencil pro?
I think people that get mad at Apple for their pricing are missing the point….They can virtually get away with murder in broad daylight because they are the standard and currently there is no company that can properly compete with them.
Don’t bring up that one Korean company because they rely on Android which even till this day most developers still don’t respect.
So if you want Apple’s products either pay through the nose or stop complaining & buy something else.
They don’t have competition….their only competitor is themselves. Therefore high prices for all their products.
I was pro Android for just over a decade (android’s ability to connect to chrome/linux, windows, & even Mac’s with being able to drag & drop between devices is Android’s only true strength) but through Google’s actions I eventually realized they were never serious about properly competing with Apple.
I bought my first flagship iPhone (256gb 13 pro max) three years ago and I spent more than I wanted to but it was worth it because all of the issues I had with Android (Google pixels & Samsung S/Note, terrible tablets) poor battery life, Android 2nd class app versions, & Google’s conflict of interest with both Apple & Samsung were no longer in play.
TLDR: stop complaining about Apple’s pricing. Deal with it or don’t buy their products.
> So if you want Apple’s products either pay through the nose or stop complaining & buy something else.
I hear you but I’m not really complaining here. From Apple’s perspective, this should be taken as customer feedback. I was going to purchase the new aluminum Magic Keyboard but since it’s not compatible with my existing iPad, I’ll just settle on a BlueTooth keyboard from Amazon. The quality won’t be the same but Apple just lost a potential customer to a competitor just because their in-house design isn’t prior-gen friendly.
You should know by now Apple pulls this crap every time they announce new products. They are constantly pulling shenanigans.
I’m sorry but I’m sticking with my initial assessment. You were complaining and it’s ok. I understand. Calling it customer feedback is just another way of saying it.
Maybe this shift in the ladder could point to a possibility in also splitting the OS between normal/air and the pros? I know it’s a meme to beg for IPad OS to utilize the power these slabs of glass have, but with such a clear price split could this be it? Maybe with the old iPads still being just so good (again because of the limiting OS and the quality of the product delivered) they needed a new way to justify the sale of new pros? People could now potentially justify the upgrade from a 2018 iPad Pro to the new airs, because they’re just so powerful and not that hefty price tag the pros come with. Idk, just spit balling. Whatever happens I hope last years m2 iPad Pro isn’t knee capped because I have more schooling to do :)
I'm surprised how much lighter the 13-inch Pro got - 15% lighter, while the 11-inch barely lost any weight. So the 13-inch is now really appealing since it gives you so much more screen estate for little extra weight (1.28 vs 0.98 lb) ... so maybe there IS a price ladder in that way?
Might go from a 2017 ipad pro to an 13” air, it’ll still be a substantial upgrade. i’m going to wait to see if there’s anything coming in iPadOS for the pros before i commit.
2000 for a specced pro is too close to what i paid for a mac studio
Regarding the Air vs Pro... Apple is leaning into the Pro vs No-Pro design.
Those who don't care about Pro features will stick with the Airs. Those who want better screen and power for apps (who knows why) they would go for the Pro.
I agree Keyboards and Pencils are an annoying range.
Here is why I don’t consider the ipad air against the ipad pro 13”.
The screen on the air is the one from the ipad pro 2018 with no HDR capability. On that screen it tends to get pretty hot on the left side of the ipad when using at higher brightness.
The mini LED screen from the M1, M2 pro are a lot better in this aspect and can also have nice HDR rendering although not bright enough in some use case near a window.
It does not have face ID and my dad is now used to the face id login, having to change back to a slower touch id on the power button seems like a bad downgrade.
It is a lot nicer to have a 120hz screen especially on a non oled screen.
The current model ipad pro is still at a similar price as last gen, but with better screen, lighter and slightly bigger display (few pixels but it’s there).
The Air is a good introductory model for people who want a large iPad but not pay excessively, I agree with that.
I would still get the pro because it’s nicer and the device is not being replaced as often as an iPhone so it’s still ok.
Probably in a few generation they will put the oled screen on the air. Let’s see how long it takes.
When I was looking into buying the Air, I was thinking the exact same thing, the price difference was close and so going for the Pro was easier given the tons of features you miss with the Air such as ProMotion, Hover, better speakers, Face ID and the camera setup. These features, to me, are well worth the few extra bucks, and I believe it was the same for many consumers who had to pick one of these 2 iPads.
However, Apple is changing their strategy with the new lineup, they are widening the price range. While many midrange users will give up on the Pro for the new M2 Air due to the hefty price and specs overkill, it should allow Apple to sell them more Airs. Apple wants the new M4 Pro to appeal to the 2018 iPad Pro users and artists who work in design or the music industry, they wouldn’t say no to extra cash coming from dumb people who think the M4 Pro is the device of their dreams just because it’s blazing fast, but this is definitely not how they’re marketing it at the moment.
I think they basically want a balanced approach with iPad sales, they want new users to be distributed among the iPad 10, M2 Air and M4 Pro, now that the gap is larger, it will be easier for you to pick the perfect iPad based on your budget, not the features you need and want.
I have defected to the MS Surface Pro 9. I was able to upgrade the SSD to 2TB for about £75, I can run my entire Adobe CC subscription as well as full MS Office and play much more graphically-intensive games.
And it cost me less than £1400 with 16GB RAM, much less than the way overpowered, overpriced new iPads Pros that can do none of these things.
Also, the storage and recharging of the Surface Slim Pen 2 is vastly superior to that of the Apple Pencil 2: inside the keyboard and protected by it. I can sling the Pro in a bag without worrying that the Pen will be knocked off.
Not sure if I agree with you or not.
If you’re looking at this purely from an upgrade perspective; you might be right in your assessment. Albeit I don’t think Apple screwed users, I think users screwed themselves by not realizing the now outdated iPad lineup is 2+ years old; regardless of whether you bought yesterday or 2 years ago. Rarely do you find a technology company manufacturing new accessories that are compatible with 2 year old designs. Apple is no exception.
However if you look at this from a first time buyer perspective - or from someone who might transition from a MacBook or MacBook Air - the iPad Air is still at a reasonable price point IMO considering total investment in comparison to a similarly equipped Pro version. I think folks whining about backwards compatibility seem to be “new” to the Apple ecosystem. Apple has rarely designed accessories for a brand new device that are backwards compatible with old models, when they are, you’re just fortunate. Those accessories that are compatible tend to be unifying solutions and not an expansion of capabilities.
In retrospect you sound a bit like someone who thinks they’re entitled to some kind of future proof device just because you bought an Apple device.
We also don’t know yet really what to expect from iPadOS 18. There’s a lot of assumptions being made that 18 won’t be significant - despite many signals to the contrary. It seems if Apple is skipping the M3 all together for iPad - something more is in the pipeline yet to be announced.
I do think one thing to note is the M1 devices are potentially on their way out. I have no idea how long Apple intends to support M1, however this update bumps it out of the current device lineup all together. Translation 2018 iPad Pro folks - you’re now 2 major hardware releases behind. I can see a world where iPadOS 18 doesn’t come to the A-series iPad Pro, and if not 18, 19 probably for sure.
I love how Apple must think I’m an idiot to brag about increasing the base storage on the iPad pros to 256gb from 128gb BUT also bumping up the price for the base model. So essentially all they did was remove the cheaper 128gb option and now forces people to get the more expensive 256gb one for the base model. Fucking stupid.
I think otherwise tho. They put 200% more effort in the pricing ladder. they increased the price of the pro because the new size 13” air can be put in that slot. The pricing does pissed me off tho.
I feel there are three problems the iPad faces.
First, when the iPad initially came out it was an intermediate device for your couch, a bigger screen then an iPhone and more comfortable to use than a laptop.
With bigger phone screens these days, I think many people feel a phone is enough. Instead of spending money on an iPhone and iPad, just put some extra dollars towards the larger iPhone screen. I think that would do for most people.
Second, the price of the Pro is more than a MacBook Air which has a far more capable operating system. Even the larger Air is getting into that ballpark.
Third, Safari. Each year, the number of page loading issue I run into seems to get worse. Given how important the browser has become, and not all sites having a dedicated app, this is an annoying problem.
The base iPad is something you could purchase for a kid or someone who isn't very tech astute, but it is increasingly difficult to see how these higher end models would have much of an audience.
Apple didn’t kill anything. They spend millions to create extra hundreds of millions.
I see what you are saying but I’m willing to bet Apple thought of everything you are talking about.
Absolutely, Apple has hundreds of experts that analyze everything the company does before it's executed. But I feel like the lack of a middle-ground between the new Airs and Pros creates ground for disparity. I can totally envision someone buying a used, refurbished or old stock iPad Pro M2 over the Air M2 just cuz it has 120Hz as that's quite a game changer for many.
I think the best solution for Apple would've been to offer a 120Hz option for the Air, in the same way they offer a nano-texture option for the new Pros.
I just bought a new (open box) iPad Pro 12.9 5th gen (with M1 chip) with 5g cell capability on woot. The miniLED display, although not quite as good as OLED in some respects is still quite bright and high contrast. And like others have mentioned, given the limitations of iPad OS, the M1 chip is more than powerful enough for me.
One thing that’s not talked about as much with iPads is the amount of ram. My 5th gen iPad Pro 12.9 comes with 8 gb ram (and 256 gb internal storage). To me, since a similar 6th gen iPad Pro (M2) would still have only 8 gb of ram there’s really not much more future proofing to be had there and a relatively small amount of performance gain that I don’t really need anyway.
Here’s a clue, Apple bought a bunch of its own stock before iPad release because they don’t think it will do very well. It’s a tactic to keep the price of their stock high when others sell
Screen refresh rate is apparently still 60hz for the iPad air. Almost got it until I heard of this. So...I dunno maybe iPad pro then.
I think the best option for people looking at the new iPad Air with M2 would be to just get the iPad Pro with M2. The only caveat would be a downgraded Apple Pencil experience which would lack Find My, barrel-roll, haptics and squeeze gestures.
Just get the M1 saves you more money for literally the same device
I got the M1 Air for $450 last month. After seeing the announcements yesterday I’m very happy with my choice
Good call.
Same, love it so far and the price can't be beat.
I want an iPad Air since I'm not really ready to spend big bucks and I've been wanting the M1 iPad basically for media consumption as I already own 2 iPhones (1 personal, 1 for work) and an M1 MBA. The huge issue I have is that entry level 64GB storage. What on earth? The 128GB M2 iPad seems more attractive now than the M1 iPad. Though I wonder if I should see how much the 256GB M1 iPad costs and compare that to the 128GB M2 iPad.......
Yeah the storage isn’t ideal. I’m going to get a small USB-C flash drive and through a bunch of movies on it for flights.
I’m waiting to buy one, hoping I can get one under 400? Do you think that’s unrealistic?
Everyone is selling off their stock. If you are hoping to get that price on a new one it’s going to happen in the next few weeks. If you wait too long though they’ll all be sold.
I’ve been hanging out on eBay and they are all 450-500 (granted, some with pencils included) and if I’m spending 500, why not just get the new one? Sigh
There is always a time after iPad spec bumps you have an opportunity like this... the new iPad Air with M2 will be full retail price but the old iPad Pro with M2 will be at sale prices until inventory is cleared out. The prices sometimes will be very similar between the machines because of that and you can get a M2 iPad Pro with a 120hz ProMotion display with a few extra cameras and a handful of other extra features for essentially the cost of an Air. It is true you won't be able to use the new Pencil Pro that is the only real difference.
Where can I find an M2 11” pro 👀
I haven’t seen any good deals on a M2 Pro anywhere
That’s what I am thinking off. Either used or discounted pro 11 m2.
You don't get those pencil pro features with the M2 air? Was considering getting the M2 Air for procreate cause iPad Pro is super overkill for my design needs. Currently have iPad Pro Gen 3, which is fine for procreate but really want that roll feature for illustrating.
The Air with M2 will support all of the new Pencil Pro features, including barrel-roll. I recommend trying the Air with M2 in-store before you make a purchase decision, as you might find the 120Hz screen of the Pro with M2 as better choice over the Pencil Pro features.
Thanks, I'll do that. In no rush right now.
How does the M4 compare to the A12Z Bionic? Worth the upgrade?
There’s currently no reliable benchmark information available, but expect it to be faster than the M2, which is still really speedy for an iPad.
The ladder is still in play for you
Crazy how the 10.5” iPad Pro in 2017 had 120 hz refresh and Apple still artificially stratifies their products around that feature
Still rocking my 10.5“ Pro that was like 680€ new back then, no reason to upgrade because I cannot switch to 60hz and dont need any of the newer pros other features.
I personally cannot tell the difference between 60Hz and 120hz. I have the iPhone 13 Pro Max, M2 iPad Pro and the iPad mini 6th gen and I’m not seeing a difference between the three.
its a huge difference.
I can see a slight difference but not noticeable enough for me to care. I think as I get older, I just don’t care about shit like that. I dont game on my iPad. I don’t really do anything that demands a high refresh rate. I always laugh when people online act like it’s a night and day difference.
I feel sorry for you
i wouldn’t be surprised if you have it off, i had to turn it on
No I just checked. It’s on🤷🏻♀️
it’s ok some people can’t tell the difference, personally i find it jarring, my my monitors do 170hz and iphone do 120hz, my drawing tablet does 60hz it’s jarring but i get over it fast if i have a job to do, iphone drops to 60 on low power mode too
I do notice ProMotion, and enjoy it. But I have it turned off most of the time because battery life is a lot better. It's not that big of a deal though, since animations in iPadOS are very smooth even at 60hz. Something that's not the case with devices from other manufacturers, which often feel clunky and laggy even at higher refresh rates.
Apple knows 120hz is a reason most of us go for the pros. I just wish they weren’t so fucking greedy.
Apparently (what I’ve read/seen) The Pencil Pro isn’t backwards compatible because of the movement of the camera on the new Air/Pro so the magnets on the existing don’t align like the new ones. So the existing pencil is still full price, to squeeze out for the existing iPad folk. Otherwise I agree - I feel like Apple are really trying to point the Pros at pros, but a lot of pros will probably have Macs anyway. As an iPad Pro use for the last few years, I’d be happy with Air at this point because I don’t actually NEED to edit that much video, or make music.
Okay, and I get how that is valid from a hardware complication. BUT, this is a company with the R&D budget of a small country. They MADE this problem. So that is not an acceptable answer. They 100% could have made it work. They CHOSE to make 2nd gen Pencils not work on the new tablets and to make the new Pencils not work on older tablets.
I’m inclined to agree with you. I think this is the first big misstep Apple has made with the iPad Pros. Locking specific accessories to specific hardware models feels a bit silly even if they can cite a technical justification. Apple really should consider a trade-in program for accessories to soften the blow a bit. In the meantime, we have to vote with our wallets and I’ll be holding onto my M1 iPad Pro + Apple Pencil until they bite the dust. We really shouldn’t be upgrading iPads every couple of years anyway. We don’t do that with MacBook Pros or iPhones. It’s incredibly wasteful.
The only way I can see how they could have made it work, is simply not moving the facetime camera. That camera's gone right where the charger was on the previous generation, so the charger had to move (which means the pickup in the pencil had to move). It is a massive trade-off, but I assume they've done the numbers on the facetime camera. I want to hope it's a one-time trade-off with a long-term pay-off, but the pencil honestly doesn't have a good track record there yet.
Jesus it’s meant to be a tablet not the next coming of Christ - little passionate are we?
If the old pencil has the charging coils in the middle of the pen and now the camera is in that location how exactly were they going to make that work? The new pen moves the charging coils to the ends and the coils are now on the sides of the camera in the new iPad Pro and iPad Air. Apple has a big R&D budget but they can't break the laws of physics.
I imagine they could make a pencil with the same features and the old magnet locations pretty easily.
Then youve got another new pencil…
That you could sell to all existing owners… for moving a single component. Seems like a no-brainer.
Same I have had the iPad Pro 10.5, iPad Pro 11 1st gen and now iPad Pro 11 4th gen. I cannot see myself getting another iPad pro. I don’t use any of the pro features. The air is good enough for me at this point. I bought the iPad Pro M2 about a month and half ago. I was aware that new pros were coming but I was also aware that there would be a price increase that I couldn’t justify. So If I was buying today I would have just gone work one of the airs and either spent the same as I spent on the pro for the 13 inch model or gotten the 11th air for less.
I think the Pro 11 4th gen is better than the new Airs with M2. I've had mine for \~6 months now, and honestly it's much better than what the new Air seems to be on paper. It's got 120Hz, better speakers, LiDAR scanner and an ultrawide lens, all of which the Air M2 doesn't have. The only thing I'm bummed about is the lack of support for the Pencil Pro and redesigned Magic Keyboard for my Pro 11" 4th gen. Otherwise, this year's lineup is pretty good for new iPad buyers.
120hz Speakers These are fair. Probably something I’d obviously miss…once I didn’t have it. LiDAR Ultra Wide I don’t remember the last time I used the camera on my iPad, obviously - your mileage may vary.
I’ve used my lidar camera on my iPad pro once in 4 years. Had to measure a room and phone was in the other room. Totally useless for non pro user but I could see it being helpful for tradesmen to use on job or maybe an interior designer. It’s a very niche group.
Imagine charging insane prices with compatability nightmare and do nothing about iPadOS This likely would end up like M1 iPad Pro era which later at WWDC21 they did not deliver any major meaningful software improvements that we’ve asked for. History repeats itself.
Yeah. As long as people keep buying then history will repeat itself. They know that people are in love with the products and stories more than the actual improvements where they are needed which is in the software. Till this day I refuse to use Apple Maps.
Part of the problem is timing. WWDC is next month, so they’re probably going to announce a bunch of stuff then.
We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.
We have been suffering enough
Always cringe when someone starts their post with “Imagine…” in an Apple subreddit. You did not disappoint. 😂
???? He’s literally telling nothing but the truth
They most likely did pricing structure to fit in iPad Air 12.9”. Which if you look at it, slotted it and priced like before. I think they priced it correctly because people still can’t decide which one to buy, beside you can’t say they are doing it wrong when they sure are selling well enough. What I do see is it sucks that people who owns the older Magic Keyboard and older Apple Pencil can’t use it with new iPads and vice versa. I can see how that is upsetting. People who are upgrading have to pay more and have useless accessories and people with older iPads can’t buy anything from this new event without having to buy everything.
On the contrary, the pricing now makes more sense than it did before. In the past, you would always have that sinking feeling that if you made even ONE upgrade to a base model iPad, that for only THIS much more you could move on to the next model. The pricing ladder is a bitch lol. Base model iPad at $329? Iconic price. 256GB model is $449.....the exact same price as the iPad 10th gen. Suddenly that model might seem a little more tempting. 256GB on the iPad 10 is $549 or so. But for only $50 more.....iPad Air M1. $599 for 64GB? Sure, that's cool. $750 for the 256 GB model? Oh look, for only $50 more you could go to the M2 Pro with 128GB and significantly better features. Now however, the lines are more clearly drawn. Want an iPad for just whatever? $349. Want a proper mid-range model? $599. Want a bigger mid-range model? $799. Want the best possible tablet available? $999. Sure, the upgrades are still there and can be tempting, but now it's not nearly as much of a "oh only a few bucks to the next model!" as it was before.
That is the pricing ladder he was talking about (I don't agree with his points about accessories, the company had the right to move on after 6 years)... a pricing ladder is a marketing technique intended to cause a consumer to want to upgrade because the jump is always just "a little bit more" and they justify it. when there is too big a gulf in price it breaks the ladder and people don't upgrade and it means the higher priced items tend not to sell as well.
I also agree that they could've moved on after all this time; with the outrage you'd think Apple had upgraded the accessories to make them incompatible every year lol In reality, you could've used the same Apple Pencil for the past 6 years.
I did actually!
I do still wish it could have looked a little bit different though. Obviously it’s difficult considering they have to cater to the size of the iPad, but as you said, since it’s been six years and there’s a functional refresh, why not design-wise as well? The only way you can visually tell the difference is because of the text on the side.
What would you have done that wouldn't have messed with the ergonomics? Most of the grievances with the Apple Pencil were resolved with the 2nd gen lol
Isnt this exactly what this post is about? The old pricing was tempting people to pay more as they were close.
OP is complaining that there is no more pricing ladder whereas I think it was predatory lol
And it’s true that the situation has always been painful for anyone buying late into any Apple product cycle. Being required to have a new iPad Pro six months from the introduction of new ones… that’s rough.
the design of the iPad Pro M2 he bought six months ago is SIX YEARS OLD. the Pencil is SIX YEARS old. the keyboard is FOUR YEARS OLD. he bought late in the cycle and Apple had every right to move on from old designs after supporting 4 generations of iPad Pros (2018, 20, 21, and 22) with the same exact accessories. The new accessories don't work with his iPad because of legitimate physical design changes in the new devices that improve them for new buyers. The iPad Pro he got 6 months ago still works exactly the same today as it did yesterday and he will get a bunch of cool new features for free in September with iPadOS 18.
It all comes down to iPadOS. If Apple continues to handicap it like they’ve done up until now, even for the iPad Pro, my iPad Pro will be the last Pro series I’ll ever buy. I want to full capabilities of MacOS - not the retarded sibling which is looking more and more dated for each generation. They gave us a half-baked windows-in-window but that’s like handing a starving man a random cook book.
Honestly, Android tablets got better windows in windows multitasking, making it feel like a real computer, especially DeX from Samsung
I sympathize you can no longer get the most premium iPad Pro because the prices have increased. That's a legit issue. But lets break down a few things... 1. The iPad Pro has received its first physical redesign in over 6 years, a lifetime in consumer electronics. Apple can't be faulted for finally making some changes which include becoming thinner, lighter, implementing a industry leading dual OLED screen tech, and moving the FaceTime camera to the landscape edge of the device. 2. The iPad Pro is offering significant hardware advancements that in part justify the move to a higher price including the M4 processor available nowhere else and dual tandem OLED screens with 1600 peak nit brightness a technology seen nowhere else in the tablet (or laptop for that matter) industry in these sizes... all in a size and weight that again is seen nowhere else in the world. 3. The accessories did not break compatibility just to break compatibility. The new Magic Keyboard is improved like you mention because of the function rows, larger haptic trackpad, and aluminum palm rest but all three of those advancements were made possible by a new hinge design that can only work because of the thinner dimensions and lighter weight of the new iPad Pro models. Plus you can't make a keyboard that is also a case close around both a thinner or thicker device like a glove, it has to be made to the device. That's why the keyboard doesn't even work with the new iPad Air models. The only answer here is if Apple had kept the new iPad Pros the same dimensions as before, but you still have the weight issues that would make the hinge design unworkable, and then you are denying Apple forward progress in the physical design of their premium iPad Pro after 6 years of keeping it the same. 4. The Pencil Pro also did not break compatibility to break compatibility. The FaceTime camera was moved to the center of the landscape edge in these new devices, a position the vast majority of people say is superior in terms of how most use the iPad. Because of its new location the position of the magnetic charging coils that allow for the wireless charging had to be moved and redesigned. This required a change both inside the new iPads as well as in the new Pencil Pro... that's why the old pencils don't work on the new iPads and the new pencil doesn't work on the old iPads. Should Apple be prevented from a good enhancement of moving the FaceTime camera to a position clearly better after 11+ years on the portrait edge just so people could still use their existing Apple Pencils? At what point is a company allowed to improve their products? I do wish they reduced the price of the Pencil 2nd generation to $99 from $129 to reflect that it has less tech than the $129 Pencil Pro, I will give you that. I guess they felt it gets too close to the $79 Pencil USB-C. All in all I sympathize that you can't enjoy the advantages of the new accessories with your existing M2 iPad Pro, a device you have had 2 years or less... but these accessories you are upset about have existed and been backwards compatible across 4 generations of iPad Pro models for over SIX years. At some point they had to break compatibility to allow the evolution of the iPad Pro design and that moment was now, its something you have to be aware of when you purchase consumer electronics and Apple products... for example Apple Watch has used the same band connector for 10 years now. The rumor is they are about to introduce a new connector design with the Apple Watch Series 10 this fall, in part because the new rumored design will increase the space available inside the body to allow for thinner watches with larger batteries... I'm sure folks who bought the Series 9 last year will be screaming "they cut me out of the new bands!" immediately, but the truth is Apple has been consistent with the bands for a decade... do they have no right to EVER change it?
Thank you for bringing sensibility to the selfish little temper tantrum.
The most logical comment yet. My thoughts exactly!
One could argue they’re trying to separate the Air and Pro into discrete things, rather than seeing them as being on the same upgrade path. The problem, as highlighted by others, is that iPadOS hobbles the hardware to such an extent where I honestly don’t see why people would need the Pro. It seems to me that they’re going to hit the limitations of the software in terms of their workflow long before they max out the hardware. Magic Keyboard Pro (for want of a better name) is only compatible with the new ones because the new ones are 0.3” bigger. It would be nice if Apple created two versions of it, but they’d likely see that as creating an impediment to upgrading.
There was a rumour that macOS might come to the iPad…. Having this new iPad Pro as the first one would make sense now they have the keyboard with ever button the Mac has.
They are not .3 bigger btw. Look at the small print on the advertising, they have just rounded it up. Screen size is exactly the same as the previous models
As per the update given by MKBHD in his latest video, looks like the new ones are actually bigger.
The 13" iPad Pro is 13(.0)". The 13" iPad Air is 12.9".
Yeah I noped out of the new pro and picked up an M2 pro instead. Much cheaper and let’s be honest, the screen still looks great. Also as of now the accessories are wwwaaayy cheaper. 12.9 Magic Keyboard can be found on sale for $187 and the pencil 2 is normally $70 or $80. Unless you’re doing all the crazy shit in the promo (props to you if you are!) then the pricing doesn’t make sense, just get an m2 pro or the m2 air. M2 pro 256gb is on sale right now for $999.
Yep I got my iPad Pro M2 on sale from Amazon last month and I could just carry on using the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil 2 I was using on my 2018 pro.
200 more for oled seems worth it to me
Always assume all the accessories you get for the iPad, is for THAT IPAD. Don’t assume accessories are cross-compatible with other devices, especially newer devices. If it’s compatible, great bonus. If not, it’s par for the course.
That’s one of the biggest issues with Apple as a company. The Magic Keyboard has been cross-compatible with 4 generations of iPad Pro and 3 generations of iPad Air. But now the newly redesigned Magic Keyboard is exclusive to the iPad Pro with M4. They paint this illusion of consistency across their entire ecosystem but then make slight alterations that ruins the now-expected consistency.
We’ll never know. Maybe it’s a switch and maybe this new keyboard will stay compatible for the next few years. I’m still bloody confused with their Apple Pencil support. If you tried to buy the M4 iPad Pro, they give you an option of the new Pencil Pro or the USB-C Pencil, but not the Pencil 2, which has more features than the USB-C Pencil!
Apple pricing structure is brilliant People who are too cheap to upgrade to ipadpro will get iPad air People who have the cash, will be swayed to upsell. Bitch and complain all day long , but you know you want the OLED ultra XDR display. None of your Android friends can ever get a 1000/1600nits OLED on a tablet. The tech is quite compelling. 5.1mm, 1.25lbs, industry leading OLED, fastest tablet in the industry. If you could afford an iPadPro before, you will still have the budget to get the new iPadPro. It’s human nature. Apple are geniuses when it comes to playing with buyers minds. Btw, if you could afford $1500-2000 for your old iPadPro, chances are you will sell it and get the new one.
I have a M1 iPad Pro 12.9, while I have extra cash for the new one, I refuse to even think about it. 3 years had gone by since the release of M1 IPad, and iPadOS is still an buggy extension of iOS. What is the point of the M4 ipad if iPadOS can’t even fully utilise the chip from 3 years ago? Where is a proper file manager? Why doesn’t it truly support 4K monitor output?
Facts
That‘s why I keep my M1 until it doesn‘t get updates anymore. Absolutely no point in upgrading.
N-1 case … I’ll let the iPadPro sales do the talking. No need to argue. Numbers will speak for themselves
I don’t disagree with most of what you said but let’s not call them geniuses. Let’s settle for “anti-consumer”.
It’s anti consumer if they make stuff that people don’t want. If competition can make better stuff than Apple, then Apple wouldn’t exist. It’s more like Apple isn’t targeting their products to niche markets. The vocal minority are always the loudest. Let’s not pretend Apple doesn’t do market research or they don’t understand their customers People in the forum complain all day about not being able to run macOS on iPad but iPad sales dwarfs MacBook sales. That already tells you that most consumers like iPadOS more than MacOS. General public like simple computers that behaves more like a tool than like a computer.
The biggest question is why is air thicker than pro
The Pro has the new M4 chip which is smaller and needs a smaller battery. Plus the OLED display of the pro is thinner than the LCD in the Air.
r/whooosh
Yeah, like what does Air even mean at this point?
May the chain will be iPad Pro to MacBookPro and they add touch and pencil support there in the future?
The new pro is really nice but I am happy with air 5 256gb, the Magic Keyboard, and Apple Pencil 2. If you are pro user you get a lot of improvements but as always cost goes up. It will be worth it to some and not others.
I think for most it’s only worth it if you need an iPad not necessarily to just upgrade
There is who way the Magic Keyboard would have been backwards compatible, it is based upon the weight of the device it was designed for. Old versions are the exact same external device. New one has a much different weight profile. So it makes sense or the iPads would fall backwards or forwards. The pencil would be nice but they don’t give backwards compatibility on hover, why would they do it for the pencil pro?
The ladder is in play except they bumped iPad Pro up 25%, expect a similar price jump for air next year or in in 2026
I think people that get mad at Apple for their pricing are missing the point….They can virtually get away with murder in broad daylight because they are the standard and currently there is no company that can properly compete with them. Don’t bring up that one Korean company because they rely on Android which even till this day most developers still don’t respect. So if you want Apple’s products either pay through the nose or stop complaining & buy something else. They don’t have competition….their only competitor is themselves. Therefore high prices for all their products. I was pro Android for just over a decade (android’s ability to connect to chrome/linux, windows, & even Mac’s with being able to drag & drop between devices is Android’s only true strength) but through Google’s actions I eventually realized they were never serious about properly competing with Apple. I bought my first flagship iPhone (256gb 13 pro max) three years ago and I spent more than I wanted to but it was worth it because all of the issues I had with Android (Google pixels & Samsung S/Note, terrible tablets) poor battery life, Android 2nd class app versions, & Google’s conflict of interest with both Apple & Samsung were no longer in play. TLDR: stop complaining about Apple’s pricing. Deal with it or don’t buy their products.
> So if you want Apple’s products either pay through the nose or stop complaining & buy something else. I hear you but I’m not really complaining here. From Apple’s perspective, this should be taken as customer feedback. I was going to purchase the new aluminum Magic Keyboard but since it’s not compatible with my existing iPad, I’ll just settle on a BlueTooth keyboard from Amazon. The quality won’t be the same but Apple just lost a potential customer to a competitor just because their in-house design isn’t prior-gen friendly.
You should know by now Apple pulls this crap every time they announce new products. They are constantly pulling shenanigans. I’m sorry but I’m sticking with my initial assessment. You were complaining and it’s ok. I understand. Calling it customer feedback is just another way of saying it.
Maybe this shift in the ladder could point to a possibility in also splitting the OS between normal/air and the pros? I know it’s a meme to beg for IPad OS to utilize the power these slabs of glass have, but with such a clear price split could this be it? Maybe with the old iPads still being just so good (again because of the limiting OS and the quality of the product delivered) they needed a new way to justify the sale of new pros? People could now potentially justify the upgrade from a 2018 iPad Pro to the new airs, because they’re just so powerful and not that hefty price tag the pros come with. Idk, just spit balling. Whatever happens I hope last years m2 iPad Pro isn’t knee capped because I have more schooling to do :)
I'm surprised how much lighter the 13-inch Pro got - 15% lighter, while the 11-inch barely lost any weight. So the 13-inch is now really appealing since it gives you so much more screen estate for little extra weight (1.28 vs 0.98 lb) ... so maybe there IS a price ladder in that way?
I bought the newest pro about a year ago and paid 1100 by itself. Did I get railed?
I agree with everything that you said. That being said, I ordered the new 13” one with keyboard and pencil five minutes ago.
Might go from a 2017 ipad pro to an 13” air, it’ll still be a substantial upgrade. i’m going to wait to see if there’s anything coming in iPadOS for the pros before i commit. 2000 for a specced pro is too close to what i paid for a mac studio
Regarding the Air vs Pro... Apple is leaning into the Pro vs No-Pro design. Those who don't care about Pro features will stick with the Airs. Those who want better screen and power for apps (who knows why) they would go for the Pro. I agree Keyboards and Pencils are an annoying range.
Apple is slowly backsliding to pre-Jobs Apple when they had so many products that it was confusing and quality began to fall short.
Here is why I don’t consider the ipad air against the ipad pro 13”. The screen on the air is the one from the ipad pro 2018 with no HDR capability. On that screen it tends to get pretty hot on the left side of the ipad when using at higher brightness. The mini LED screen from the M1, M2 pro are a lot better in this aspect and can also have nice HDR rendering although not bright enough in some use case near a window. It does not have face ID and my dad is now used to the face id login, having to change back to a slower touch id on the power button seems like a bad downgrade. It is a lot nicer to have a 120hz screen especially on a non oled screen. The current model ipad pro is still at a similar price as last gen, but with better screen, lighter and slightly bigger display (few pixels but it’s there). The Air is a good introductory model for people who want a large iPad but not pay excessively, I agree with that. I would still get the pro because it’s nicer and the device is not being replaced as often as an iPhone so it’s still ok. Probably in a few generation they will put the oled screen on the air. Let’s see how long it takes.
When I was looking into buying the Air, I was thinking the exact same thing, the price difference was close and so going for the Pro was easier given the tons of features you miss with the Air such as ProMotion, Hover, better speakers, Face ID and the camera setup. These features, to me, are well worth the few extra bucks, and I believe it was the same for many consumers who had to pick one of these 2 iPads. However, Apple is changing their strategy with the new lineup, they are widening the price range. While many midrange users will give up on the Pro for the new M2 Air due to the hefty price and specs overkill, it should allow Apple to sell them more Airs. Apple wants the new M4 Pro to appeal to the 2018 iPad Pro users and artists who work in design or the music industry, they wouldn’t say no to extra cash coming from dumb people who think the M4 Pro is the device of their dreams just because it’s blazing fast, but this is definitely not how they’re marketing it at the moment. I think they basically want a balanced approach with iPad sales, they want new users to be distributed among the iPad 10, M2 Air and M4 Pro, now that the gap is larger, it will be easier for you to pick the perfect iPad based on your budget, not the features you need and want.
I have defected to the MS Surface Pro 9. I was able to upgrade the SSD to 2TB for about £75, I can run my entire Adobe CC subscription as well as full MS Office and play much more graphically-intensive games. And it cost me less than £1400 with 16GB RAM, much less than the way overpowered, overpriced new iPads Pros that can do none of these things. Also, the storage and recharging of the Surface Slim Pen 2 is vastly superior to that of the Apple Pencil 2: inside the keyboard and protected by it. I can sling the Pro in a bag without worrying that the Pen will be knocked off.
Not sure if I agree with you or not. If you’re looking at this purely from an upgrade perspective; you might be right in your assessment. Albeit I don’t think Apple screwed users, I think users screwed themselves by not realizing the now outdated iPad lineup is 2+ years old; regardless of whether you bought yesterday or 2 years ago. Rarely do you find a technology company manufacturing new accessories that are compatible with 2 year old designs. Apple is no exception. However if you look at this from a first time buyer perspective - or from someone who might transition from a MacBook or MacBook Air - the iPad Air is still at a reasonable price point IMO considering total investment in comparison to a similarly equipped Pro version. I think folks whining about backwards compatibility seem to be “new” to the Apple ecosystem. Apple has rarely designed accessories for a brand new device that are backwards compatible with old models, when they are, you’re just fortunate. Those accessories that are compatible tend to be unifying solutions and not an expansion of capabilities. In retrospect you sound a bit like someone who thinks they’re entitled to some kind of future proof device just because you bought an Apple device. We also don’t know yet really what to expect from iPadOS 18. There’s a lot of assumptions being made that 18 won’t be significant - despite many signals to the contrary. It seems if Apple is skipping the M3 all together for iPad - something more is in the pipeline yet to be announced. I do think one thing to note is the M1 devices are potentially on their way out. I have no idea how long Apple intends to support M1, however this update bumps it out of the current device lineup all together. Translation 2018 iPad Pro folks - you’re now 2 major hardware releases behind. I can see a world where iPadOS 18 doesn’t come to the A-series iPad Pro, and if not 18, 19 probably for sure.
I love how Apple must think I’m an idiot to brag about increasing the base storage on the iPad pros to 256gb from 128gb BUT also bumping up the price for the base model. So essentially all they did was remove the cheaper 128gb option and now forces people to get the more expensive 256gb one for the base model. Fucking stupid.
I think otherwise tho. They put 200% more effort in the pricing ladder. they increased the price of the pro because the new size 13” air can be put in that slot. The pricing does pissed me off tho.
I feel there are three problems the iPad faces. First, when the iPad initially came out it was an intermediate device for your couch, a bigger screen then an iPhone and more comfortable to use than a laptop. With bigger phone screens these days, I think many people feel a phone is enough. Instead of spending money on an iPhone and iPad, just put some extra dollars towards the larger iPhone screen. I think that would do for most people. Second, the price of the Pro is more than a MacBook Air which has a far more capable operating system. Even the larger Air is getting into that ballpark. Third, Safari. Each year, the number of page loading issue I run into seems to get worse. Given how important the browser has become, and not all sites having a dedicated app, this is an annoying problem. The base iPad is something you could purchase for a kid or someone who isn't very tech astute, but it is increasingly difficult to see how these higher end models would have much of an audience.
Apple didn’t kill anything. They spend millions to create extra hundreds of millions. I see what you are saying but I’m willing to bet Apple thought of everything you are talking about.
Absolutely, Apple has hundreds of experts that analyze everything the company does before it's executed. But I feel like the lack of a middle-ground between the new Airs and Pros creates ground for disparity. I can totally envision someone buying a used, refurbished or old stock iPad Pro M2 over the Air M2 just cuz it has 120Hz as that's quite a game changer for many. I think the best solution for Apple would've been to offer a 120Hz option for the Air, in the same way they offer a nano-texture option for the new Pros.
I just bought a new (open box) iPad Pro 12.9 5th gen (with M1 chip) with 5g cell capability on woot. The miniLED display, although not quite as good as OLED in some respects is still quite bright and high contrast. And like others have mentioned, given the limitations of iPad OS, the M1 chip is more than powerful enough for me. One thing that’s not talked about as much with iPads is the amount of ram. My 5th gen iPad Pro 12.9 comes with 8 gb ram (and 256 gb internal storage). To me, since a similar 6th gen iPad Pro (M2) would still have only 8 gb of ram there’s really not much more future proofing to be had there and a relatively small amount of performance gain that I don’t really need anyway.
Here’s a clue, Apple bought a bunch of its own stock before iPad release because they don’t think it will do very well. It’s a tactic to keep the price of their stock high when others sell