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Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,643
4,469
Yeah that looks like a valuable review from a credible person. I will totally waste my time viewing that.
Sure, Luke Miani is a totally random guy.... And your word, based on some specs and no actual testing, matters more than someone who has actually tested it 20 times to make sure the comparison was correct....
 

QCassidy352

macrumors G5
Mar 20, 2003
12,066
6,107
Bay Area
I think there is a broad consensus that the new iPad line-up is weird and convoluted. I think the Ars Technica review summarises the 10th gen iPad perfectly - it's great device in isolation, but it's awkwardly positioned and not great value:

"if you're just looking for a [basic iPad], look no further than the $329, ninth-generation iPad; this 10th-generation model's Air-like redesign doesn't add anything essential to that, but it adds at least $129 to the price.​
If you're looking for a productivity and creative device for taking notes, typing on the go, and top-notch performance—in other words, the full iPad experience—you can grab the iPad Air, starting at $599...
If you want all of that but in a smaller package, get the iPad mini. Or if you're a creative on the go with huge performance needs and the desire for the cutting-edge in display technology and more—and price is no object—the iPad Pro is the best one for you.​
It's not that the iPad is bad. It's just not the best choice for anybody in particular." (emphasis added)​
Responding to the part I underlined: how is the 10th gen not good for that use case? Because the A14 isn’t enough of a “top notch performer”? Yes it’s slower than the M1, but for how many iPad users is that really the limiting factor?
 

PeteBurgh

macrumors 6502
Jun 25, 2014
289
663
Responding to the part I underlined: how is the 10th gen not good for that use case? Because the A14 isn’t enough of a “top notch performer”? Yes it’s slower than the M1, but for how many iPad users is that really the limiting factor?
I can’t speak for the author of the article, but it’s not as good for notetaking/sketching as it has the older and (much) worse Pencil (with the weird charging solution as well). I guess if you take ‘creativity’ to mean photo/video editing, then the superior display and processor of the Air might be significant too.

Not huge differences for sure - it’s not much worse than the Air - especially if you don’t use the pencil, and like the colours. But it’s not much cheaper either.
 

chikorita157

macrumors 6502
Mar 8, 2019
284
442
Germantown, MD
You may want to check this (video starts at the part about wifi not being dual band)
This confirms the points I made, and OP decided to laugh at it, makes me wonder if he actually like the iPad 10. I am right, the iPad 10 is so gimped that it’s a terrible value and probably the worst iPad in the lineup. Basically, anything else would be better value than the iPad 10. Also, appalling that it only has USB 2.0 speeds and no dual band Wifi. Nobody should be buying this since Apple intentionally made it unappealing at an inflated price so people would buy the Air or Pro.
 
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pedregosa

macrumors regular
Mar 31, 2010
246
221
I join with those who like the 10. Yes, the iPad line-up as a whole is odd and incoherent. But each model has to be looked at on its own.

I moved from a base-model 2020 Pro 11 (pre-M1, in other words) to the new 10. I was pleasantly surprised (as was the guy in the store) that they offered me $330 as a trade-in. Although a downgrade in certain spec respects, I prefer the 10 overall. No discernible downgrade in speed. The front camera placement addresses a big issue for me with my old IPP — I use FaceTime and Zoom a lot for both work and personal communications and that portrait-placement sucked. Center Stage is great as well (which wasn’t on my old IPP, and not to be confused with Stage Manager). I find the screen quality is fine and do not notice the tiny size difference. Surprisingly, the screen was actually brighter than my old IPP in the store on equivalent settings. The function keys on the new keyboard are good, and my sense is there is a bit more travel in the keys — but I may be wrong. And will defer to the experts.

I think the 10 is a great choice for a lot of people and that as tech things go, it is not badly priced. I look at it more as cheaper than the Air (at list price, at least) rather than pricier than the base iPad.

Obviously, others may have different needs — Pencil 2 compatibility, perhaps. I went with the new USC-C Logitech Crayon, which seems good. But pencil use is not high on my agenda of needs.

As for colors, I intended to get yellow, but it was a bit too golden for me, so went with blue. It’s nice to see choices.
 

iPadified

macrumors 68020
Apr 25, 2017
2,014
2,257
Problem is that many customers do not understand the value of many of the "invisible" parameters. They go on the looks, the size of the screen and the price. A plus is perhaps USC-C if they have one of these cables around at home for other devices. Remember most cannot explain the difference between a AX and MX chip, that is nerd territory (us). The 10 gen is in trouble, not because it s bad but it will be difficult to explain the value of the invisibles.
 

Danando1993

macrumors regular
Aug 14, 2010
163
66
Here in the UK you can get the iPad Air 4 on the refurbished store for £439 compared to the new 10th generation for £500... pretty much the same internals, with a better screen and works with the 2nd generation pencil. You can even get a 2nd generation refurbished iPad Pro 11 inch with double the storage of the 10th gen for £469.

I was in the market for a 10th but given the pricing here in the UK I don't know why I would bother with one over what is available in the refurbished store.
 

The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
17,314
25,463
Wales, United Kingdom
Disagree with Ars Technica and the consensus — even dismay — here on Mac Rumors.

The iPad line-up makes great sense and is a classic Tim Cook move, with improved devices for “marginally” more money.

Set aside the Pros and focus on the iPad 9, 10, and Air. In each case, for a relatively “nominal” amount of extra money, you get a substantially improved device. (Typically, Cook prices devices in $100 USD increments; these are slightly more).

iPad 9 vs. 10

For $120 more in the U.S., the 10 gives you

Colors​
Larger screen​
A14 v. A13 chip​
Better camera​
USB-C​
5G cellular​
Liquid Retina Display vs. RD​

iPad 10 vs. Air

For $150 more, you get

M1 chip​
Advanced media engine​
Different colors​
2nd gen pencil​
Choice of two keyboards​
Laminated screen with anti-reflective coating​
Better, richer, color palette for screen (wide color, P3 vs. sRGB)​
The line-up makes sense to me… and I'm in the market for a new iPad!

I feel no confusion over it; a different set of features at different price points.

Indeed, Cook has done it again! It's a masterful, classic Cook line-up, nudging people to step up one or two increments and spend more money with Apple!

Brilliantly mercenary, while being pro-consumer.

——————

Note: The landscape vs. portrait camera placement throws some for a loop in making the comparisons, but that is a non sequitur for many buyers. It is irrelevant, a matter of individual preference, or something one simply can get used to, rather than being a source of confusion. Others, no doubt, will disagree — and have already!

The iPad 9 suddenly seems to be in higher demand so are you sure the high price hasn’t driven people in that market segment backwards? The 9 where I live is £200 cheaper which is a hell of a lot.
 

Isamilis

macrumors 68020
Apr 3, 2012
2,191
1,074
Agreed. At $449, the 10th gen is too expensive while wages have been flat and haven’t kept up with inflation.

This one needs to be priced more along $349-399 but I reckon that will come after the 9th gen is dropped from the lineup.
Greedy 🍎 It’s hard to justify the price especially for existing users.
 

sracer

macrumors G4
Apr 9, 2010
10,405
13,290
where hip is spoken
I can’t speak for the author of the article, but it’s not as good for notetaking/sketching as it has the older and (much) worse Pencil (with the weird charging solution as well). I guess if you take ‘creativity’ to mean photo/video editing, then the superior display and processor of the Air might be significant too.

Not huge differences for sure - it’s not much worse than the Air - especially if you don’t use the pencil, and like the colours. But it’s not much cheaper either.
How is the Apple Pencil 1 “much worse” for notetaking and is your opinion based on firsthand experience?
 

PeteBurgh

macrumors 6502
Jun 25, 2014
289
663
How is the Apple Pencil 1 “much worse” for notetaking
John Gruber goes into more detail, but basically the Pencil 2 feels much nicer in the hand (both shape and the matte texture), and the magnetic placement solves both the problem of storing it and charging it. The storage thing is especially important for me - it sounds silly, but with the old Pencil I was always looking for it in my case or bag, sometimes the cap came off and I'd have to look for that too. Always having it right there to grab and use without using a special case to hold it makes a big difference.

I use the Pencil 2 primarily to mark up PDFs, and I use the double tap all the time to alternate between highlighting in colour and scribbling notes.
is your opinion based on firsthand experience?
It is.

I used the Pencil 1 with a 2nd gen Pro quite a bit, and more briefly with a smaller iPad I got from work (a 6th gen I think). It was okay, but I found it far less pleasant to use, to the point where I mostly gave up with it, and only rekindled my enthusiasm for handwriting notes when the new version came out.

I realise things like 'feels much nicer in the hand' sounds trivial and subjective but...well, it's a writing implement. How it feels in the hand is pretty darn important.
 
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mnsportsgeek

macrumors 601
Feb 24, 2009
4,438
6,934
I wish they would put usb-c in the 9th gen. USB-C is honestly the only reason I looked at the 10th gen iPad. Not worth $120 though.
 

Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,643
4,469
John Gruber goes into more detail, but basically the Pencil 2 feels much nicer in the hand (both shape and the matte texture), and the magnetic placement solves both the problem of storing it and charging it. The storage thing is especially important for me - it sounds silly, but with the old Pencil I was always looking for it in my case or bag, sometimes the cap came off and I'd have to look for that too. Always having it right there to grab and use without using a special case to hold it makes a big difference.

I use the Pencil 2 primarily to mark up PDFs, and I use the double tap all the time to alternate between highlighting in colour and scribbling notes.

It is.

I used the Pencil 1 with a 2nd gen Pro quite a bit, and more briefly with a smaller iPad I got from work (a 6th gen I think). It was okay, but I found it far less pleasant to use, to the point where I mostly gave up with it, and only rekindled my enthusiasm for handwriting notes when the new version came out.

I realise things like 'feels much nicer in the hand' sounds trivial and subjective but...well, it's a writing implement. How it feels in the hand is pretty darn important.
Honestly this is a much smaller deal that people think, at least for note taking. Pencil 1 makes no sense when you can get a clone of the pencil 2 that will work perfectly with the iPad since it uses the same tecnology as the Logitech crayon, charges via USB C and is much cheaper (I got one for $15 on Aliexpress but you can find the same for $30-40 on Amazon). The magnets are quite a bit weaker than the pencil 2 (but they exist, while the pencil 1 cannot be attached at all) but for this device it's a no brainer.

I am really surprised people are not aware of this solution.... (it's not for drawing since, like the crayon, it does not have pressure sensitivity but it supports tilt and the feel is exactly like the pencil 2)
 

Lakersfan74

Suspended
Oct 17, 2019
900
1,124
I wish they would put usb-c in the 9th gen. USB-C is honestly the only reason I looked at the 10th gen iPad. Not worth $120 though.
Liquid Retina vs Retina.
A14 vs A13
12.9 display vs 12.2
12mp wide camera vs 8mp
Landscape camera vs portrait
USB-C vs lightning
5G vs 4G on cellular model
Magic Keyboard vs Smart Keyboard
4k video recording vs 1080
Smart HDR 3 for photo vs HDR

Pretty much the difference between the new 10th versus 9th
 

Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,643
4,469
Liquid Retina vs Retina.
A14 vs A13
12.9 display vs 12.2
12mp wide camera vs 8mp
Landscape camera vs portrait
USB-C vs lightning
5G vs 4G on cellular model
Magic Keyboard vs Smart Keyboard
4k video recording vs 1080
Smart HDR 3 for photo vs HDR

Pretty much the difference between the new 10th versus 9th
Liquid Retina just means rounded angles
 

tekchic

macrumors 68020
Apr 19, 2010
2,056
1,763
Phoenix, AZ
Liquid Retina just means rounded angles
"Liquid Retina" means a type of LCD display with a higher pixel density. Doesn't have anything to do with rounded angles.

EDIT: aka a marketing term Apple made up for pixel density on some of their devices.
 

mnsportsgeek

macrumors 601
Feb 24, 2009
4,438
6,934
Liquid Retina vs Retina.
A14 vs A13
12.9 display vs 12.2
12mp wide camera vs 8mp
Landscape camera vs portrait
USB-C vs lightning
5G vs 4G on cellular model
Magic Keyboard vs Smart Keyboard
4k video recording vs 1080
Smart HDR 3 for photo vs HDR

Pretty much the difference between the new 10th versus 9th
Ya really not worth it for a kid to watch Disney+. But I won’t buy anything with lightning anymore. Alas we wait.
 

Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,643
4,469
"Liquid Retina" means a type of LCD display with a higher pixel density. Doesn't have anything to do with rounded angles.

EDIT: aka a marketing term Apple made up for pixel density on some of their devices.
Oh man... no.. that's not true at all... All iPads, excluding the minis, have the same pixel density (264ppi) since the (retina) iPad 3... Liquid retina is just a marketing name that Apple introduced when it moved to the new form factor with flat edges where the screen had rounded angles. It has nothing to do with pixel density.
PS what you wrote is a quote of what you find online when you look for liquid retina, which by the way a copy and paste of the definition of retina....
 
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The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
17,314
25,463
Wales, United Kingdom
Liquid Retina vs Retina.
A14 vs A13
12.9 display vs 12.2
12mp wide camera vs 8mp
Landscape camera vs portrait
USB-C vs lightning
5G vs 4G on cellular model
Magic Keyboard vs Smart Keyboard
4k video recording vs 1080
Smart HDR 3 for photo vs HDR

Pretty much the difference between the new 10th versus 9th

Just goes to show how the iPad 9 is better value at this point. My kids would use or care about any of those differences.
 

Kierkegaarden

Cancelled
Dec 13, 2018
2,424
4,137
I don’t understand the confusion over the pricing. The iPad used to start at $499 for 16gb, and an extra $100 for 64gb. This new model starts at $449 for 64gb, full screen with uniform bezel, TouchID power button, higher RAM, better processor, better screen — if these things don’t appeal to you, buy the 9th generation that is still available. The Pencil compatibility doesn’t bother me because I have a 12.9 M1, so the 10.9 iPad will just be used for reading and non-Pencil use cases.
 
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Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,643
4,469
I don’t understand the confusion over the pricing. The iPad used to start at $499 for 16gb, and an extra $100 for 64gb. This new model starts at $449 for 64gb, full screen with uniform bezel, TouchID power button, higher RAM, better processor, better screen — if these things don’t appeal to you, buy the 9th generation that is still available. The Pencil compatibility doesn’t bother me because I have a 12.9 M1, so the 10.9 iPad will just be used for reading and non-Pencil use cases.
so you are comparing something that does not exist anymore since the air 2 to what's available now?
In reverse, I could say how on earth could someone buy an iPad with 16GB of storage, big bezels, only 2GB RAM for $499 back then when now you can have much more for $329?
 
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Open-Source-Norange

macrumors member
Sep 9, 2021
80
50
Honestly, the 10th gen iPad just baffles me. Sure, it looks sleeker and looks all modernized like the other iPad models, but it doesn't change too much of the functions to differentiate it from the 9th gen. Now it has a USB C port!...but is still only compatible with the gen 1 Apple Pencil, so you'll need an adapter now if you want to use the pencil. It's only a little powered up, having the A14 Bionic chip instead of the A13, big whoop. I guess all that is supposed to justify the over 100 dollar price hike for this thing.

This new iPad just doesn't really...stand out.
 

cmbarclay

macrumors 6502
Nov 9, 2009
499
410
I was at the Apple Store yesterday and looked at the 10th Gen iPad and I liked it. I thought it was perfect for someone who browses the internet and watches tv and movies. The screen was way better than I had read. I was thinking it would be a perfect travel companion. Now the new keyboard for it I thought was a hot mess, almost like someone at Apple said "sh*t we forgot to do a magic keyboard for this."
 
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