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Yes my bad, it does have 1st gen TouchID, it must be the A13 speed resulting in faster authentication. Looks like Apple is doing as much as they can to keep costs down and maximise on profit margins. Old design which came out in 2014, first gen TouchID, non laminated display, lightning port, no dual stereo speakers, 1st gen apple pencil. Its basically 2014 ipad air but with A13, better ram, support for pencil and keyboard.

2013 not 2014

Air 2 is 6.1mm OG Air is 7.5mm like the iPad 9 has
 
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I moved from the Air 2 to the base iPad 9 and I think it is a decent, but not exciting upgrade. The pencil is great, though. It alone makes it a different device. The non-laminated screen has more reflections, that is definitely noticeable, but outdoors the difference between the Air 2 and 9 is less than you would expect but this is probably because the iPad 9 has a substantially higher brightness maximum.
The Air 2 was remarkable when I bought it ages ago, this one is just the same thing but quicker. A lot quicker; and the front camera is very good. Which is useful! Who uses the back camera anyway -- I never did, my phone does a much better job and with Airdrop it is easy to move these to the iPad when necessary.
For me, the iPad 9 is just the right model at this moment. Simple and straightforward.
 
Just got mine today and been setting it up and having a play inbetween meetings at work.

Firstly, as expected, it’s a remarkable upgrade over the iPad 3. No surprise to anyone, but it’s very very cool. So fast to do… well anything I wanted really :)

It’s heavier than I imagined, but that’s fine. I’ve bought an Apple Smart Cover for it, might see if something is available for the back to stop it getting scuffed up over time.

Very pleased with it anyway, and at £320, it’s excellent value for money. Now to work out what’s been added to iPad OS as my 3 will be a few versions back!
 
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I think it looks like a fantastic ipad and if I wasn’t still happy with my 10.5 pro I’d be very interested in it.

Last christmas my kids both got ipad 8’s together with logitech keyboard cases and crayons, and they’ve just been such good value - they game on them way more than their Nintendo, they were invaluable throughout lockdown when they were using them to home school and keep in touch with friends (often simultaneously), and now they’re back at school they’re still using them all the time for homework. My daughter just went up to secondary school and has the full Microsoft 365 suite of apps on hers now. I feel like the ipad has been a slow burner over the years but we’re long past the point now where most people can comfortably do everything they need and more even on this base level ipad.

I prefer my laminated screen, and my pro-motion, and my quad speakers… but really those are just luxuries, not “pro” requirements. The £329 ipad is a steal IMO.
 
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Honestly, you should just buy a pre-owned iPad 8 or wait for a closeout sale.

Between the 8th and the 9th, almost little changed.

Storage bump is good, though.

System+Other already takes around 15GB before any user installed apps and that's after deleting some preinstalled stuff such as GarageBand, etc. so definitely starting to feel quite cramped. Granted, iPad 8 128GB on a good sale is a good option, too.

Also, the front camera improvement is useful if you use video conferencing a lot.
 
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Just used the Center Stage function during a call: in one word, fantastic.
 
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October 20th shipping date for my iPad 9. Ugh. Pain. Also keep eyeing the silver rather than the space grey I ordered (looks so throwback with the black front and classic silver back), continually slapping my hand away from the "cancel" button. The intent of applying a black leather dbrand skin and mallard green smart cover is saving me so far lol (it's going to look so good!)

Wish there were more video reviews of the device/comparisons to iPad 8 to binge in the meantime!

Only thing I'm hoping they'll add support for someday is, when having a video call open, being able to multitask without the feed going down. For more "intensive" calls that require opening documents, sharing things, etc. however I just turn to my trusty ThinkPad X390 (incredible little machine).
 
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24 hours with this iPad 9, and I love it.

You see reviews online and they say how big the bezels are. I guess they are, but I also want to be able to hold the damn thing too :)

Screen is lush, and clear and sharp. Reading text on a website is really good, and watching videos on YouTube is great, it looks really good then!

It would be cool if it had left\right speakers for that, but it’s no biggie as I typically have headphones connected anyway. Speaking of which, it’s got a headphone jack. I was more surprised than anything :D

Theres so much new in iOS15, and I am currently finding a happy setup for split screen. It certainly makes a goof case for having the iPad in landscape position for browsing, with the split vertically.

Overall, I am loving it. Oh, and the battery seems amazing so far!!
 
After the Apple event, in which they mentioned sales, I saw several tech journalists express surprise that the base iPad was the best selling model. It’s like really, you didn’t think the cheapest iPad, which is still an excellent product, would be the most popular? I’m thinking of getting one for my parents. It’s more than enough device for them, and that’s true in a lot of cases. Can’t really justify the price jump to the Air for their use case.
 
After the Apple event, in which they mentioned sales, I saw several tech journalists express surprise that the base iPad was the best selling model. It’s like really, you didn’t think the cheapest iPad, which is still an excellent product, would be the most popular? I’m thinking of getting one for my parents. It’s more than enough device for them, and that’s true in a lot of cases. Can’t really justify the price jump to the Air for their use case.
Right? It's almost like they and the YouTuber promoters didn't succeed at convincing everyone they should spend more. ;)

One day, we'll have no choice. Grab the tried-and-true (and much more durable/cost-effective) design while you can.
 
Have Apple said what iPhone is the most popular? I assume it’s the non-Pro models, but it might be different with a phone since it’s a primary product over an iPad.
 
After the Apple event, in which they mentioned sales, I saw several tech journalists express surprise that the base iPad was the best selling model. It’s like really, you didn’t think the cheapest iPad, which is still an excellent product, would be the most popular? I’m thinking of getting one for my parents. It’s more than enough device for them, and that’s true in a lot of cases. Can’t really justify the price jump to the Air for their use case.
The tech journalists are in the rarified air of having access to all types of tech... much of it above the price points of most consumers. The result is they're out of touch and have a skewed view of the value of tech. That's being generous and assumes that they have no agenda. The cynic in me thinks that they have an interest in hawking the more expensive tech to readers.
 
The tech journalists are in the rarified air of having access to all types of tech... much of it above the price points of most consumers. The result is they're out of touch and have a skewed view of the value of tech. That's being generous and assumes that they have no agenda. The cynic in me thinks that they have an interest in hawking the more expensive tech to readers.
As a full-time marketing Copywriter and Editor, I've got to say that you're spot on. It's all about creating trends and endlessly refining your approach to appeal to audiences who hop on said hype train. Convincing people of a certain angle being the new "standard."

Sort of like how more noticeable and pronounced than usual jelly scroll somehow becomes the newly accepted "normal" and you're whining/wrong/"expecting too much" if you disagree. 😂
 
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The tech journalists are in the rarified air of having access to all types of tech... much of it above the price points of most consumers. The result is they're out of touch and have a skewed view of the value of tech. That's being generous and assumes that they have no agenda. The cynic in me thinks that they have an interest in hawking the more expensive tech to readers.
Yup. Roughly all these tech "journalists" are used to get free review units of flagship devices, so they are completely out of touch in terms of what the market actually purchase. Just look at Android. Literally all you see are flagship reviews by these "journalists," yet the numbers showed that the best sellers are the mid-low range devices, which are rarely mentioned nor reviewed by those "journalists."
 
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After the Apple event, in which they mentioned sales, I saw several tech journalists express surprise that the base iPad was the best selling model. It’s like really, you didn’t think the cheapest iPad, which is still an excellent product, would be the most popular? I’m thinking of getting one for my parents. It’s more than enough device for them, and that’s true in a lot of cases. Can’t really justify the price jump to the Air for their use case.

Agreed. Heck, I splurge because I like having tons of built-in storage. However, the rest of the family are perfectly happy with the base iPad. It's even preferable for the thicker/more robust build, TouchID home button and 3.5mm headphone jack. Even the Lightning port is a boon since iPhones still use Lightning.
 
Have Apple said what iPhone is the most popular? I assume it’s the non-Pro models, but it might be different with a phone since it’s a primary product over an iPad.
The regular non-pro were always the most popular (XR, 11, and 12 in their respective years of release). Expect the 13 to be the same.
 
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My problem with the iPad 9 is the non-laminated screen (seriously, this design is how old already?) and no bluetooth 5 (it still has only bluetooth 4.2!!). The front camera upgrade is pretty good though that it piqued my interest. Center stage is neat (played with it on the iPad Pro at a local store).

I don't understand the bluetooth part since Apple put the effort in putting a modern SoC in it. Also I noticed on Apple's site, the cellular version doesn't support 2G (GSM/EDGE) anymore. It's 3G/4G modem only. Interesting.
 
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My problem with the iPad 9 is the non-laminated screen (seriously, this design is how old already?) and no bluetooth 5 (it still has only bluetooth 4.2!!).

We have a bent iPad Air 2 in the household so I've actually found that laminated screen pretty good for more careless users. No one in the fam wants to use massive Otterbox cases.
 
My problem with the iPad 9 is the non-laminated screen (seriously, this design is how old already?) and no bluetooth 5 (it still has only bluetooth 4.2!!). The front camera upgrade is pretty good though that it piqued my interest. Center stage is neat (played with it on the iPad Pro at a local store).

I don't understand the bluetooth part since Apple put the effort in putting a modern SoC in it. Also I noticed on Apple's site, the cellular version doesn't support 2G (GSM/EDGE) anymore. It's 3G/4G modem only. Interesting.
But it’s a basic iPad and for the price it’s hard to beat. I believe Walmart is still selling it for $299. There is nothing Samsung sells in this price range that can compete with it. So yes it doesn’t have the latest tedh, the colors are boring and the same but for a basic tablet i’ll take this any day over an Amazon or Samsung tablet.
 
The regular non-pro were always the most popular (XR, 11, and 12 in their respective years of release). Expect the 13 to be the same.
According to the Russian sales, stores have reported 90% of order coming for 13Pro and 13PM, while 10% preorders went to regular ones.
 
Agreed. Heck, I splurge because I like having tons of built-in storage. However, the rest of the family are perfectly happy with the base iPad. It's even preferable for the thicker/more robust build, TouchID home button and 3.5mm headphone jack. Even the Lightning port is a boon since iPhones still use Lightning.
Ah, the charging port is a good point! I set them up with an iPhone SE earlier this year, and it’ll be easier for everyone with the iPad having the same charger. I can already see my father grumbling if he needed to have another cable 😁
 
BACKGROUND: My current iPad is the Ipad Air (1st gen, from 2013). I got it in used condition, but using it more heavily for a few years, and having been 6 years since I had it means the battery life has taken a hit. These days, I spend more time charging it than using it :\ On top of that, I never updated it past ios8 (eight), in order to continue playing some apps that never got updated (let alone for the shift to 64-bit)

MY SITUATION: _IF_ I were to get an iPad, it would be the 9th gen. I'll end up using it to play digital implementations of board games, and perhaps some "real" video games. Not getting the Mini b/c I want the larger screen (don't need the Mini's smaller, more portable form factor), and it starts off at a higher price as well. Not getting the Air nor Pro lines b/c I don't need the much higher capacities, nor be using the Apple Pencil (let alone the 2nd gen Apple Pencils). They're also quite pricey for my preferences (you get more, but I'm paying more for the stuff that I won't need)

I was going to jump on the iPad 8th gen, but kept putting off. However, it having base storage of 32 GB wasn't enough, so the bump to 128 GB would be mandatory, tacking on another $100. The 9th gen's base 64 GB should be enough since I'll use it very minimally for multimedia storage, and won't (at least shouldn't) go crazy with apps and games.
 
My problem with the iPad 9 is the non-laminated screen (seriously, this design is how old already?) and no bluetooth 5 (it still has only bluetooth 4.2!!). The front camera upgrade is pretty good though that it piqued my interest. Center stage is neat (played with it on the iPad Pro at a local store).

I don't understand the bluetooth part since Apple put the effort in putting a modern SoC in it. Also I noticed on Apple's site, the cellular version doesn't support 2G (GSM/EDGE) anymore. It's 3G/4G modem only. Interesting.
US cell carriers sunsetted 2G years ago. AT&T is sunsetting 3G no later than 2/22/2022. Verizon was supposed to sunset 12/31/2019, then pushed that back to 12/31/2020, and now it’s 12/31/2022. Verizon quit activating 3G devices on 6/30/2018. AT&T quit within the last year or maybe a little longer.
 
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