iPad Anyone miss the old Apple lineup?

[rui no onna]

I'm bewildered with the people who buy the 11" iPad Pro. Sure it has an M2 now, but the iPad Air is absolutely way more worth it's money than the improvement you get with the 11" Pro.

This is pretty subjective. The value proposition depends on the individual user.

We're replacing an iPad 6th gen in the household and the shortlist of choices are:

• $669 2020 A12Z iPP 11 128GB LTE (if it ever goes back in stock)
• $819 Air 5 256GB 5G
• $849 2021 M1 iPP 11 128GB 5G
• $949 2022 M2 iPP 11 128GB 5G

We're inclined to go with one of the iPP models for FaceID. If there had been a 128GB Air 5 for $650-700 discounted, then we might choose that. As it is, there's not much difference between the Air 5 and M1 Pro 11 pricing for us given our storage needs.

 

[flur]

I miss the iPod shuffle. I still have mine and would love if they came out with a new one that had bluetooth and a lot of storage, but I doubt it would be a big seller. The cool thing about the shuffles is when you have more than one, you can put different mixes on them and then just take the one you want. Going for a run? Take the blue one. Want something mellow for a walk? Take the white one, etc.

 

[flur]

I'm bewildered with the people who buy the 11" iPad Pro. Sure it has an M2 now, but the iPad Air is absolutely way more worth it's money than the improvement you get with the 11" Pro.

Just because something doesn't fit your use case that doesn't mean it doesn't fit anyone's use case.

 

[mectojic]

I miss the iPod shuffle. I still have mine and would love if they came out with a new one that had bluetooth and a lot of storage, but I doubt it would be a big seller. The cool thing about the shuffles is when you have more than one, you can put different mixes on them and then just take the one you want. Going for a run? Take the blue one. Want something mellow for a walk? Take the white one, etc.

Imagine if they made the Airpods charging case also function as an iPod Shuffle? That would be an epic function, and judging by the old Shuffles, would hardly impact battery life.

 

[hirshnoc]

No research has ever drawn that conclusion, certainly not with iPhone nor iPad.

More Isn’t Always Better

Reprint: F0606C Offering customers too many product choices may decrease their sense of well-being.

hbr.org

Less Is More When It Comes to Choices—Fewer Options, Better Decisions

While too many decisions creates overwhelm, having fewer options can lead to greater clarity and can help you to make better decisions.

www.wondriumdaily.com

The Paradox of Choice - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Right. No research.

 

[JPack]

More Isn’t Always Better

Reprint: F0606C Offering customers too many product choices may decrease their sense of well-being.

hbr.org

Less Is More When It Comes to Choices—Fewer Options, Better Decisions

While too many decisions creates overwhelm, having fewer options can lead to greater clarity and can help you to make better decisions.

www.wondriumdaily.com

The Paradox of Choice - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Right. No research.

If you've attended any post-secondary education, you would know you can't generalize research findings. The results from the "jellies and jam" experiment is entirely different from consumers buying smartphones and computers.

The marketing guys at Toyota aren't stupid. They have a dozen crossover vehicles in their lineup. Same thing with Apple. Like I said, there's not been any publicly available research done on iPhones and iPads, much less smartphones or tablets.

 

[Atomic1977]

I think the iPod shuffle was one of the coolest things  ever did. It was small and simple and worked well for its purpose. I had a 2nd gen shuffle at one time. I’m currently using my iPod Nano 5th gen on my alarm clock as my alarm to wake me when I have to get up early.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Imagine if they made the Airpods charging case also function as an iPod Shuffle? That would be an epic function, and judging by the old Shuffles, would hardly impact battery life.

What a brilliant idea!

A fully self contained music library on the go!

The only problem is that current Apple would probably never make it since they are all in on Apple Music (vs local libraries of purchased music).

 

[johnsolo]

Those were good times. Late 2010 Apple store. No compromises anywhere. Sure, iPads have evolved from what they once were, but still – did it have to become what it is now? View attachment 2098838

I miss the iPod shuffle- so great for running with but much cheaper than an Apple Watch

 

[Tozovac]

If you've attended any post-secondary education, you would know you can't generalize research findings. The results from the "jellies and jam" experiment is entirely different from consumers buying smartphones and computers.

Well, surely you don’t need a post-secondary education to know you can’t apply some test results as a one size fits all. Not everyone likes the same hit shows, hit music, not everyone responds the same to certain medicines, etc. Somi don’t disagree v

But there’s some substance to those studies that parallel human nature’s “too much of a good thing” thing.

All I know is, even if I love equally the different foods offered at Chipotle, 5Guys, and your typical local Chinese Food house, I enjoy the ordering experience at a place like Chipotle or 5 Guys a heck of a lot better than your average Chinese or Thai restaurant whose menus can look like a 6 page dictionary sometimes. I feel much more relaxed, anticipatory, and satisfied during and after ordering at the first two. I often find myself self-doubting during and after having ordered Chinese/Thai.

And YMMV.

 

[PlayUltimate]

I miss the iPod shuffle. I still have mine and would love if they came out with a new one that had bluetooth and a lot of storage, but I doubt it would be a big seller. The cool thing about the shuffles is when you have more than one, you can put different mixes on them and then just take the one you want. Going for a run? Take the blue one. Want something mellow for a walk? Take the white one, etc.

Moved from an Apple Watch 3 to Apple Watch 7. I now have enough storage space to put playlists, podcasts, et al. Now I usually run with just the AW and leave my phone in the car. IMO, the AW with AirPods serves the same function that the shuffle did.

 

[Mark Stone]

Those were good times. Late 2010 Apple store. No compromises anywhere. Sure, iPads have evolved from what they once were, but still – did it have to become what it is now? View attachment 2098838

I wasn’t an Apple user in 2010, so I can’t speak to the quality of the lineup - but looking at this chart and comparing it to Apple dot com shows me there is very little difference, as far as complication. There are about 15 or 16 new items there, compared to 13 on the chart you shared. I know the quality of iDevices today is astonishing, so I’m having difficulty seeing your point?

 

[Abazigal]

I'm bewildered with the people who buy the 11" iPad Pro. Sure it has an M2 now, but the iPad Air is absolutely way more worth it's money than the improvement you get with the 11" Pro.

The iPad Pro is also the only option which offers more than 256 gb of storage.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

I wasn’t an Apple user in 2010, so I can’t speak to the quality of the lineup - but looking at this chart and comparing it to Apple dot com shows me there is very little difference, as far as complication. There are about 15 or 16 new items there, compared to 13 on the chart you shared. I know the quality of iDevices today is astonishing, so I’m having difficulty seeing your point?

I think it’s “Things were better in the old days.”

 

[turbineseaplane]

I miss the iPod shuffle- so great for running with but much cheaper than an Apple Watch

Same -- I really wish they'd make a Shuffle Classic that has bluetooth.
The same shuffle design but with BT LE to connect with AirPods would be an exercisers dream!

 

[hirshnoc]

If you've attended any post-secondary education, you would know you can't generalize research findings. The results from the "jellies and jam" experiment is entirely different from consumers buying smartphones and computers.

The marketing guys at Toyota aren't stupid. They have a dozen crossover vehicles in their lineup. Same thing with Apple. Like I said, there's not been any publicly available research done on iPhones and iPads, much less smartphones or tablets.

Yeah, but a person doesn't suddenly go against immutable societal conditioning by intended patronage of an Apple product. iPads and iPhones' inclusion in a study do not magically preclude intrinsic tendencies in human nature -- not for every member of the populace, but for the vast majority.

Splitting hairs and belaboring points won't transmogrify you into an iDevice-learned scholar or prolific Apple connoisseur. It just brings out haughtiness.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

If you've attended any post-secondary education, you would know you can't generalize research findings. The results from the "jellies and jam" experiment is entirely different from consumers buying smartphones and computers.

The marketing guys at Toyota aren't stupid. They have a dozen crossover vehicles in their lineup. Same thing with Apple. Like I said, there's not been any publicly available research done on iPhones and iPads, much less smartphones or tablets.

I think it’s a problem for some people, but not the largest number of them (or, as you say, there wouldn’t be a lot of products out there, much less many products from a single company). For example, for most folks looking at a cereal aisle, it’s likely more “what do I feel like today” or “where’s the cinnamon toast crunch” For a separate group of folks, just going to that aisle paralyzes them. I think there are tips out there that those folks can use to cope in a world with innumerable decisions.

 

[JPack]

Well, surely you don’t need a post-secondary education to know you can’t apply some test results as a one size fits all. Not everyone likes the same hit shows, hit music, not everyone responds the same to certain medicines, etc. Somi don’t disagree v

But there’s some substance to those studies that parallel human nature’s “too much of a good thing” thing.

All I know is, even if I love the different foods all the same, I enjoy the ordering experience at a place like Chipotle or 5 Guys a heck of a lot better than your average Chinese or Thai restaurant whose menus can look like a 6 page dictionary sometimes. I feel much more relaxed, anticipatory, and satisfied during and after ordering at the first two. I often find myself self-doubting during and after having ordered Chinese/Thai.

And YMMV.

There has been zero research suggesting what an ideal number of choices is, or the fact there even is such a thing. You can’t even apply it to the food category, otherwise Subway and its tens of thousands of locations would have never taken off.

 

[JPack]

Yeah, but a person doesn't suddenly go against immutable societal conditioning by intended patronage of an Apple product. iPads and iPhones' inclusion in a study do not magically preclude intrinsic tendencies in human nature -- not for every member of the populace, but for the vast majority.

Splitting hairs and belaboring points won't transmogrify you into an iDevice-learned scholar or prolific Apple connoisseur. It just brings out haughtiness.

You obviously still don’t get it. You cannot generalize results from a study and apply to an entirely different context.

There are a million different factors that can affect the decision making process. Apple’s brand recognition surpasses Coca-Cola. You cannot compare a brandless “jellies and jam” experiment to an iPad. The products are entirely different in terms of complexity, price, motivation to purchase, willingness to learn, etc.

 

[JPack]

I think it’s a problem for some people, but not the largest number of them (or, as you say, there wouldn’t be a lot of products out there, much less many products from a single company). For example, for most folks looking at a cereal aisle, it’s likely more “what do I feel like today” or “where’s the cinnamon toast crunch” For a separate group of folks, just going to that aisle paralyzes them. I think there are tips out there that those folks can use to cope in a world with innumerable decisions.

The most relevant evidence is the fact a $3T company sells 8 iPhones concurrently. Somehow, these guys think a couple of webpages proves "more choice = less sales," as if the world were that simple. Either Apple, along with thousands of other companies are wrong, or the consumer decision making process is far more complex.

 

[Channan]

Apple’s lineup is a bit of a mess right now and can be a little confusing to the average consumer, but I don’t really see how that’s necessarily a bad thing for us.

We know the differences between the different models, so I don’t see how having more choices impacts us in a negative way. Sure, you may not like having to decide whether to spend more money for more features, or sacrifice features to save money, but at least you have a choice.

Personally, I’m just happy that Apple hasn’t done anything really significant to the iPad Pro since the 2018 models. The processor gets a little faster and the cameras a little better each year, but that’s about it. I was ready to upgrade my 2018 11” Pro this year, but now I’m content to wait another year. I’m easily getting my money’s worth from this iPad.

 

[jersm5]

I miss that $99* iPhone lol
*subsidized

Subsidized phone pricing was a nice option. Since I no longer upgrade every year, signing a two year contract would work for me!

I liked upgrading to a new iPhone every year for a while there, from 6, 6 Pro, 7, etc. But there aren't enough exciting new features to make the yearly upgrade worth it anymore. Starting with my iPhone 11 Pro Max, I've been upgrading every other year now. Content to keep my current 13 Pro Max until I

 

[jersm5]

What is with people and this obsession with a "clean" and "simple" lineup? How does this impact you? Seriously?

You don't become a trillion dollar company without having something to sell to everyone.

What is with people who have their own opinions? 😜

 

[Tozovac]

There has been zero research suggesting what an ideal number of choices is, or the fact there even is such a thing. You can’t even apply it to the food category, otherwise Subway and its tens of thousands of locations would have never taken off.

I see. When a study coincides with the personal experiences of many who were not part of the study, I guess there's no possible merit to that study to extend it in any way, or correlation to be had.

 

[JPack]

I see. When a study coincides with the personal experiences of many who were not part of the study, I guess there's no possible merit to that study to extend it in any way, or correlation to be had.

You can find weak correlations with virtually any data. Perhaps the most important test for any model is, does it fit with real world observations?

These are top 20 brands in the world. How many of those brands selling consumer goods have opted to offer as few choices as possible in an effort to increase sales?