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iPad Pro Have we broken Apple Rule #1. Never Buy first gen Apple technology M1 + XDR Display

brandoman said:
Agreed. But other first-gen products include (not an extensive list) Intel iMac, Intel Macbook Pro, Intel Macbook, Intel MBA, Apple Watch, iPad, Intel Mac Mini, Apple TV, etc.
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Apple Watch, AppleTV, and iPad, sure.

But something like the Macbook Air is totally ambiguous IMO. It wasn’t Apple’s first laptop or their first Intel laptop. It had a new name, but names are arbitrary. It had a new form factor, but so did the 2013 Mac Pro, and we don’t usually think of that as a first-gen product.
 
I only wish that Apple had given the 11" iPad Pro the new mini-LED XDR screen so I could break Apple Rule #1
 
ruka.snow said:
That affected a vocal minority. Mine is still working great and proves to be a better typing experience than the 2015 and prior models.
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Lucky you. I had most of my 2017 laptop replaced last summer because of this issue.
 
ruka.snow said:
That affected a vocal minority.
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This isn't directed at you. It's just that I've seen this phrase several times since I woke up this morning. It's barely past noon and I've reached my breaking point.

I absolutely hate the term "vocal minority". In 99% of cases, it's used as a way to dismiss complaints. Maybe those complaints really do represent a minority, but maybe they represent the majority. We'll never know.

Measuring how many people don't speak up is extremely difficult. Even proper statistical surveys struggle with this—it's extremely hard to correct for response bias. Which means that all you can do is pay attention to the people who are talking to you.
 
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The 2021 iPad Pro 2021 appears to be a very safe 1. gen product line to take on:
- The standalone Pro XDR display probably taught Apple a lot (not mini-LED I know) in that display category.
- The design is almost a 1-1 reuse, so warts and all very safe.
- Using the M1 is the lowest risk approach they could take for a new SOT for the 2021 line.

All-in-all: while the 2021 12.9 might seem new and risky, it's mostly proven technology or at least minor steps forward in known territory.

Fake edit: was going to write a long rant on how the iPad Pro 2018 and M1 macBooks are brilliant 1. gen products and how 'the entire premise of the tread was invalid' - but that position was already occupied 🥳.
 
We could all die tomorrow. I’m not waiting another 18 months for another iterative refresh. There is always going to be a refresh on the horizon, but we never know what it’s gonna be. I’m only upgrading because my 10.5 Pro developed white spots on the screen and Apple offered a very competitive rate for it. My phone, I’m waiting until the next major camera bump but I’m perfectly happy with my Xs Max. My MacBook I’m waiting to upgrade until the first ARMv9 chips come out, but between it and my Mac mini I’m content.
 
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maflynn said:
I have no such rule. I bought the first gen retina MBP and it was the absolute best MBP I've owned. Am I worried about this having issues? No and if I do, that's what Apple care is for
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Yeah, this 'rule' has long irked me. I understand that sometimes with a massive overhaul there can be kinks to work out, but if you really think about it almost every iteration of an Apple product has a first-generation something. If you're waiting for a product that has literally nothing new so that it's "safe" well that's just silly.

Even an incredibly trivial and minor update like the 2020 iPad Pro had the first-generation LiDAR sensor.. A little less consequential than an entirely new display tech, but still. Every other processor that Apple makes is the first generation of that microarchitecture / core-count combination. No sense in worrying all the time. Everyone got all hung up about the M1 being first-generation Mac silicon... but it was really just what would have been the A14X rebranded as an M-Series chip. And the Mac on ARM bugs could just be fixed with software updates.

If you're worried just get AppleCare+ and call it a day, especially now that it can be extended beyond the standard three years.

Wowfunhappy said:
What is a first-gen product? Certainly the 2001 iPod and 2007 iPhone, but the M1 Macs weren't the first Macs, nor was the M1 Apple's first processor, and (almost) every refresh introduces something new.
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This.
 
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The last few “First Gen Products” I could think of in the last few years.

2015:
Apple Pencil: Awkward charging but still works great
Smart Keyboard: Still works fine on my 6 year old iPad Pro 9.7
Apple Watch: Slow but such an amazing debut.

2016:
AirPods: Mine still work. I was surprised to see these are 5 years old?!

2018:
HomePod: Still getting current updates and still Apples best speaker

2020:
Magic Keyboard: This really moved the iPad forward in a big way
M1 MacBook: Amazing value, insane power

2021:
AirTags: They do what they’re supposed to do.

I’m sure I’m missing something I really can’t think of what the last Apple “first gen” failed product was. Butterfly keyboard was the mess that nobody will ever forget I guess, but outside of that then what? I guess, for me, Apple is a careful company and the idea of first gen fears no longer exist.
 
KittyKatta said:
I’m sure I’m missing something I really can’t think of what the last Apple “first gen” failed product was. Butterfly keyboard was the mess that nobody will ever forget I guess, but outside of that then what? I guess, for me, Apple is a careful company and the idea of first gen fears no longer exist.
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The caveat with the Butterfly Keyboard is that it wasn't just bad for Gen 1.... it was bad for several generations across multiple product lines! 😭 What a blunder.
 
I'm not worried about the upgrades in the 2021 iPPs, even in the 12.9. I think the 12.9 is a great upgrade.

I'm just not sure that I would notice a difference because I'm a more casual iPad user who prefers the big screen of the 12.9. I will probably opt for a discounted 2020 12.9.
 
I tend to follow this rule not because of potential defects, but my FOMO on some great new feature that Apple often has waiting in the wings for the second version.

Example: 1st-ever iPad Pro in 2015 - groundbreaking form factor! What did Apple do in the 2nd version from 2017? Well, the display was majorly improved with P3 wide color, ProMotion 120hz and True Tone, leaving the original model looking dull and dim by comparison.

The same thing happened with the original 5k Retina iMac (2014) -- I know of people who gnashed their teeth in regret for not waiting for the 2015 update with PC wide color (which makes an even more of a dramatic difference on a 27" display).

That said, I'm not worried about buying the 2021 iPad Pro 12.9, because the design and form factor aren't new, while the XDR and M1 are simply additions to the tried and true.

(The upcoming M2/M1X MacBook Pro is a different story - that's expected to be totally redesigned, and I'm waiting for the 2nd edition in 2022.)
 
From my experience, first gen Apple products are just as polished as the rest of their products. I had the first gen AirPods and never had any issues. I ignored warnings to not get the iPhone X at launch and I'm still using it. Plus, if no one used a company's first gen product then there'd never be a second gen version of the product :)
 
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prospervic said:
I tend to follow this rule not because of potential defects, but my FOMO on some great new feature that Apple often has waiting in the wings for the second version.
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There's always something new around the corner.

In the 2015-2017 iPad Pro example, I'm sure there were also those who regretted not waiting for the redesigned 2018 iPad Pro.

Personally, I just buy when I like what's on offer and I deem the asking price to be acceptable (or at least tolerable).
 
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rui no onna said:
Personally, I just buy when I like what's on offer and I deem the asking price to be acceptable (or at least tolerable).
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That's a logical approach, of course! 😀

In my case, I've had too many regrets - 1st iPod touch (no physical volume controls, AARGH!), 1st iPad Air (no anti-reflective coating - YUCK!), 1st ever MacBook Pro (no double-layer DVD drive - cost me $$$ in lost time for clients) to take that chance again.

In my imagining, the folks at Apple pop the champagne ("WE DID IT!!!") upon creating the first version of a new product. Then, after the partying is over, and they've sobered-up, someone says "Okay team, let's get back to work and figure out how to make this new device better."
 
UBS28 said:
M1 is nothing new, it is simply the A14X with a different name. For the development kit, they even put the A12Z in the Mac.

The display is derived from their Pro XDR monitor, so it should be fine.
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Yep. Little has changed underneath. i think people are overhyping it.
 
Am I worried about the M1, nope… it’s just an A14X, Apple arnt new to making A??X chips.

The screen tech, yeah I am a little worried with all the production issue rumours floating around, but that’s something only time will tell.

If I think of it though, a lot of products have early adopter issues:

iPhone 4 had the death grip, iPhone 5 had iPhones chipped out of the box, iPhone 6 Plus has the bend gate issue, iPad Pro 2018 also had a bend gate issue, the iPhone X (new OLED display) had touch issues due to a failcomponent.

Will the new iPad Pro have issues with the display, history tells us it definitely could do, but it is either buy this or wait until late next year for the 6th Gen which will probably have the M2 and be thinner… but then it will be a question of whether it might throttle or overheat due to it being thinner… unfortunately all tech will have issues, I just hope they have nailed the XDR display for these iPads.

Personally I doubt apple would go with miniLED over OLED if it was likely to have an increased risk of issues especially with miniLED being harder and more expensive to produce over OLED.
 
prospervic said:
In my case, I've had too many regrets - 1st iPod touch (no physical volume controls, AARGH!), 1st iPad Air (no anti-reflective coating - YUCK!), 1st ever MacBook Pro (no double-layer DVD drive - cost me $$$ in lost time for clients) to take that chance again.
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My only regret with the Air is not getting 128GB storage. That and spending $$$$ on crappy Android and Windows tablets instead of upgrading to the Air 2 because I wanted to stop paying the Apple storage tax.

I'm not against upgrading every year if I see a benefit. Well, not this time though. At $2K, that's gonna have to last me at least 2 years (well, 18 months minimum 😛 ).
 
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prospervic said:
That's a logical approach, of course! 😀

In my case, I've had too many regrets - 1st iPod touch (no physical volume controls, AARGH!), 1st iPad Air (no anti-reflective coating - YUCK!), 1st ever MacBook Pro (no double-layer DVD drive - cost me $$$ in lost time for clients) to take that chance again.

In my imagining, the folks at Apple pop the champagne ("WE DID IT!!!") upon creating the first version of a new product. Then, after the partying is over, and they've sobered-up, someone says "Okay team, let's get back to work and figure out how to make this new device better."
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I really don’t understand that reasoning, the first Air was better than the previous iPad, so even if the Air 2 fixed something you had a better device until the Air 2 came out.

Any product can have problems they fix for the next iteration but in most cases the product is still better than what was available before. So in any case you had a better device until the next iteration came out that you could switch to.
 
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