This iPad was launched for 4 main reasons:
1. 5G - This keeps networks happy as they are all transitioning over to 5G and them having the mini with a 5G offering next to a more expensive Air with only 4G just looks really bad.
2. Centre Stage - Every iPad has it in the line up only the Air was lacking the feature which stuck out like a sore thumb.
3. Winding down of A14 chip production, a cost effective move by Apple, slamming an already mass produced chip inside not only cuts costs but also give good marketing and encourages upgrades.
4. To keep the Air up to date in general, is it worth Air 4 users to upgrade obviously not, but iPad Air 3 users, most definitely, this is a huge upgrade for them.
All of Apples line ups are peaking, there isn’t an awful lot more Apple can bring to the table with anything…
iPhone peaked with the iPhone X
Apple Watch peaked with the series 4
Macs are currently starting to peak across the board with the transition to Apple silicon
iPad Pro’s peaked in 2018
iPad Air peaked with the Air 4
Apple know this, and they also know they are giving less and less reason for people to justify upgrading their tech, they also know users are holding onto devices for longer and longer periods of time, hence why firstly support for devices is lasting many many years and also why Apple are starting to incorporate a huge push towards subscriptions even to the point where they are planning hardware subscriptions.
The issue isn’t that the devices Apple are launching are bad, pointless or a joke, the issue is that Apple have pretty much nailed every product line up with what tech is currently available, I suppose you could say in general Apple are quite far ahead in the tech game, they are just waiting for technology to catch up so they can further improve their product line ups.
What is fantastic though is the many years of support these devices are getting… iPadOS 15 still works on the iPad Air 2 and iOS15 still works on the iPhone SE 1st Gen which were both launched 7.5 years ago! That is just crazy!
As for the storage options with the Air 5, Apple have always priced their products to encourage you to get the one that’s a bit better… that’s just good business… they know most people will want more than 64GB of storage, and so will opt for the 256GB option, but they also know that they can potentially claw that extra few $$$ out of you by up selling you to the iPad Pro 11” too, either way its a win win situation for Apple… they haven’t become a multi trillion dollar company with bad marketing and pricing, they are masters at what they do and know exactly how they can claw every last cent you can afford out of you.