...not to mention convenient audio out using the headphone jack...
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPad iPad lineup a hot mess...
- Thread starter Santabean2000
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The mini and 12.9” make sense. But differences between all the mid range of models…
Trying to explain what all the differences, benefits and incongruities to your average layperson.
It’s not clear cut. At all.
It's very clear cut. Not sure why you feel compelled to explain all the differences.
Fundamentally, most consumers only care about display size, chip, and camera. Apple makes it clear the distinction between each model.
- Hi, I would like an iPad please.
- Ok which one?
- I don’t know, I just want an iPad
- Ok why have the iPad 9th gen, the iPad 10th gen, the iPad mini, the iPad Air, the iPad Pro 11” and the iPad Pro 12,9”. Would you also like an Apple Pencil? We have two models, also a keyboard maybe? We have over 9000 models as well.
- Wow, forget it. Bye.
- Ok which one?
- I don’t know, I just want an iPad
- Ok why have the iPad 9th gen, the iPad 10th gen, the iPad mini, the iPad Air, the iPad Pro 11” and the iPad Pro 12,9”. Would you also like an Apple Pencil? We have two models, also a keyboard maybe? We have over 9000 models as well.
- Wow, forget it. Bye.
The whole point of good, better, best is to make things simple for the consumers. Right now it’s confusing. Why does Apple need an iPad at $449 and one at $599? Who are these products for? Take the 10th gen iPad and the iPad Air and combine it into one product that slots into the ’better’ category. Then you have the ’good’ iPad which is for education market and those who are price sensitive, the ’best’ Pro iPad for pro-sumers and those who aren’t price sensitive and a ‘better’ model which is for people who don’t need everything the Pro model has to offer (or don’t want to spend that much) but would like more than the base model has to offer.
It sure seems like Apple is designing products to meet all these different price points which is a terrible way of doing things. You end up with product managers making arbitrary decisions all around needing to meet a price point.
Obviously it’s to have iPhone options at different price points. But I’d argue there’s no reason to be selling the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. There’s only $100 price difference between the two. I’d be curious to know how many 12’s their even selling.
Agreed, but I think Apple wants to move away from the home button and due to the new design language they have to increase the price. Perhaps the price point is due to costs, but I am sure that the 10th gen iPad at $329 is too cannibalising. An alternative would’ve been a spec update to the 9th gen, but like I said, I think Apple wants to move away from that design language (the rumoured Xʀ-like SE4 is another indication), so they did the only thing they could: do something to differentiate the 10th-gen iPad from the iPad Air 5, and maintain the 9th gen for those who want that price point. I don’t think there’s a good alternative if you want to move away from the home button.
Merge both the Air and the base iPad… at what price point and with what specs? If it were $500, the entry price is too much, if it were cheaper, it would be too cannibalising. I don’t think there’s a good alternative currently if Apple doesn’t want the home button.
The iPad 10th gen isn’t even worth it imo, like I said earlier, the Air 4 is a better option.
iPhone 12 probably makes up around 10% of sales. $100 is a decent jump. That’s the same amount between 6.1 and 6.7 inch devices. Many iPhone 12 buyers are prepaid customers. In other words, they pay the entire $599 upfront. So the argument, “they’ll just pay $3 a month more” doesn’t work.
Having more price points for iPad is important because most customers don’t finance their iPad. They pay all of it upfront.
Complaining bout having too many options, lol! You guys are overthinking things. Apple provides you a compare tool that makes it super easy to see where the various models differ, and I personally find it quite fun researching products when making a purchase as long as the info is there, and it is. For example:
I personally start with what screen size I want and then I fine tune from there.
iPad - Compare Models
Compare resolution, size, weight, performance, battery life, and storage of iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad, and iPad mini models.
www.apple.com
I personally start with what screen size I want and then I fine tune from there.
During lean economic times, it becomes more important to have additional price points. Not everyone can make the jump from $329 to $599. Hence the $449 iPad.
In a fairytale world, the $329 iPad would have A14 and thin bezels, but inflation is real. If you try to combine $449 iPad with $599 iPad Air, you end up with fewer customers.
Complaining bout having too many options, lol! You guys are overthinking things. Apple provides you a compare tool that makes it super easy to see where the various models differ, and I personally find it quite fun researching products when making a purchase as long as the info is there, and it is. For example:
iPad - Compare Models
Compare resolution, size, weight, performance, battery life, and storage of iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad, and iPad mini models.www.apple.com
I personally start with what screen size I want and then I fine tune from there.
You are clearly not the typical Apple Store customer. Trust me.
Work in retail for several years and you maybe will even have a lower opinion.
Well, my momma always told me I was special 😉
Seriously, though, I think a TON of people shopping Apple's website use the compare tool. It's not a buried feature--it's right there in the drop-down list of products in each category (Mac, iPad, iPhone, etc.). And people shopping in a brick and mortar Apple store obviously have store associates who can help them make a decision.
Electronic component supply chains are still a mess and won't be right until 2023/24.
This "diverse" iPad lineup (weird as it is) lets Apple meet next year's demand by buying whatvever components they can, when they can, to build whatever iPad models they can.
This "diverse" iPad lineup (weird as it is) lets Apple meet next year's demand by buying whatvever components they can, when they can, to build whatever iPad models they can.
Have. I’ll give the benefit of the doubt to the company that has all the analytics behind their decisions which has resulted in them becoming the most valuable company on the planet (because people buy their offerings). Not the one claiming they know something because they worked at Walmart once. No offense.
I’m still trying to figure out who’s the demographic for the iPaid Air vs the 10th gen? If someone is price sensitive they’ll just buy the $329 iPad. Again it seems like it’s the middle of the iPad lineup that is muddled. I think they only need one product to fill the I don’t need a pro device but want something a bit better than the entry level demographic.
Ok then get rid of the $599 Air and just have the $449 iPad. Of course Apple won’t do that because people would question whether the pro models really are worth that much more.
Your last comment is a telling one (which I agree with). If the new one is not worth buying, then what’s the point of making it..?
Better to have put the A14 into the old design and wait another year until the price point could be met.
The new 10th generation is just full of weird compromises and inconsistencies with the rest of the lineup.
not in these economic times. Having more options with more pricecpoints helps customers find an iPad that fits their budget. with the 10th gen, someone who wants more of an iPad than the 9th gen but can’t afford the Air can get the 10th gen.
The 10th gen allows Apple to make more money than either a lost sale or the sale of the lower priced 9th gen.
I don't think it's difficult.
- $599 iPad Air - serious about drawing; want speed for content creation
- $449 iPad - only want to annotate documents; media consumption
The $329 iPad serves as a holdover product until salaries and wages catch up. Apple realizes not everyone can swallow the $449 inflationary adjustment yet. There is no way to make a $329 iPad with A14/4GB based on the margins required by Apple.
So you’re saying Apple thinks the real base price of an iPad should be $449? And those who are serious about drawing, need speed, need the best screen, why wouldn’t they get the Pro? Again I’m am not convinced there needs to be two iPads in the middle of the lineup.
I think it just confuses customers. Have a cheap iPad for the price sensitive, have one in the middle and one at the high end. Instead we have this mess and then accessories that work with some but not others; a cheaper iPad that has a keyboard with function keys that the more expensive iPad keyboard doesn’t have. Simplify the product line and get it on the same major update schedule as much as possible.
Yes, I think so. Just as the MacBook Air has increased to $1,199, the iPad is now effectively $449. Apple is still selling the legacy $999 and $329 models during this acclimation period.
If Apple intended for two entry-level iPads, they would have added a new name, like iPad XR or something to separate the $449 and $329 models. By using the same name, it suggests this is a transient situation.
There are people who content create for fun or part-time vs. those who do it as their full-time job. People who use iMovie vs. DaVinci Resolve. That is the difference between M1 Air and M2 Pro.