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this battery thing surprises me. why would apple refuse to replace a battery when you’re paying them to?

If Apple tears deem the battery good then they won't replace it even if you pay them. Whether they actually replace it or just give you a refurb model is also a question.
 
If Apple tears deem the battery good then they won't replace it even if you pay them. Whether they actually replace it or just give you a refurb model is also a question.
In Australia its a refurb.

So they don't sell the batteries by themselves.

There are third party batteries. They can be good I presume. Or not ... and the replacement is not simple. iFixit had 37 stages ... including a heat gun for the glue tape removal, a replacement tape is required, and they sell a special tool for something else ...
 
All very true.

I wonder though, how many M4 iPad Pros are tandem OLED utilised? And I agree too that an Air would be better than a 10.5" Pro - except the Air has slow scrolling. And two of its four speakers are disabled.

One should also keep in mind that the lighter a notebook / pad is, the cheaper it is to manufacture, excepting exotic materials. And the M4 runs cooler, which also lowers costs due to requiring less materials to cool it. Overall lighter means cheaper to manufacture: less weight also saves material, supply, holding & manufacturing costs.

But with notebooks makers have always charged more for lightness, because marketers can differentiate on weight.

Agree though that light weight is a big benefit in the iPad, but unfortunately, the units don't appear to be toughened. They aren't even dust or moisture resistant while the phones are. And I wonder how many are used without a cover or attachment? I'd be impressed if they were water resistant (which means also dust resistant) and Apple optioned a carbon fibre flip cover that mean't they could take a fall. Instead Apple offers extended insurance.

IMO the iPad Pro m4 would have had much greater appeal in Australia if the base spec included GPS and a nano screen. It would have made a viable navigation tool with mapping data installed. In a base Macbook Pro 14" the Nano upgrade costs $150 extra. In an iPad it costs an extra $700 to get that outdoor usage benefit.

A 13" iPad Pro M4 with Nano costs $2,000
A 14" Macbook Pro Nano 1GB/16 RAM costs $1,950.
And it has 3 Thunderbolt ports, supports two external displays, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, a keyboard, and more than double the battery life - the iPad rated at only 10 hours (PCMag's battery test for the 14" Macbook Pro: "an unprecedented 28 hours and 33 minutes of video playback time").

It's tough to argue that iPad Pro isn't overpriced, even when comparing it to other Apple gear.
Price is not necessarily related to bill of materials. BOM is only one factor, but it's also what strategy maximizes profits.
The iPad pro is indeed overpriced, so are most Macs, but less for the base model (but start adding storage and RAM and you quickly get into very overpriced territory compared to what it costs to Apple).
Apple has very fat margins, they are just spread in a way that, in their opinion, maximizes profits. Some products and some upgraded variants have much fatter margins than others.
Whether they are justified or not it depends on how happy you are with the product and ready to pay.
Apple care+ is more profitable than making iPads water resistant like Samsung does.

Many people would like a chaeper iPad (pro) with Apple giving them a lower chip but all the nice features (promotion, quad speakers etc.) but that's not what would maximizes their profits
 
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The iPad pro is indeed overpriced, so are most Macs, but less for the base model (but start adding storage and RAM and you quickly get into very overpriced territory compared to what it costs to Apple).
Yep... case for another thread. Only goods news from Apple notebook products is thunderbolt 5 (which means one can efficiently use external drives at a much lower price than Apple's) but you have to get a more expensive computer to get T-5. And their Ai promises to be free, unlike M$'s. I think the batteries in Macbooks are straightforward to replace too.
 
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Because the less people replace the battery the more they are inclined to buy a new iPad, which makes them much more money
The partial solution to this is that Apple should have included a AC pass through mode on the M Powered iPad Pros (and Airs). Especially needed when using stage manager on an external display.
 
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Absolutely!

If I could run macOS on it, I'd have an iPad Pro 11 or 13" ... yesterday ... just for that screen honestly

No you won't. There are Windows laptops with OLED displays + touch screen support, which is basically the iPad you guys have been asking for. Yet, none of you bought those devices.

And touch screen on Windows is not even commonly used. Apple clearly knows better than MacRumors on how to make market leading products.

And before you say MacOS works better with a Touch Screen than Windows, no it doesn't. Mac OS is designed for a mouse + keyboard, not for touch based devices.
 
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...

And before you say MacOS works better with a Touch Screen than Windows, no it doesn't. Mac OS is designed for a mouse + keyboard, not for touch based devices.
Hah hah. I recall seeing touch screens on Mac OS 7. Early 1990s. We got the overlays put on for customers who needed touch. It worked fine.

By the way, when I look a youtube video on my MacBook, for instance the Telegraph Ukraine the Latest, I get several ads. I can skip them though - and to do so, I touch my touch pad ... and then try to find my curser/arrow on screen thingy. It maybe be anywhere. That takes several annoying seconds. Then I scroll the pointer down, hit skip, and it's gone ... until the next add.

On Windows, I just touch the skip square - instantly. And no irritation.

Same for re-sizing a window on Windoze' - you just grab the screen with your hand, a few fingers, and resize and move the screen. Instantly and intuitively. No so Mac OS.

Not have touch is because Apple wants people to buy both devices. It's not a decision made by the software guys, or those who focus on customer satisfaction. It's done by those who want to increase sales.
 
I checked on the best cases for an iPad Pro M4 .... and this one got the best case awards:

ESR for iPad Pro 11 Inch Case M4(2024, 5th Generation)​

And then, I checked its weight. 445 grams. What a joke. Why buy a lightweight iPad, and then put on a heavy case to protect it? Or should I just pay for the Apple insurance? At least then it can remain light. But... one needs a stand to look at it when at a table ...
 
Apple already makes this. It’s called the MacBook Air.
It doesn't have a touch screen. Which is what I thought we were talking about!

Apple came close to a notebook with a touch screen too ... but it seemed to be relying on Newton technology, as it had a stylus. It was a full scale (small sized) notebook though. Never retailed. I had a Newton and its (much criticised) converting written text to print worked fine for me. And my handwriting's terrible.

Apple's iPad profit centre are terrified that Apple might enable a touch screen on a Macbook. The reality is though that a Pad's benefits are related to its convenient size and if it doesn't have a keyboard attached, its weight.

I reckon the vast majority of iPad users treat the iPad as they did the early iPads and just use primarily for browsing. Add some use for communication. Some other tasks as well, which is where Apple has charged a lot more to enable slightly greater capabilities, and in the Pro capabilities that I reckon hardly any users utilise. No doubt the iPad cost centre see those capabilities as game changes, and vital. IMO they are marketing differentiators and are useless for the vast majority.

The facts are that with a touch notebook, they allow faster command approval because one doesn't have to find the curser and move it to a screen command icon that benefits the user if it can be pressed immediately. With touch, you finger does it instantly. Watching youtube and that advertisement comes up, then a skip icon appears - PC notebook users skip the Ad almost instantly without thinking about it. While MacBook users are still trying to find where the heck their curser is.

But if you go for a keyboard with an iPad, your iPad upgrade path is restricted. As is IOS for even M$ Office. But for students using cloud based apps, an iPad with a keyboard makes sense. But so would a iMac Air - but it lacks a touch screen. So many buy touch screen PCs.

And while the iPad is light - it isn't with a cover on it. And it's not as thin either with a cover on it. And with an expensive Pro, who wants to risk using it without a cover? And is thin better? I compared an iPad 10.5" Pro to the M4 Pro - my wife and I thought the 10.5" was thinner. Probably because it has curved edges. But it looked thinner to us.

This thread has had lots of talk about the weight of the M4 iPad. Which has puzzled me, because it's hardly any lighter than other iPads. Compared to the base iPad, the Air is 4% lighter, and the M4 Pro 8%. Add a cover and the difference in weight depends on the brand of the cover. And the cover narrows that percentage differential.

But the real change in weight with the M4 was in the 13" size. Today's 11" Air is just 16 grams heavier than the Pro. But the 13" Air is 103 grams heavier or 18% than today's 13" Pro. So now the 13" Pro with keyboard is as light as a !3" MacBook Air.
 
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open up literally any review of the ipad pro. chances are they’ll say it’s more power than you’ll ever use.
'More power than you'll ever need' and 'a very limited OS' have been said in every iPad review since at least the 2018 iPP i bought. It won't change any time soon.
 
It doesn't have a touch screen. Which is what I thought we were talking about!

Apple came close to a notebook with a touch screen too ... but it seemed to be relying on Newton technology, as it had a stylus. It was a full scale (small sized) notebook though. Never retailed. I had a Newton and its (much criticised) converting written text to print worked fine for me. And my handwriting's terrible.

Apple's iPad profit centre are terrified that Apple might enable a touch screen on a Macbook. The reality is though that a Pad's benefits are related to its convenient size and if it doesn't have a keyboard attached, its weight.

I reckon the vast majority of iPad users treat the iPad as they did the early iPads and just use primarily for browsing. Add some use for communication. Some other tasks as well, which is where Apple has charged a lot more to enable slightly greater capabilities, and in the Pro capabilities that I reckon hardly any users utilise. No doubt the iPad cost centre see those capabilities as game changes, and vital. IMO they are marketing differentiators and are useless for the vast majority.

The facts are that with a touch notebook, they allow faster command approval because one doesn't have to find the curser and move it to a screen command icon that benefits the user if it can be pressed immediately. With touch, you finger does it instantly. Watching youtube and that advertisement comes up, then a skip icon appears - PC notebook users skip the Ad almost instantly without thinking about it. While MacBook users are still trying to find where the heck their curser is.

But if you go for a keyboard with an iPad, your iPad upgrade path is restricted. As is IOS for even M$ Office. But for students using cloud based apps, an iPad with a keyboard makes sense. But so would a iMac Air - but it lacks a touch screen. So many buy touch screen PCs.

And while the iPad is light - it isn't with a cover on it. And it's not as thin either with a cover on it. And with an expensive Pro, who wants to risk using it without a cover? And is thin better? I compared an iPad 10.5" Pro to the M4 Pro - my wife and I thought the 10.5" was thinner. Probably because it has curved edges. But it looked thinner to us.

This thread has had lots of talk about the weight of the M4 iPad. Which has puzzled me, because it's hardly any lighter than other iPads. Compared to the base iPad, the Air is 4% lighter, and the M4 Pro 8%. Add a cover and the difference in weight depends on the brand of the cover. And the cover narrows that percentage differential.

But the real change in weight with the M4 was in the 13" size. Today's 11" Air is just 16 grams heavier than the Pro. But the 13" Air is 103 grams heavier or 18% than today's 13" Pro. So now the 13" Pro with keyboard is as light as a !3" MacBook Air.
Given how much I hate getting dirt and smudges on my MacBook Pro screen, a touchscreen laptop would drive me nuts! Anyway, a touchscreen interfaces work better when you’re not sat at a desk, reaching to touch a near vertical screen. What you say is true, if you’re sitting on the couch, but if I’m at my desk, my hands are already on the keyboard or mouse, and I can just react, and not have to stop to reach up to my screen.
 
And in the "real world", how many users have you heard complaining about their device being too powerful? Now ask the same about an underpowered device.
And how many people who bought an M series BMW admit they cannot use its power due to traffic? The reality is many people buy power for status, not for utility.

IMO most people buy the M4 Pro over other iPads for its screen. I reckon an M2 Air (or an M1 Air) with that OLED screen would have greatly reduced the sales of the iPad Pro. Apple has always provided a better processor in the Pro than the Air ... so in went the M4 - a marketing driven decision IMO.

Ai is an issue, but we don't what Apple might do, and buying an M4 for promised Ai benefits is a gamble IMO.
 
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Given how much I hate getting dirt and smudges on my MacBook Pro screen, a touchscreen laptop would drive me nuts! .... if you’re sitting on the couch, but if I’m at my desk, my hands are already on the keyboard or mouse, and I can just react, and not have to stop to reach up to my screen.
Well if you're using a mouse and keyboard, I'd bet your also using a separate screen!! I find a mouse much faster than a touch pad. And quicker than touching the screen with a finger! If one uses a mouse a lot, the ability to resize, move etc becomes instinct IMO. And for that matter, keyboard instructions are faster than menu selections! Apple have even gone hardcore on their notebooks, dropping the touch bar ... but I reckon that was dropped due to cost accountants as its utility was terrific IMO.

But if one is looking at a youtube video then one is not using the mouse, or the touchpad. Just looking at the video. Then the ad pops up, and then a "skip" this ad icon pops up - and then the finger wins, pretty easily because if your not using the pad or mouse, you don't know where the curser is! I sometimes find myself reaching for my Macbook's screen to touch it - and then pull back realising its not the PC notebook.

Smudges aren't an issue when I've used a PC touch notebook. Because if I see them, I also see reflections, and also the screen technology (anti reflection screens can look quite strange on some angles). Notebook users just tilt the screen a bit, without thinking about it.

Talking keyboards and screens - iPad users with keyboards need to pay attention that nothing gets in between their keyboard and screen when folded as the iPad screens can be marked (there've been some reports of that happening).
 
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And how many people who bought an M series BMW admit they cannot use its power due to traffic? The reality is many people buy power for status, not for utility.

IMO most people buy the M4 Pro over other iPads for its screen. I reckon an M2 Air (or an M1 Air) with that OLED screen would have greatly reduced the sales of the iPad Pro. Apple has always provided a better processor in the Pro than the Air ... so in went the M4 - a marketing driven decision IMO.

Ai is an issue, but we don't what Apple might do, and buying an M4 for promised Ai benefits is a gamble IMO.

I went for the M4 13" for the display and the processor - for large RAW image and 4K video edit processing.
 
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Well if you're using a mouse and keyboard, I'd bet your also using a separate screen!! I find a mouse much faster than a touch pad. And quicker than touching the screen with a finger! If one uses a mouse a lot, the ability to resize, move etc becomes instinct IMO. And for that matter, keyboard instructions are faster than menu selections! Apple have even gone hardcore on their notebooks, dropping the touch bar ... but I reckon that was dropped due to cost accountants as its utility was terrific IMO.

But if one is looking at a youtube video then one is not using the mouse, or the touchpad. Just looking at the video. Then the ad pops up, and then a "skip" this ad icon pops up - and then the finger wins, pretty easily because if your not using the pad or mouse, you don't know where the curser is!

Smudges aren't an issue when I've used a PC touch notebook. Because if I see them, I also see reflections, and also the screen technology (anti reflection screens can look quite strange on some angles). Notebook users just tilt the screen a bit, without thinking about it.

Talking keyboards and screens - iPad users with keyboards need to pay attention that nothing gets in between their keyboard and screen when folded as the iPad screens can be marked (there've been some reports of that happening).
Sure, I need to have a mouse handy when I'm working, driving AutoCAD with a trackpad is frustrating, and you're spot on about keyboard instructions too. But it still holds up for me when I'm not working, and have my MacBook Pro on the dining table, or coffee table, with all my peripherals abandoned in the study. I have used touchscreen laptops before, and I've never found a reason to touch the screen. I often feel the need to reach for my iPad, even when I'm working (marking up PDFs on an iPad is as effective as printing it out, and much more efficient), but I've never had the desire to try to touch my screen.

I think the ergonomics of a vertical touchscreen reduce it to occasional uses, rather than a primary input method.
 
And how many people who bought an M series BMW admit they cannot use its power due to traffic? The reality is many people buy power for status, not for utility.

IMO most people buy the M4 Pro over other iPads for its screen. I reckon an M2 Air (or an M1 Air) with that OLED screen would have greatly reduced the sales of the iPad Pro. Apple has always provided a better processor in the Pro than the Air ... so in went the M4 - a marketing driven decision IMO.

Ai is an issue, but we don't what Apple might do, and buying an M4 for promised Ai benefits is a gamble IMO.

Its a bit harsh to say people buy power for status rather than Utility. In the case of the BMW M series, people like the power for sure but its actually the vehicle handling thats special not the power. With mobile devices, most people prefer more power for that extra buffer and future proofing for later.
 
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