iPad New 10.2" iPad: Touch ID, Smart Connector, A10, 2160x1620 - $329 - ** 3 GB RAM CONFIRMED **

[rui no onna]

Yes, I betcha the loss of free MS Office will come as a shock to many people. Fortunately, iWork is a decent basic substitute these days for many casual users.

One issue with this is if you receive documents and need to be able to share documents with other people. MS Office is still dominant there.

 

[missbing]

3gb ram is pushing me more towards the 7th gen instead of the 6th gen now. I'll wait to see how prices are during the holidays.

 

[Richard8655]

One issue with this is if you receive documents and need to be able to share documents with other people. MS Office is still dominant there.

For sure with sharing. In addition, many users already have quite a few existing Excel and Word documents (as I do), and if I don't have to pay $70/year I'd rather not. I also haven't had any significant performance issues on my 5th and 6th gens with 2gb. So along with the free MS Office benefit, no pressing need to upgrade. But to EugW's point, 3gb would still probably be enough to recommend the 10.2 as entry point for any new iPad user.

 

[EugW]

One issue with this is if you receive documents and need to be able to share documents with other people. MS Office is still dominant there.

iWork can read and write Office documents. But it’s only good for simple stuff. For more complex stuff there are too many formatting issues, etc.

Complex macros don’t work either.

 

[secretk]

Yes, I betcha the loss of free MS Office will come as a shock to many people. Fortunately, iWork is a decent basic substitute these days for many casual users.

I think that you are right. For casual users most probably it does not matter if it is iWork or MS office. I would tell you why for me it would matter if I did not have company Microsoft account that I use on my iPad that has the licensing stuff covered.

We use mostly Windows at work and we use MS Office. On top of it all of my friends use MS Office. In other words I work mostly with MS Office. Now yes I know that iWork can open MS files but what it does is that it creates copy of the MS file that opens in iWork. Then once I am done with changes I will have to convert it again to MS office format which for me is additional step in the workflow that I would like to avoid. And I do not want to store the file twice and thus impact my storage.

But this is something that casual users don't know and don't care about it. I like the fact that it has 3 GB RAM, but I don't like Apple smart keyboards. I am not talking about the typing experience in terms of spacing ( I have read your thread). I don't like the texture of the keyboard, I don't like the way it folds. I prefer more pronounced buttons. I don't like the weight distribution between the iPad and the keyboard. Overall not for me.

But I do think that this iPad is a good option for new buyers. It has 3 GB RAM, same CPU as 6th gen and this CPU is not bad for casual users and even for regular users. 6th gen iPad does not have CPU issues, it has RAM issues. So the 3 GB RAM solves that problem. And the screen is a bit bigger which is appreciated. For example I do not find split screen useful for 9.7 inch display. It's too small. Sometimes you can't see the big picture. 10.2 might improve a bit the situation here.

 

[EugW]

Teardown confirms Geekbench’s 3 GB reporting:

10.2-Inch iPad Teardown Confirms 3GB of RAM and Same-Size Battery

iFixit has completed its teardown of the new 10.2-inch iPad and uncovered the same 8,227 mAh/32.9 Wh battery as the sixth-generation 9.7-inch iPad, while RAM has been increased from 2GB to 3GB. The 10.2-inch iPad is similar to the sixth-generation 9.7-inch iPad, with the same A10 Fusion...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[brucemr]

On a new iPad 7th gen. 3 days. Upgrade of 2017 5th gen., water damage and broken screen, had to do something.

Was hoping for A11. But got same A10 as 6th gen. 😔 A10 maybe a bit snappier than the A9, if use my imagination.

Game changer for me is the internet page refresh. Live tv, and other websites that update continuously (for ex golf tournament leaderboards).

With the 2017 5th gen. it was a continuous issue, up to 2 to 3 times per minute. Deleting safari history and data stopped it for 10-15 minutes, but problem came back quickly.

On the new 7th gen., not had a single page refresh so far!

If not for posts here, would have presumed it was the A9 to A10 processor upgrade. But now suspect it was probably RAM increase from 2 to 3 GB.

 

[ACG12]

3GB RAM is good news.

32gb base isn’t. I’m not spending $429+tax for an iPad that has a terrible screen and a 3 year old processor. You’re almost at Air 3 prices, especially if you get one on sale.

 

[aevan]

This will be a *fantastic* upgrade for my dad come Christmas time.

This is basically 1st gen iPad Pro features(keyboard/Apple Pencil) at $329. I have no idea what you people are complaining about at this price point.

Edit: the iPad Pro had an A9X, now I REALLY don’t know what you guys are complaining about. That’s less than half the price of an absolute monster from just 4 years ago. Remember this is the “basic” affordable iPad here. For that market segment this is a huge upgrade.

Also the Pro had less RAM (if you you’re comparing to the 9.7” iPad Pro)

 

[The Man]

32gb base isn’t. I’m not spending $429+tax for an iPad that has a terrible screen and a 3 year old processor. You’re almost at Air 3 prices, especially if you get one on sale.

$429 or $329? Sure, iPad Air is discounted everywhere and is close in price of an iPad 7th gen 128 GB. I wish Apple had made a better value, because 32 GB is terrible. Next year Apple should go with

iPad 64 GB $329
iPad 128 GB $399
iPad Air 64 GB $499

32 GB is crazy now and would be even more crazy in 2020.