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I think there are newer iPads just around the corner. This feels like a new entry into the bottom dollar market, but I'm sure there will be a new Pro model soon, but with fanfare.
 
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Nah I don't think so, it's a safe buy. They had the ability to dig deeper into the old parts bin then they did, but they did it this way on purpose, to go back to some older screen tech etc, to get a lower price point (I still think $299Usd would've been a better price point psychologically to get more people interested).
I'd be surprised if this was updated next year even, outside of maybe a price drop or storage increase,because it's sole purpose is to provide cheaper entry point for consumers and education.

When the IPad pro gets updated, that's where things will get interesting. Will they keep the current models on sale as a first Gen and drop the price, which bridges the gap between the new basic IPad and that? Or just upgrade specs and stop selling the old model?

Given that there is supposedly a new 10.5 I'm guessing they update the specs and drop the original IPad Pro to prevent clutter and confusion with models.

Given that the gap in pricing is significant, maybe the updated Pro gets a modest price decrease so the new 10.5 form factor, while being positioned above the 2nd Gen IPP, isn't astronomically high and again, the difference between the basic one and the IPP isn't as large a gap.

But this new IPad, with what it's intended for, in my opinion, is here for a couple years as is, mostly unchanged.

Thanks for the detailed response! I'll probably end up picking up one of these at some point in the future. I'm not going to be a first day buyer, and I'll see what refurbished iPads become available, but while I'm not in the target market for the iPhone SE I'm pretty sure I'm in the target market for this iPad given my usage. It'll definitely be interesting to see what happens when the iPad Pro is updated and if a 10.5" one is released.

Apple went from having very curated product lines to kind of muddying the waters with the MacBooks (MBA, MB, MBP) and (perhaps to a lesser extent?) the iPad. I think they may be trying to re-develop that more curated line now, with clearer target markets for each product.

Thanks again for your input. :)
 
I think there are newer iPads just around the corner. This feels like a new entry into the bottom dollar market, but I'm sure there will be a new Pro model soon, but with fanfare.
Yes i think that too. I have a feeling that Thursday or Friday we will see the invitations for the 4 April event
 
Makes great sense if you work in an enterprise or education market where the screen and speakers are less important than battery life. I suspect we would have gotten these to replace our Air 2 leased units had they been out a few months ago. This would also be a great replacement for anyone still on an iPad 2-4 but with a limited budget (my wife's grandmother for example). Vast improvement over an iPad 2 or 3, but relatively reasonably priced. And I suspect there will be closeouts on Air 2s now so that might be a better bet for individual purchases.

This x1000. This iPad isn't the enthusiast iPad. This is the MacBook Air of the iPad lineup. It's what you get when you want into the ecosystem as cheaply and efficiently as possible or are going to be purchaseing them by the pallet load to handout to 7th graders or hourly employees. You don't care about the vanity of laminated screens or how thick the damn thing is when you just need a tablet iOS device to get the job done.

This is Apple's push against Chrome Books in schools and cheap Windows 2-in-1s in business. If a consumer happens to buy one instead of a cheap Android tablet or finally updates their 5 year old iPad because of the awesome price, that's just a bonus.

The other factor here is the possibility of repair at an affordable price. Schools and businesses can purchase repair agreements with Apple. One of the reasons schools have pushed back on the iPad is how much it costs to repair/replace one when a clumsy pre-teen inevitably drops and shatters the display glass. That repair on an iPad with a laminated display requires replacing the glass, digitizer and display. On a non laminated iPad, just the glass+digitizer get replaced and costs significantly less.
 
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I wouldn't make to much out of today's ipad non event. I think we will soon see all new pro model's (with the addition of a mini pro)
 
So Apple will release this new "iPad", which doesn't have a proper name by the way, and is much more thicker and heavier than the iPad Air 2 (6.1mm/437g), the iPad Pro 9.7 (also 6.1mm/437g) and only thicker (not heavier) than the gigantic iPad Pro 12.9 (6.9mm).

It's actually 7.5mm thick and weight 469g which are the same specifications than the 2013 iPad Air 1.

And it have mostly the same specifications as the iPad Air 2 from 2014 except that the display is not laminated and it doesn't have the anti-reflective coating anymore. However, it does have the A9 chip instead of the A8 which means :

-No A9X.
-No four stereo speakers.
-No True-Tone display.
-No 12mpx and 5mpx cameras on the front and back.
-No Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard support.
-No Rose Gold color option.
-Maybe others things that I forgot to mention...

The only real advantage I see is in term of battery life because it goes back to the 32.4Wh of the iPad Air 1 from the 27.5Wh of the iPad Air 2/iPad Pro 9.7.

Anyway, there might be surprises when the product get released but this is what we have at the moment from the product page on the Apple website.

So I would like to hear your thoughts on it. Would you buy it ? I know the price is quite good at 329$ for the 32GB but the specifications are for the most part coming straight from 2014.
Also would you go back to that 7.5mm/469g after we got used to much thinner and lighter iPads in favor of a better battery life ?

Waiting to hear your opinions on this product and have a nice day.

Simple thoughts.

#1. New iPad Oros won't be shown till June as I stated last month.
#2. A Launch iPad Pro 9.7 is/was an amazing investment for a good 2-3 year cycle.
#3. The Cheap IPad 9.7 that was released for $329 is a Kids Learning Tablet Nothing more. Pro devices will continue to increase in features and cost. $1,000 is the the Bare minimum for a Pencil and a Keyboard and anything but base 32GB.
#4. What was released on 3/21/17 Uncermoniulsy was filler that they don't have time to cover in the June Keynote.
#5. Apple will Likey Ditch the 9.7" Pro in June in Favor on the 10.5" which is the same footprint as the 9.7" is just less Bezelez. This does 3 things.
A. Kill the resale value of 9.7" Pro models
B. Make 9.7" Pro models look like cheap dated Kids tablets
C. Create hype and excitement for the new 10.5" hotness

As I stated last Month If and only IF the new 10.5" iPad Pro has an OLED Display I will sell my 9.7" Pro and get one. On if OLED.

Here's a Link Word is Apple is or will partner with LG for the same or better 10.5" OLED Displays they already exists. The Dell Venue 10 was slept on and abandoned. Which is why Android on Tablets is dead to me at least.

 
So many seem to be banking on the 10.5 iPad being a thing. Should the 10.5 iPad rumor end up being just that... rumor, the wailing and gnashing of teeth over it will be of Cecil B. DeMille epic proportions.
 
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So many people complaining about this iPad.

It's a GOOD THING that Apple is reaching towards the lower end market. I have friends whose sole complaint against Apple is "it's too expensive". When you're struggling with a limited budget, Apple's price points have historically kept you away from their products. They seem to be trying to lower prices and as a result more people will be able to join us as Apple users.

You can finally buy a regular size iPad with reasonable storage capacity (16GB was just too small, 32 is a good starting point finally) for well under $350. This is a GOOD THING. If you feel this iPad is lacking and you have the money, the iPad Pro is probably for you.

I doubt Apple could have hit the $329 price point using the Air 2's design.
 
Been holding off with an iPad upgrade until now and will get the new one...still using an iPad 2.
 
So Apple will release this new "iPad", which doesn't have a proper name by the way, and is much more thicker and heavier than the iPad Air 2 (6.1mm/437g), the iPad Pro 9.7 (also 6.1mm/437g) and only thicker (not heavier) than the gigantic iPad Pro 12.9 (6.9mm).

It's actually 7.5mm thick and weight 469g which are the same specifications than the 2013 iPad Air 1.

And it have mostly the same specifications as the iPad Air 2 from 2014 except that the display is not laminated and it doesn't have the anti-reflective coating anymore. However, it does have the A9 chip instead of the A8 which means :

-No A9X.
-No four stereo speakers.
-No True-Tone display.
-No 12mpx and 5mpx cameras on the front and back.
-No Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard support.
-No Rose Gold color option.
-Maybe others things that I forgot to mention...

The only real advantage I see is in term of battery life because it goes back to the 32.4Wh of the iPad Air 1 from the 27.5Wh of the iPad Air 2/iPad Pro 9.7.

Anyway, there might be surprises when the product get released but this is what we have at the moment from the product page on the Apple website.

So I would like to hear your thoughts on it. Would you buy it ? I know the price is quite good at 329$ for the 32GB but the specifications are for the most part coming straight from 2014.
Also would you go back to that 7.5mm/469g after we got used to much thinner and lighter iPads in favor of a better battery life ?

Waiting to hear your opinions on this product and have a nice day.

I don't care about any of the stuff you find to be shortcomings. The better battery life, more robust build, better entry level storage and lower price are all things aimed at increasing my use of the product. It'll run apps 99% the same as a Pro without the pencil.. I could care less about showing it off. Besides I go to the gym so the extra weight won't kill me.
 
I have mixed feelings about it. Outdated processor, USB wire (can't plug new iPad to new Macbook without dongle, LoL). But it's actually looks good for me, I have iPad 3 now, which is horribly slow at this point. I used iPad 3 as a laptop replacement for many tasks, but I can only read books with it now, it's not suitable for other tasks with modern iOS, so I'm using my laptop for everything again. May be I'll buy this iPad as a laptop replacement again. Probably it'll depend on price, Apple devices usually quite overpriced in my region. Though I'm worried about it becoming obsolete in few years again, I don't like to buy new devices every year and I had very bad experience with both iPad 3 and iPhone 4S, they became unusable after just 3 years.

I don't buy tablets anymore because they become obsolete very fast (2/3 years).

They cost a lot for just 2/3 years of usage, and then having to buy a new one. Too much money.
 
It's a sign to me that the 'Air' name is being phased out.

Think about it, we had MacBook and MacBook Pro. But then, it was MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.

For a while, it was just Air and Pro. So the iPad line naturally followed this.

Now that were back to plain MacBook and MacBook Pro - with no sign of a new MacBook Air..

It's looking like we'll go back to simply iPad , iPad Pro. Reflecting the same as the Mac the Air is discontinued. Which I think depends on the MacBook reaching a set sales target internally before a price drop puts it into the reach of many as a true entry level line should.

But I do wonder if Mac pricing has gone up so high to deliberately make us consider an iPad as a laptop replacement? I'm in that situation now. Eventually, longer than I'd like, I'll have £1400 saved for a new computer. But I'm wondering if I want to sink that sort of money into a new Mac. I thought £1,000 was a lot for my old Pro! For my needs, it's hard to justify the MB at £1249. I'd be more comfortable spending iPad money with maybe £200 worth of accessories.

The real question is will we see a new Mini? I hope so. I think it's a great size. Wish it had more up to date processor though.
 
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So many people complaining about this iPad.

It's a GOOD THING that Apple is reaching towards the lower end market. I have friends whose sole complaint against Apple is "it's too expensive". When you're struggling with a limited budget, Apple's price points have historically kept you away from their products. They seem to be trying to lower prices and as a result more people will be able to join us as Apple users.

You can finally buy a regular size iPad with reasonable storage capacity (16GB was just too small, 32 is a good starting point finally) for well under $350. This is a GOOD THING. If you feel this iPad is lacking and you have the money, the iPad Pro is probably for you.

I doubt Apple could have hit the $329 price point using the Air 2's design.
Only in the bizarro world of Apple do customers complain when a company produces a less expensive version of their products. :confused:
 
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So many people complaining about this iPad.

It's a GOOD THING that Apple is reaching towards the lower end market. I have friends whose sole complaint against Apple is "it's too expensive". When you're struggling with a limited budget, Apple's price points have historically kept you away from their products. They seem to be trying to lower prices and as a result more people will be able to join us as Apple users.

You can finally buy a regular size iPad with reasonable storage capacity (16GB was just too small, 32 is a good starting point finally) for well under $350. This is a GOOD THING. If you feel this iPad is lacking and you have the money, the iPad Pro is probably for you.

I doubt Apple could have hit the $329 price point using the Air 2's design.
-Well you could've been in "the lower end" of the ecosystem with a Mini,in theory, long by now.
-Again, I think $299 would be a better price psychologically as a value offering. Is/was $70 extra that much of a hinderance to people getting one in the past, and is dropping the price by less then 20% really going to open an untapped value market that can suddenly afford one now? Not significantly in my opinion.
-The Air was 32 gb base for the past 6 months.
-And Apple surely could've done the Air 2 for that price. Now, they wouldn't be making as much money per unit of course.
-That said, given the economies of scale and how many they've produced in the past 3.5 years, the cost per unit to manufacture has likely come down a fair bit since release, so continuing to pump them out as is, doesn't cost as much to Apple as it once did.
-That said, they are using Air and other Apple parts bin parts cobbled together so this one can see that same cost and r&d savings too.
-Also, maybe the IPad Pro next gen will have a different screen tech that will move away from the full laminated to something better, so the low end one can't have the Air 2 screen tech either,since the process will be abandoned by Foxconn and Apple.
 
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I have mixed feelings about it. Outdated processor, USB wire (can't plug new iPad to new Macbook without dongle, LoL). But it's actually looks good for me, I have iPad 3 now, which is horribly slow at this point. I used iPad 3 as a laptop replacement for many tasks, but I can only read books with it now, it's not suitable for other tasks with modern iOS, so I'm using my laptop for everything again. May be I'll buy this iPad as a laptop replacement again. Probably it'll depend on price, Apple devices usually quite overpriced in my region. Though I'm worried about it becoming obsolete in few years again, I don't like to buy new devices every year and I had very bad experience with both iPad 3 and iPhone 4S, they became unusable after just 3 years.

Go buy a USB C to Lighting cable
 
-Well you could've been in "the lower end" of the ecosystem with a Mini,in theory, long by now.
-Again, I think $299 would be a better price psychologically as a value offering. Is/was $70 extra that much of a hinderance to people getting one in the past, and is dropping the price by less then 20% really going to open an untapped value market that can suddenly afford one now? Not significantly in my opinion.
-The Air was 32 gb base for the past 6 months.
-And Apple surely could've done the Air 2 for that price. Now, they wouldn't be making as much money per unit of course.
-That said, given the economies of scale and how many they've produced in the past 3.5 years, the cost per unit to manufacture has likely come down a fair bit since release, so continuing to pump them out as is, doesn't cost as much to Apple as it once did.
-That said, they are using Air and other Apple parts bin parts cobbled together so this one can see that same cost and r&d savings too.
-Also, maybe the IPad Pro next gen will have a different screen tech that will move away from the full laminated to something better, so the low end one can't have the Air 2 screen tech either,since the process will be abandoned by Foxconn and Apple.
-True but some would prefer a larger device.

-Yes, $299 is a better price point but likely not achievable with a nicer, more expensive screen while keeping Apple's desired markup. I expect retailers have to make profit, too, so Apple's likely getting less than $329 per unit. Even the current gen 4" A8 iPod Touch 32GB retails for $249.

-Untapped value market? I dunno about that but I reckon corporate would probably like the price tag on these new models. And given the iPad Air 2 gets snapped up quickly when there are $50-100 off sales, I reckon yes, for some the $399 acts as a barrier (could either be financial or psychological). The original iPad mini was released at $329 and that was a huge hit even with the availability of the iPad 2 at $399. For some, it was the size, but for many, it was the price point.
 
The only difference in the display is the lamination, which I think is an expensive process for the price they are selling it. But I do not think the display of this is like Air 1. It might just be an Air 2 display that isn't laminated?

I might be wrong though, but putting an iPad Air 1 display in there is a big step back.
 
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