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iPad Returned iPad (10th gen) for iPad Air (2024) - could not be happier

S

spaceywilly

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 23, 2009
42
42
Yesterday I went to Apple Store and bought a “plain” iPad. Only after getting home did I notice it felt a little sluggish opening apps and loading websites. I then pulled up the MacRumors buying guide and was pretty surprised to find that this model hasn’t been upgraded since 2022. That’s an eternity if you ask me.

Fast forward to today, I returned the iPad and got an iPad Air instead. This one was updated in May 2024 and has the M2 chip. It flies compared to the base iPad. The kicker is that since my wife teaches I got $50 off, and a $100 gift card on top. So at the end of the day it was $50 more. That’s a no brainer since this newer chip will be receiving updates much longer than the old A series chip, so in addition to being faster today, it will last longer.

So if you’re in the market for a new iPad, skip the basic one and go for the Air with the EDU discount. It’s a huge upgrade for not that much more money.
 
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Some people claim the M1 iPad Air has worse battery life than previous Air gen. Do share your experience with the M2 iPad after monthly or yearly usage!
 
Sheepish-Lord said:
Yeah the basic iPad is a scam especially with a non-laminated display still, like WTH. Would opt for a refurbished Air or literally anything else before I got an iPad. Probably only exists so Apple can claim it hits a target entry price.
Click to expand...

Calling a product that has like a few hundred reviews online, has its specs publicly listed and comes like anything with a return period a scam seems far fetched.

You do understand that the idea behind the entry level product of a premium brand is not to provide you with spectacular performance, right? They want you to get the next tier up.
 
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User #07242024 said:
Some people claim the M1 iPad Air has worse battery life than previous Air gen. Do share your experience with the M2 iPad after monthly or yearly usage!
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I don’t have an older iPad to compare it to, but so far the battery life has been great. I used it all day yesterday and the battery is still at 57%. This is a WiFi model, cellular data may impact the battery more
 
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ericwn said:
Calling a product that has like a few hundred reviews online, has its specs publicly listed and comes like anything with a return period a scam seems far fetched.

You do understand that the idea behind the entry level product of a premium brand is not to provide you with spectacular performance, right? They want you to get the next tier up.
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Not a literal scam, it was hyperbole
 
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It really annoys me when people on these forums say that Apple should ditch the iPad Air because it "confuses" the product line. That's total nonsense! Are car buyers "confused" because they have choices in-between a Ford Fiesta subcompact and a Ford Exhibition SUV?

The base model iPad is mainly for students and those who can't afford, or are unwilling to pay any more than $349 for a tablet computer.

The better equipped Air (or Mini) is the real beginning of the iPad line.
 
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prospervic said:
It really annoys me when people on these forums say that Apple should ditch the iPad Air because it "confuses" the product line. That's total nonsense! Are car buyers "confused" because they have choices in-between a Ford Fiesta subcompact and a Ford Exhibition SUV?

The base model iPad is mainly for students and those who can't afford, or are unwilling to pay any more than $349 for a tablet computer.

The better equipped Air (or Mini) is the real beginning of the iPad line.
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I don't think the iPad Air needs to be ditched. It's a very good middle-tier iPad.

I can understand where the confusion is coming from, which is the name itself. Air used to mean thin and light, but the iPad Pro right now is the one that is crazy thin. iPad Air should just be called iPad, and the entry-level iPad should be the iPad SE.
 
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Funny Apple Man said:
I don't think the iPad Air needs to be ditched. It's a very good middle-tier iPad.

I can understand where the confusion is coming from, which is the name itself. Air used to mean thin and light, but the iPad Pro right now is the one that is crazy thin. iPad Air should just be called iPad, and the entry-level iPad should be the iPad SE.
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The iPad Air is the best bang for buck iPad you can get, especially now it has 128 GB storage base, it can do everything the M4 IPP can do including stage manager on an external monitor etc. The next iPad Air will have a Promotion screen, which will make it even more enticing and probably eat further into iPad Pro sales.
 
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spaceywilly said:
I then pulled up the MacRumors buying guide and was pretty surprised to find that this model hasn’t been upgraded since 2022. That’s an eternity if you ask me.
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cries in iPad mini
1723567111934.png
 
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Funny Apple Man said:
Wow, this feels like the iPad Mini 4 again. I'm hoping they refresh this one asap.

Edit: Mini 4 stayed quite long for around 3.5 years before finally refreshing it.
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But the reason is different this time, back then Apple was considering removing the Mini from the line after the 2017 5th gen iPad became the new budget model (this was said by some Apple insiders in an interview years ago), but they realized that the $329 iPad did not affect the sales of the mini 4 (which was $400 after removing the lower tier storage models from sales), so people were not buying it because it was the cheapest iPad. So they decided to refresh it as a mid-tier in 2019, with the same specs as the air.
This time the wait is probably due to the fact that while the air got the M1 and then M2, the mini is too small for a M-series chip and they have probably been waiting to use an A series one that could support Apple Intelligence, like the A18.
 
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The M2 iPad Air is $599 and the 10th gen is $349 (currently on sale for $300). That is NOT "a little bit more". It's twice the sale price of the 10th gen.

The EDU discount is $50 off (that brings the Air down to $549) and for a limited time, a $100 gift card (which brings it down to $449). That is $150 more than the 10th gen iPad that is perpetually on sale.

The added cost of the Air is compounded if one wants a keyboard case for it because the cases are far more expensive than the ones available for the 10th gen.

Hey look, if someone finds the Air to be a better device for them, great! Claiming that the decision is a no-brainer for everyone, or that the 10th gen iPad is a scam, is just silly.
 
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Maybe I mentioned the wrong model. The one I had originally was just called iPad and is the same frame as the air, but with an A series chip. That $300 iPad is even more outdated but I’m sure it’s a great option for someone who doesn’t want to spend much. I never put cases on my devices so that’s not a factor for me.
 
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spaceywilly said:
Maybe I mentioned the wrong model. The one I had originally was just called iPad and is the same frame as the air, but with an A series chip. That $300 iPad is even more outdated but I’m sure it’s a great option for someone who doesn’t want to spend much. I never put cases on my devices so that’s not a factor for me.
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I had the Pro M4 and there’s little difference been that than the 2022 standard model. Face ID and thinner that’s it for most people. I decided I could buy 3! Yes 3 for the price of the Pro.
 
Digitalguy said:
But the reason is different this time, back then Apple was considering removing the Mini from the line after the 2017 5th gen iPad became the new budget model (this was said by some Apple insiders in an interview years ago), but they realized that the $329 iPad did not affect the sales of the mini 4 (which was $400 after removing the lower tier storage models from sales), so people were not buying it because it was the cheapest iPad. So they decided to refresh it as a mid-tier in 2019, with the same specs as the air.
This time the wait is probably due to the fact that while the air got the M1 and then M2, the mini is too small for a M-series chip and they have probably been waiting to use an A series one that could support Apple Intelligence, like the A18.
Click to expand...
It hasn't been the cheapest but it has been the best value for money on occasion, such as at launch (of the 6th Gen) when buying the Air 4 over it with a chipset behind for around 100 more would have been madness.

I was at the point of needing an upgrade in 2019 and while I had taken a liking to the Mini, I hadn't ruled out the base and was waiting to see what came along. When the base iPad had a 2 generation old chip (and still did when eventually updated in late 2019) for not much less than the Mini, the Mini was far better proposition. I ruled out the Air 3 on size grounds but I could imagine others who couldn't stretch to the Air price going for the Mini as the best bang for their buck.

I do think that Apple haven't really cared for it, and only update it when they have to otherwise the base iPad will catch it up. It has certain advantages - if they know it's not on an annual schedule, they're more generous with the SoC than they would have been otherwise.

It sounds as though the Mini 8 could be a genuine attempt to do something with the Mini again and persuade a wider proportion of the user base to buy into that line, rather than an update they just do because x% of users will buy it anyway.
 
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iPad 10 was launched in 2022 with only 4GB RAM. The chip is from 2020. It's at the tail end of its life.

iPad Air is a far better choice with M2/8GB.
 
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Even the 5th gen air with the M1 chip and 8gb of ram is a great buy if you find the right deal on them. Still lots of years left of updates and still overpowered for iPadOS. I love the air line up. Heck my kids still rock the 3rd gen ipad airs daily lol
 
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spaceywilly said:
So if you’re in the market for a new iPad, skip the basic one and go for the Air with the EDU discount. It’s a huge upgrade for not that much more money.
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Agreed. With EDU pricing plus the gift card the difference between the two went from a $300CAD to $120CAD.

My 5th gen iPad (2017) had become increasingly frustrating to use. Graphics heavy sites were slow to load and the battery life was down considerably. I had thought of getting a new one but your post, reviews and education discount , convinced me to go for the 11 inch air. Not much more expensive than the base model and the future proofing offered by the M2 convinced me. I still getting used to not having a Home button but I am glad i did the switch. Even with my simple usage, it is such a joy to use. I have Lightning charging cables in our cars and all over the house but with inexpensive Lightning to USB C adapters I can still use them.
 
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