iPad Air So, in what position iPad Pro 11" M1 stands now?

[Digitalguy]

I think the new air will appeal to android tablet users.

I am still using a 2018 iPad Pro. I am not upgrading until I see the next M2 iPad Pro, because I an not willing to give up features like promotion and the better speakers. But for people who don’t need the bells and whistles, there really is no way for android tablet OEMs to compete with an ipad containing a desktop class CPU.

If there wasn’t only an ipad market before, there is only the ipad market now. The only other android tablets you will see in the future are cheap ones used for media consumption.

I don't think so. Sure, M1 is a big marketing play for Apple, a desktop chip in an iPad that will make basically no difference in terms of use of the extra performance, but will appeal to people that are sold on specs. This is smart from Apple, they know it will push sales and will help the less knowledgeable Apple fans to promote the Air as the better device, no matter what, because of M1.
The real improvement is RAM, which is now on par with Samsung flagships, but those have much less limitations than iPadOS, more storage and same RAM and still plenty of power. And will make no difference to all the people that do not want an Apple device, just like all the Apple fans that would never buy an Android tablet even if it was better in everything than an iPad (and if you go in places other than Apple forums you will see there are a plenty of these people).
In the end however this is beneficial for everyone. Samsung had to step up their game to keep up with iPad, start putting the latest and greatest Android SOC and no the previous years one like they did with the Tab S4, even if Apple is still way ahead, and offer 4 OS upgrades and 5 years of security, compared to only 2 years until a couple of years ago. Now maybe this will push them to try and convince Qualcomm to let them use the more powerful SOCs made for Windows on Arm (currently 8cx gen 3 but in a year Nuvia should be ready), which for now are being kept exclusive for Windows.

 

[Digitalguy]

I think there is a lot of psychology in all this and Apple uses it to their advantage (to sell the air, which has much higher margins than the base iPad or to up-sell the higher storage or the pro)
I see a lot of people saying "the pro is overkill", "the pro is too expensive for my needs", but it's all psychology.
Many people aim at the middle no matter what.
I had a friend spending 2500 on a M1 pro Mac and also getting an iPad air with 256GB, because 64 was not enough. I told her but why didn't you get the pro? She said it's too expensive.
She didn't even realize it was basically the same price and the reality is that she had no idea of the difference, but had the bias "iPad pro is too expensive / overkill", base iPad is probably not so good (and she has the money), so the best is going for the middle ("but I always get more storage")
Going for the middle is a big trend among people who are not tech nerds but have enough cash.
That's nothing but psychology and mental accounting. There will always be a market for the air, regardless of the value.

 

[ericwn]

Maybe. I think it’s more clearly the case if you need more than 64GB RAM that the Pro is a better option.

If someone can get by with 64GB RAM, the M1 Air seems pretty good value.

Wait, 64 GB RAM???

 

[Username-already-in-use]

Wait, 64 GB RAM???

I was having a pre-caffeine moment

 

[svish]

FaceID and ProMotion will be the main differentiator. 11” Pro should be getting mini LED display with the next refresh. The future iPad Pro could also be getting more RAM.

 

[rui no onna]

But if i take the position of the 95% of “normal” people i’ll buy definitively the Air right now (even if the Pro has “vast differences“ that justify the price)

Majority of the "normal" people are buying the $329 iPad, not Air or Pro.

 

[sparksd]

Majority of the "normal" people are buying the $329 iPad, not Air or Pro.

Yeah, most of the "normal" people I know are not interested in dropping a lot of dollars on a tablet. We're "enthusiast geeks" here.

 

[rui no onna]

Yeah, most of the "normal" people I know are not interested in dropping a lot of dollars on a tablet. We're "enthusiast geeks" here.

I do know normies (rich aunties) who buy the best iPad available and use it until it breaks down or is too slow to use. Then again, I remember being curious enough to research the price of their Louis Vuitton bags and I was shocked to learn those cost 4x the iPad Pro.

 

[UltimateSyn]

To claim that the Pro is "practically the same" to the Air is a completely baseless falsehood. Here's my quote from another thread:

Not really… the Pro still has:

• Thunderbolt
• ProMotion
• quad-speakers
• a significantly improved rear camera system with LiDAR
• an ever-so-slightly larger screen with 0.1” on the diagonal
• 100 nits brighter screen
• 2TB max storage vs. 256GB on the Air
• Option for 16GB RAM

There are a ton of distinguishing factors, and the Pro will likely get updated later this year to pull even further ahead with mini-LED and a faster processor.

 

[Falhófnir]

I was thinking they would move the Air towards adopting the full 11" iPP design, and the current Air design would get passed down to the base iPad, to help bring the lineup back into order, but at this rate I could maybe see the current 10.2" design having its edges flattened off and getting pencil 2 and USB C support, whilst retaining the same look (with home button) from the front.

I guess this move pushes it back, but I still think the Pros ultimately get bigger, maybe 12" & 14" or 12" & 15" (based on recent rumours) maybe move to OLED? And the Air gets the thinner 11" design in the long run. Maybe sans the dual camera set up, which I think will remain a pro only feature well into the mid term.