In fairness, top of the line costs much more now, too.
Storage increments cost $100 per in the Air 2 days and the top model (128GB LTE) was $829. Now, top 11" (1TB LTE) is $1699 and top 12.9" is $1899. Yeouch.
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So, iPad (2018) vs iPad Air?
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Storage increments cost $100 per in the Air 2 days and the top model (128GB LTE) was $829. Now, top 11" (1TB LTE) is $1699 and top 12.9" is $1899. Yeouch.
The 2019 iPad Air all the way! I like the smaller bezels on the two generations of the 10.5” iPads.
Sure price is an issue, compared to what I use the ipad for - that was also what I wrote in my very first post. However, usb-c and pencil 2 is really not high-end demands, exclusion of it is just a way of making sure this gen will get out-dates very fast (IMO).
Yes, when apple only sold two models then the top of the line was the air 2, and back then it was the best you could get if you were in the market for a tablet. Comparing to the range of iPads apple make today, the new apple air is in the lower midrange.
I find good value in the 2018 budget iPad regardless of whether it's using older tech. I purchased the iPad during the Holiday season from Amazon for $229. There isn't a tablet on the market that can touch the price/performance on that iPad for a comparable price. A couple of years ago I purchased a Galaxy Tab S2 9.7" from Amazon as well for $279 and the 2018 iPad destroys the Galaxy Tab S2 every which way with the exception of Samsung's OLED display.
I would never pay anything more than $250 max on a tablet today because they are all basically consumption devices and that's what I use them for. Reading and streaming music and movies.
I would never pay anything more than $250 max on a tablet today because they are all basically consumption devices and that's what I use them for. Reading and streaming music and movies.
$229 is a good price for the 2018 iPad, even with just 2 GB RAM and 32 GB. Very reasonable deal and decent performance for content consumption in 2019.
However, I find 32 GB can be a bit limiting, as it gets filled up quickly if I want to download videos for viewing on the road. For me 64 GB is a much more comfortable minimum. Unfortunately, for the 2018 model there is no 64 GB option. It's either 32 GB or jump to the much more expensive 128 GB.
I'm glad the 2019 Air starts at 64 GB. It would have been nice to have a 128 GB option, but there they make people jump to the much more expensive 256 GB.
I completely see skaertus point of view, this things could offer a better value if competition were here. On the other hand, price and avaiability are part of Apple strategy that ultimately is looking into convince the user to go "just one step above" and with so many options available, that step is available for all the different customer profiles. Apple as a company looking into maximize revenue is just doing what they are very good doing.
That point apart, comparing apples to apples I believe iPad 2018 is still a good value, but Air is not that far ... still undecided haha.
That point apart, comparing apples to apples I believe iPad 2018 is still a good value, but Air is not that far ... still undecided haha.
The third option is the 10.5" iPad Pro, either from the Apple refurbished store or else from a third party on sale. That's what I got (Apple Canada refurb for CAD$619/US$465). I received it today and had a chance to play with it and let's just say I am very, very pleased I got neither the 2018 iPad nor the 2019 iPad Air. I posted my impressions in this thread:
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...d-air-10-5-value.2173734/page-3#post-27197882
Smart Keyboard interests me very much. However, I've already got a 2018 iPad with a $20 Anker keyboard and an Apple Pencil. In 2 years when I feel like upgrading, I wonder what the choices will be like.
To answer the OP - I'm happy with my 2018 iPad. I use it for hours every day. It is my goal to use it until 2020.
To answer the OP - I'm happy with my 2018 iPad. I use it for hours every day. It is my goal to use it until 2020.
I was looking at the reviews of the Smart Keyboard at Apple and it gets terrible reviews, because it self-destructs way too quickly.
Wow didn't even think to check that. Well, I guess that cements my decision to keep the 2018 iPad even further!
Thank you!Air 2019 is just so much better in my opinion.
You are getting the core experience of what the Ipad Pro 2018 currently has, such as the A12, pen support, laminated high resolution display etc all at a much more affordable price.
The Pro has USB C, wirelees charging pen and close to no bezels. All that would be expendable to most audiences.
When the Pro updates again, it needs to justify it's price again and be more towards a pc replacement, but that's another thread.
You are getting the core experience of what the Ipad Pro 2018 currently has, such as the A12, pen support, laminated high resolution display etc all at a much more affordable price.
The Pro has USB C, wirelees charging pen and close to no bezels. All that would be expendable to most audiences.
When the Pro updates again, it needs to justify it's price again and be more towards a pc replacement, but that's another thread.
I dunno. A10 is still very good right now, on iOS 12. I would know, as I use an iPhone 7 daily.
But remember, iOS 12 was a performance update, and those are the exception, not the rule. We could very well be back to the updates that slow things down on a yearly basis starting with iOS 13.
So if you buy a 6th gen iPad now, you're buying a 2016 processor in 2019. I'm not sure how many more years you can expect really good performance.
I am happy. I like the air design and I can now update my Air 2 and have pencil support. Given that I already have the older pencil and the first iPad pro, this will fit in nicely.
Have you being reading with it? The non-laminated display brings any inconvenience for it?Wow didn't even think to check that. Well, I guess that cements my decision to keep the 2018 iPad even further!
Do you think 10.5 will be too big for reading? Anyone using the 10.5 Pro?
On another note I think this will create confusion with ipad names: we already have an ipad air. So if I talking about my ipad air of years ago are we now forced to say ipad air 2019?
I’ve read two 300+ page books with it. I use an icarez matte screen protector. My wife has the 10.5 pro. Not too big for reading imo.
I doubt Apple would've lowered the price below $499 even if they went with 32GB base storage.
For the usage the op stated I still think the 2018 iPad is the better buy. I Use mine for basically the same things and it flies along just fine, even playing games like grid autosport at 60fps after recent updates. Hard to go wrong for the price
Only time will tell but I feel like these processors have gotten to the point in terms of power that there’s really no reason why they shouldn’t be able to keep up with iOS for several years. And given the price of the 6th Gen, if you buy one today and get even 2 more good years out of it that doesn’t seem bad to me.
Agreed.
From iOS 8 to 10, there was nary a drop in performance for the Air 2 (A8X/2GB). Sure, performance dipped a bit with iOS 11 but it was still good. Certainly much better than iPad 2 on iOS 7. Heck, even the iPad 4 on iOS 10 remained tolerable. It's gotten slow but not to the point where it's completely unbearable which is what happened to iPad 2/3 on iOS 8/9. I remember keyboard lag being awful on iPad 2/3 on later firmware. I could finish typing an entire paragraph before the characters show up.
The eye candy and introduction of multitasking really brought the older SoCs to their knees. I don't expect to see new features requiring such a drastic increase in performance in future and if there are (e.g. AI, etc), I expect those new features will just be removed from the firmware updates for older devices. I think hardware requirements for future updates would be more like Windows 7 -> Windows 10 rather than Windows XP -> Windows Vista. There'll be apps that will certainly benefit from faster SoC and more RAM (games, photo and video editing, etc) but most users wouldn't need the latest and greatest just for basic interface and usage.
That's a really good analogy. I think that operating systems eventually reach a point of maturity where major overhauls are few and far between.
I’m tempted to get the 2017 iPad Pro over the new Air mainly for the Pro Motion and Quad Speakers. I’d notice that more for my use than the A12 processor vs that A10X.
Your storage requirements could simplify the decision. The base iPad has 32GB and the iPad Air has 64GB. If 32GB just won't cut it for you but 64GB is fine, then it is a no brainer. The higher storage base model is $429 vs the Air at $499. That's $70 difference. If you consider a 4 year useful life, that's ~$17 per year...big deal.
Now, there are some awesome deals on the base model right now, so that could change the math until the Air starts going on sale later in the year. Nevertheless, if I needed 64GB of storage, I would go for the Air over the base iPad.
Also, iOS 13 is suppose to bring some new features that the Air's A12 processor is more likely to handle. If you buy the base model, you might miss out on some of these new features. Of course, this is pure conjecture on my part.
Now, there are some awesome deals on the base model right now, so that could change the math until the Air starts going on sale later in the year. Nevertheless, if I needed 64GB of storage, I would go for the Air over the base iPad.
Also, iOS 13 is suppose to bring some new features that the Air's A12 processor is more likely to handle. If you buy the base model, you might miss out on some of these new features. Of course, this is pure conjecture on my part.