New iPad released 2017-03-21 called... wait for it... iPad

[Eug]

The new "iPad" is basically the iPad Air 2 in terms of some specs but with an Apple A9 replacing the A8X, and it drops the price; the main benefit of the new iPad is that it's cheaper. Strangely enough, it's thicker than the iPad Air 2 and heavier too. So actually, it's more like the original iPad Air in terms of size so that's a step backwards. No HDR support either, which isn't a surprise but nonetheless is a bit disappointing. They do claim the screen is brighter, but I personally never use my Air 2 at full brightness anyway.

BTW, this post was typed on my iPad Air 2 that I bought in 2014.

 

[rchunter]

Yeah, i've got a ipad air 2 also. I guess no reason to buy a new one.. lol. My big complaint with it is it's not more like android.... That single button drives me crazy.. I'm always looking for a back button and can't get used to it so I hardly use it. Mainly only use it to run my Lumin streamer or to watch plex.

 

[Eug]

Available 2017-03-24 (Friday).

USA: http://www.apple.com/ipad-9.7/
Canada: http://www.apple.com/ca/ipad-9.7/

I despise the back button on Android. You can blame the developers but the behaviour of the back button has not been consistent at all. However, by "developers" you'd have to include Google among them.

 

[Blackjack200]

I'm in the habit of just double clicking the home button on my ios devices. 90% of the time the app I need is one of the last three I used. Works great.

As an aside, I heard that this new "iPad" doesn't work with the pencil. They're forcing you to go pro for that.

 

[Eug]

I heard that this new "iPad" doesn't work with the pencil. They're forcing you to go pro for that.

That's right. No pencil support.

What I don't understand though is why they felt the need to increase the size. Is there a bigger battery with increased battery life? I somehow doubt that.

 

[Blackjack200]

That's right. No pencil support.

What I don't understand though is why they felt the need to increase the size. Is there a bigger battery with increased battery life? I somehow doubt that.

Could it be thermals for the A9 or the brighter screen? Yeah, doesn't make much sense to me, especially with the obsession Apple has for making everything slimmer and more compact.

 

[Eug]

The battery life spec lists the same 10 hours as the previous iPad Air 2. However, the specs don't always tell the whole story. When Apple changed the iPad 2 to an updated iPad 2, it got an updated version of the SoC built on a smaller process (45 nm to 32 nm), while keeping the same battery. The listed battery life specs didn't change but in real world usage the newer model got longer battery life, not surprisingly.

As for A9 vs A8X thermals, it should be noted that A8X has a 1/3rd larger die size (128 mm2) compared to A9 (96 mm2), since A8X has one extra core and is manufactured on a larger process (20 nm vs 16 nm).

Note there are also 14 nm A9 chips but those are actually a bit bigger at 102 mm2 as it's Samsung. The 16 nm A9 and the 20 nm A8X are both TSMC.

 

[quikah]

2GB RAM still?

 

[Eug]

2GB RAM still?

Nobody knows, but that is the most logical assumption, given the price point.

Right now if you exclude the iPad Pro, the only iDevice with more is the iPhone 7 Plus at 3 GB.

 

[quikah]

Nobody knows, but that is the most logical assumption, given the price point.

Right now if you exclude the iPad Pro, the only iDevice with more is the iPhone 7 Plus at 3 GB.

Yeah, but they seemed to really take a step back with this release. Aside from the A9 it is a downgrade from the Air 2. With the price cut, I wonder what else they skimped on. No laminated screen also.

 

[Kaido]

2 issues:

1. Screen isn't laminated to glass

2. No anti-reflective coating

https://www.engadget.com/2017/03/21/apple-ipad-9-7/

 

[Oyeve]

That's right. No pencil support.

What I don't understand though is why they felt the need to increase the size. Is there a bigger battery with increased battery life? I somehow doubt that.

Its so they can sell yet another type of case that will only work with this ipad. In other words, more $$$ for apple.

 

[manly]

404 Courage not found

2 issues:

1. Screen isn't laminated to glass

2. No anti-reflective coating

https://www.engadget.com/2017/03/21/apple-ipad-9-7/

Yeah, the proper description of this thing is that it's an iPad Air (original) design with updated SoC and Touch ID.

In a way this is a mostly sensible move with the lower price point, but 2 steps forward and 2 steps back is still kinda silly. Ironically though we complain if they go "too thin" a la MacBook; and we also complain if they go thicker as they've done here. But a tablet is a truly hand-held device so the iPad 2/Pro form factor really is superior. Plus they complicate the purchase of cases by having too many derivative models.

I would say Apple can never win except their stock price is at an all time high. I was preparing to get this refreshed iPad as a gift but the screen downgrades certainly give me pause.

This modest update basically reaffirms the Air 2 as the GOAT iPad.

 

[Eug]

Confirmed. The battery is bigger. But my guess is the battery could be bigger out of necessity, not because they want to give us longer battery life, esp. given they still spec the same 10 hour battery life.

It is possible the new iPad might still have slightly longer battery life though. As touched on earlier, the new iPad has the exact same dimensions and weight as the old iPad Air. Curious. So, the alternate theory is since they may have just recycled the iPad Air's design, they may have kept the battery the same too. We shall see.

32.4 Watt-hr: iPad Air
27.6 Watt-hr: iPad Air 2
32.4 Watt-hr: iPad (2017)

Its so they can sell yet another type of case that will only work with this ipad. In other words, more $$$ for apple.

See above. I suspect the cases for the iPad Air would fit perfectly.

This modest update basically reaffirms the Air 2 as the GOAT iPad.

The top two are the iPad 2 and the iPad Air 2. These are the only iPad models we have ever owned.

404 Courage not found

Heh. Yup. I predicted they would not be courageous enough to omit the headphone jack here, and they didn't.

I still carry around a Lightning jack adapter everywhere I go on my keychain using an uncourage because of my iPhone 7 Plus.

 

[fr]

The iPad Air had a different camera position than the iPad Air 2. Did they move it back? I also don't believe it had a flash so the case still might not work.

I suppose this means no new iPad this spring. They wouldn't refresh their lineup just to change it again a few weeks later.

 

[Eug]

The iPad Air had a different camera position than the iPad Air 2. Did they move it back? I also don't believe it had a flash so the case still might not work.

I suppose this means no new iPad this spring. They wouldn't refresh their lineup just to change it again a few weeks later.

I still think they could release new Pros soon.

 

[tidy]

.

 

[TheStu]

Why?

Not impressed with this release. The above-mentioned screen downgrade would make me more inclined to buy an Air 2 over an "iPad" (what the hell is wrong with their marketing department), and they jacked up the price of the larger iPhone SE (instead of just increasing the storage).

They went from 16gb for $399 to 32GB. And instead of 64GB for $449, it's $499 for 128GB.

So... if anything, they made the base model much more appealing, and $100 to increase storage 4x isn't so bad (in the scheme of how iDevices and other top tier devices are priced.)

I'm just glad that 16GB seems to be well and truly dead.

 

[Eug]

Why?

Not impressed with this release. The above-mentioned screen downgrade would make me more inclined to buy an Air 2 over an "iPad" (what the hell is wrong with their marketing department), and they jacked up the price of the larger iPhone SE (instead of just increasing the storage).

Why not? The Pros are due for an update, particularly the 9.7", which needs 3-4 GB RAM. They'd both get upgraded to A10X.

 

[tidy]

.

 

[Byte]

The ipad heirachy is indeed strange now. What a curveball thrown by apple by making the 2017 ipad slower than the 2016 one. I think this should be known colloquially as the Air3, but its more of a "true" air 2. Non laminated screens mean more air between them. Doesn't even has stereo sound. I was discussing about what more can they add to the ipad to make it better every year and everyone just came up blank. Looks like Apple was even blanker.

 

[Eug]

Well I'd like to get a pro, but I'm damned if I'm buying one now only to have a new model supplant it in a couple of months. especially if it's a 4GB one. Apple took forever to give up 1GB devices. If it wasn't for the 12" Pro, I'd say there was no chance of other 4GB tablets any time soon.

I have had 3 GB in an iPhone since last year. I'd say we have a very strong chance of the 9.7" Pro getting 3-4 GB.

BTW, I will also point out:

iPhone 6 Plus: 1 GB
iPhone 6s Plus: 2 GB
iPhone 7 Plus: 3 GB

IOW, for the iPhone Plus, 2 GB was around for only one year.

I view the 2016 9.7" Pro as the crippled first iteration. Apple often does this, only to fix the glaring deficiency in version 2.

In fact, I would have guessed it would have 4 GB. The only reason I am hedging on the possibility of 3 GB is because Apple released a 3 GB iPhone.

 

[manly]

They went from 16gb for $399 to 32GB. And instead of 64GB for $449, it's $499 for 128GB.

So... if anything, they made the base model much more appealing, and $100 to increase storage 4x isn't so bad (in the scheme of how iDevices and other top tier devices are priced.)

I'm just glad that 16GB seems to be well and truly dead.

I believe they ditched most of the 16 GB SKUs last summer, so the iPad Air 2 entry already had 32 GB storage at $399.

I don't know how much more it would cost for the laminated, non-reflective screen but obviously we'd take the Air 2 design with updated internals for around $379. Kudos to Apple for having a real price drop for a change. Unfortunately at the expense of great features (screen and form factor).

You regularly see the Pro 9.7" at $100 off (and rarely even lower) so it's still in the conversation at $499 even if you don't need some of the bells and whistles (i.e. I have no plans to ever buy a Pencil). At $599 even with a compelling update this summer is still a big pill to swallow for a consumption device. How many people actually use it as a "Pro" device?

I would agree with those who feel the line-up is a mess right now with an introduction that reuses a nearly 4 year old design, a 128 GB only mini at a higher price point, and somewhat dated "Pro" models. To be fair, Apple is a victim of their own success as people cling to older iPads so long as they continue to work fine for media consumption. As Eug mentioned, the iPad 2 was probably the longevity king and a few people are still using it!

 

[Oyeve]

Ever since the "New" ipad aka ipad 3, its been a weird update for ipads.

 

[ZipSpeed]

I was hoping for a true Air 2 successor, not a FrankeniPad. It's too bad Apple is treating the iPad like the red-headed stepchild these days. My iPad Gen 4 is on the slow side but still usable. Looks like I'll be waiting some more. I've been looking at the Apple Watch Nike edition to track my runs so maybe I'll put the money there instead.