iPad Air
- Thread starter Radec
- Start date
I sincerely doubt it. Just doesn't seem to be the direction Apple are heading in at all. They just did a major revamp of iOS but still haven't revealed any more of the machinery of the OS to the end user.
Jakoozie89
Neo Member
You have some good points, but in my opinion you are overthinking things. Apple are in my opinion trying to simplify things, not complicate. They use the same processor, the same exact resolution and same graphics chip in both their premium iPads. This also holds true for the cheaper variants (iPad 2 and mini 1) This means that they can mass produce the hardware more effectively, software developers can develop for two ipad resolutions instead of three (ipad 2/mini 1 use one resolution and iPad 3,4, Air and mini 2 use another) and there is less fragmentation overall when it comes to hardware .
More importantly it simplifies things for the customer. The only thing they really need to consider now is price vs size. Pay more to get a physically larger screen.
In the lower end you have the ipad 2 and mini 1 with about a 70 dollar difference in price and 2 inches in size, and on the higher end you have the iPad air and ipad mini 2 with a 70 dollar difference and 2 inches in size. Do you see?
EDIT: The price differences might be off here, I'm from Norway and I don't have full understanding of the US prices. But hopefully my point still stands.
I actually think this is a really smart move from Apple's part.
Tim Cook brought up this topic during the presentation yesterday and specifically rejected it.
He took a jab at the competition's lack of direction and then re-emphasized that they see distinct value and separate uses for desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile. iCloud serves as the bridge between iOS and OSX.
I don't seen them adding a surface-like device unless MS's device becomes a breakout hit, which of course isn't going to happen.
That said, who knows what they'll be doing in 4-5 years.
chickdigger802
Banned
leather case for iphone 5/s is great. got a black one
smart covers... not soo much, and most definitely not worth the price.
Betta Lines
Member
But this is not how it is being presented to the average customer. They've clearly separated the iPad Air as the new hotness, oh and by the way we've put a retina display in the Mini.
If they wanted to simplify things, they'd present an all-new range: iPad Air, in two sizes - 7.9" and 9.7". They would say specifically that they are the same performance. Take your pick. Easy.
But they haven't, which makes me suspicious. Either the Mini 2 is looking like better value, or it has been compromised in some way that they are not revealing.
chickdigger802
Banned
predicting mini could possibly have some heat issues or something. $100 for 2 more inches... better deal than those commercials on tv 
chickdigger802
Banned
wow, i can get 180ish trade in credit at apple for my 16gb wifi mini which means i can sell it for a fair bit more.
I'm not sure that it does look like better value. The iPad Air has no meaningful competition, whereas the Mini 2 has several decent competing tablets all of which are substantially cheaper.
POWERSPHERE
Member
hahaah, i thought this was some joke thread. What a stupid way to name it.
Ken Masters
Banned
Black is the easy pick but man the white iPad Air just looks so much nicer
Gamecocks625
Member
My dilemma at the moment. Black is the logical choice in some ways but man that white Air does look good. Still torn between the two. Definitely set on 64GB though.
hipbabboom
Huh? What did I say? Did I screw up again? :(
People won't know you are using an iPad if you get the black one. That's like at least 50% of the value of ownership gone.
Betta Lines
Member
That raises a whole different area of discussion. If the Mini 2 has genuine competitors, and is in every way the same as an iPad Air aside from 2 inches, does that mean you can compare the Mini 2's competitors to the iPad Air as well? And if so, does that mean the Air's price point, which has remained acceptable for that size of tablet and has not been adjusted for this generation, suddenly looks way too expensive?
I get the impression that it is only the Mini that receives a great deal of criticism for its higher price. I think this is because the Nexus 7 was largely well-received, but the Nexus 10 was not. But if they're really the same now... then perhaps the Mini 2 shouldn't be criticised so much. It's back to 'Apple products have a premium, deal with it'. The Mini 2 is the cheapest iPad Air, so it's a better price for the same device...maybe.
I think the idea is that we're supposed to think that the Mini 2 is now in every way the full tablet experience, and is actually nothing like a Nexus 7 or other 7 inch tablets. Having never used a Mini or a 7 for an extended period, I'm not sure whether that is true.
I remind you that Steve Jobs mocked Intel CPUs until the year they made the switch.
Also Apple said that 10" was the perfect form factor for tablets and that a smaller tablet was dumb until they made their own 7" tablet.
It's PR. Don't believe it.
Well, yeah. That's why I included the caveat of "but who knows what they'll be doing in 4-5 years."
I think we can at least take his words as an indication that they aren't going to chance directions in the next 2-3 years.
Ken Masters
Banned
yeah, that's the reason I get one, not because I look it at all day, but for that coffee shop cred
I think the market reaction to the Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets is telling. Apple may expand iOS slowly to allow for more desktop class apps - not mouse driven apps, but just more complex finger driven apps - but I think they feel vindicated in their position that merging mouse and finger UIs into one device isn't the way to make a great device.
I also don't see them making a play for artists with pressure sensitive stylus support. Their goal is a bit more mass market.
chickdigger802
Banned
maybe not anymore when ios7 is all about the whites. pretty much every ios7 promo shots been on a white iphone or ipad.
To me it's all about the black bezel. I don't want to have a visible white halo around whatever I'm looking at. Yes, fingerprints are worse on black, but I never like having white frames around my screens.
same usually (black bezels great for video), but the silver chamfer, and the silver back makes the white one my preference I think. Plus the black having the grey back isn't as nice.
If they'd kept black with a silver back I might have gone with that.
choice is good
Marty Chinn
Member
Ya but this is Apple.
Betta Lines
Member
I've always thought the screen was the right size on the full-size iPad, but the weight was too much. Now that the weight is down, it should be a no brainer. But the new Mini has become more powerful than
iPad 2: 601g, 8.6mm
iPad Air: 469g, 7.5mm
goddamn...that's pretty significant
Betta Lines
Member
It really is. Having owned both the 2 and 3, I felt that sub-500g was the sweet spot, and they delivered.
Gamecocks625
Member
Traditional sized iPad with the weight close to an iPad mini and just as thin? Sign me up. Plus if you want to use a tablet for more productivity you now have a very compelling option in the Air. For what I do the Mini (while a great reading and gaming device) it didn't hold up well for me on the productivity side of things.
That said, we still don't know if the Air has more RAM than the Mini or any other distinction. We'll know next week, I guess.
According to Apple, an iPad 2 is 1.33 pounds and the Air is 1 (assuming Wifi option without mobile modem) So yeah, lighter than the 2 even. I am super happy about this. Loved my Mini, but the extra screen estate is definitely occasionally missed.
chickdigger802
Banned
yeah with the air weighing pretty much what my mini weight with a case on...
i'm still surprised my mini is quite usable still even past announcement
not great for text reading, but useable. could definitely use a ram bump.
i'm still surprised my mini is quite usable still even past announcement
not great for text reading, but useable. could definitely use a ram bump.
Got the Shakes
Member
I have an iPad 3 right now and I was all set to jump on a Mini with Retina before that Apple conference, but now I'm trying to decide if I should just buy an Air since it's not that much heavier or cumbersome than the new Mini is. The biggest thing I'm not sure of is if I'd miss the extra screen size of the full size iPad vs a Mini.
The bigger iPad is better for reading full-screen PDFs and comic books IMO.
Funny because i think exactly the opposite, the only reason i would pick a Mini is only because is more portable but now that the thing weights nothing the Mini almost lost all it advantages.
Bob Dobalina
Member
Wish they would reconsider.
I wonder what the catch is with the T-Mobile deal on LTE iPads.
http://9to5mac.com/2013/10/23/t-mob...-for-air-22month-for-retina-mini/#more-294220
Seems like an interest free loan with free 200mb a month?
http://9to5mac.com/2013/10/23/t-mob...-for-air-22month-for-retina-mini/#more-294220
Seems like an interest free loan with free 200mb a month?
huh? there are already pressure sensitive styluses out there for iPad...
http://intuoscreativestylus.wacom.com/en/?gclid=CJz0ubfHrboCFejm7AodHRkAVQ
Liu Kang Baking A Pie
Member
I assume it's a combination of getting rid of all their old parts, selling it for hardware compatibility for business or something in case they have add-ons for it, and making easy $$$.
That explains Apple's reason for selling it but what incentive does the consumer have? The iPad 2 mention during their conference is the most baffling thing for me.
Diablohead
Member
I expect an iPad Pro next year for sure, with the air being the super slim model at any cost.
Ken Masters
Banned
white iPad has been the color of choice for the last few devices, vast majority of iPad's I see are still black