Ondrej Holzman We already know the reason why Apple could afford to lower the price so much new iPad, which it refers to in internal documents as the 5th generation iPad. It is indeed the successor to the iPad Air 2, but - as it turned out - it has some worse parameters, which is also the reason for the lower price.
In Apple's current tablet range, the new 9,7-inch iPad is by far the most affordable device. On the one hand, because with the smaller iPad mini 4, Apple decided to offer only a more expensive configuration with larger storage, and also because it took several steps back with the 5th generation iPad.
For one thing, Apple has somewhat unconventionally returned to a form that is thicker and heavier. The new iPad has the same dimensions as the iPad Air 1 from 2013: 7,5 millimeters thick and 469 grams of weight. The difference of 1,4 millimeters in thickness and 25 grams in weight may seem small on paper, but you will recognize both values in real use.
However, it is definitely not an insurmountable problem and since the iPad is newly positioned as an entry tablet into the world of Apple and for many customers it will be the first iPad, slightly larger dimensions than other Apple users may be used to will not be too much of a problem.
Non-Pro, 9.7” iPad naming scheme timeline.
iPad
iPad 2
The new iPad (with Retina display)
iPad Air
iPad Air 2
iPad(facepalm)
— Riccardo Mori (@morrick) March 21, 2017
Much more important, however, is why Apple returned to these dimensions. Compared to the iPad Air 2, the 5th generation iPad took a big step back in display, back again to the Air 1. On the cheapest iPad, you won't find either the anti-reflective coating or the laminated display, which is now standard in other iPads, which means you can suffer from larger reflections and that there is a visible gap between the display itself and the glass.
That's a real step back that made the iPad experience really enjoyable, and it's the biggest toll on the fact that all iPad models are 7 crowns cheaper than the similarly configured 800-inch iPad Pro. For this additional fee, you get a significantly better display (True Tone with a wider color gamut), four speakers, a better front and rear camera (True Tone flash, 9,7K videos, stabilization, etc.), faster LTE or a rose gold color for the iPad Pro.
And what still sets the Pro line apart the most is support for the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. What is better in the new iPad, even against the Air 2 model, is the processor. From the A8X, Apple jumped to the A9 chip, which is also not the latest, but provides higher performance.
The 5th generation iPad thus represents a clear compromise between the latest possible technologies and hardware and at the same time the most affordable price possible. Because 10 crowns for a 990GB model with Wi-Fi is what matters here. Although the cheapest iPad Air 32 cost only 2 crowns, the further discount may break the psychological barrier for many users that they should now actually buy their first iPad.
In addition, with the lower price, Apple is not only attacking ordinary customers, the new iPad can play a big role in education, where iPads have so far often proved to be still too expensive devices. In addition, parameters such as a worse display or larger dimensions are completely deleted in the benches.
The display is a big weakness and so will the frame. As long as 2GB is fine on the phone, it does not apply to the tablet. Higher resolution and tablet applications are more complex, pages in the browser are 90% in desktop form. So no, with apple, the system does not crash because of the frame, but everything is quickly thrown out of memory, so pages and applications will be refreshed quite often. The difference in performance between the A9 and the A8X is not that big, as the A8X is a triple core and the A9 is a dual core. Geekbench ipad air 2 1782 points, iphone 6s 2344... higher performance is there, but nothing amazing. When I bought an ipad mini 2 for 330 euros, it was basically top. The latest processor, retina (albeit slightly worse colors) and the only thing I somehow missed compared to the iPhone 5s was touch id. Now there is an ipad that has a CPU a generation behind, a display that lags behind significantly, and a body that is probably from the ipad air 1. Apple has made a top-of-the-line edition for which you will have to pay a lot more... so much so that I am not really willing to pay for this tablet... .and this entry model really didn't interest me... and apple completely screwed up on the mini.
I wouldn't consider a display like this a weakness. The display is still quite decent. It's not cutting-edge, but it's still a very nice display and users won't mind.
That's right, the display is better than 90% of tablets on the market. That it is not laminated and because of the cover glass is 0,5 mm more recessed? Oh god.
But according to the article, it somehow enhances the "experience" of the iPad. I am already allergic to the meaningless use of the word "experience" here, and those few tenths of a millimeter do not cause me hives, or I would have to examine it perhaps from the side to see the terrible "gap".
And hmm. of course, the display has an anti-reflective layer, like any other display, because otherwise it would be impossible to look at it. It just doesn't have that "super duper" glare reduction by XY%, and when you're out with it, it doesn't really matter anyway :-D
When Apple believes that there will be a moron who will buy it and throw it away with an upgrade to the next version of iOS in half a year.. only Apple can really sell a three-year-old shunt under an (old) new name..
From the point of view of usability, the processor and RAM (I don't know how much) are decisive. So it's more like a year and a half old. But I also don't like this installation of older SoCs, because it simply shortens the moral life. However, in my opinion, RAM is more important.
As for the rest, such as the display, I personally don't mind it so much, because the iPad is always lying around at home, it's an occasional web reader, etc. When I take it out into the garden, direct sunlight won't affect the new display either, it's just necessary find a reasonable spot anyway. I still have an iPad 4th and the display doesn't offend me in any way, the difference mainly in the color saturation can only be seen in a direct comparison with the new one and it's not something I would sit on my ass anyway. I can imagine that I would use this to replace the already somewhat breathless and heavy iPad 4 (for which iOS 10 is probably the last), the basic version is completely sufficient for me, I don't even need cellular for use.
I thought I wouldn't buy an iPad again because I use it by far the least of all things Apple. I have an iPhone when I travel, and if I need to do something more, the iPad doesn't tear me away and I still take the Macbook. If I had to give 19 thousand for the basic Pro, as a "toilet web browser", I won't give it. 11 maybe already (+ with some discount somewhere). I also like that it doesn't have a protruding camera lens, which I don't mind with the iPhone, but I think it's pretty stupid with the iPad, I don't use any covers (except the smartcover) and I put it bare on my back everywhere, it would soon get damaged.
On the contrary, I consider the display to be the most important. It's the basic thing I'm looking at. I don't really care about the processor. Today, the performance is still above the limit of real use, and given how iOS is a limited system, the performance is still unusable. In general, the iPad is just a better toilet reader.
I can't agree from my experience. The A9 is still a powerful SoC (today), but having an A8 or perhaps older, I can already tell by the response. RAM is then important so that the device doesn't "forget" much, so that you don't have to wait for the application to reload again = a terrible delay, which has been in the background for a while. For example, with the iPad 4 with 1 GB of RAM, it's downright tragic.
The display is also important to me, but more so for a work tool, which the iPad is not for me. And for normal use, there was no wow effect between the old and the new display. However, I can clearly see the difference of CZK 8000.
:-))) This can be recognized immediately by an expert who could do nothing more with it than use it as a toilet reader. I always have great respect for such experts - they can't do anything at all. :-)
So toilet readers who don't care about performance but the display must not buy an iPad?
No one claims that. Do you see it here somewhere?
What do you use the iPad (without the Pro suffix) for? I like to be inspired. For me, it is primarily a library of electronic books and articles, which in an emergency can perform several functions such as email, web, calendar, so it is quite appropriate to compare it to a better toilet.
I may not be a sample case, but every user has their own way of using it. Someone takes it instead of a computer because it is enough for them. There are already many articles on the Internet where people describe their week with an iPad instead of a computer. Of the Czechs alone, two immediately come to mind, and their use is a long way from a toilet reader - they are not one of those who curse the "fragile tray" in one piece and show everything that is wrong with it. A lot of things go with him, especially if you want to.
As for me, I practically don't read books on it, the web and emails are probably classics, I play a few games, use shared calendars and tasks, work with documents in Word, Excel and PowerPoint (Office 365), use maps, navigation, I view and edit photos and images and do a lot of other things that I don't immediately think of or often don't realize I'd miss without it.
I, in turn, respect people who can do something with him. Some colorful example, instead of blunt phrases. Otherwise, admit that you're just babbling.
I use it as a second display (duet app). I draw my ideas and sketches of infographics for business on it. I read books on it, in which I can take electronic notes. I watch movies on it on the go. I manage my banking and financial software on it. I write articles on it, mainly on the train, where I can be sure that the battery will last me the whole day (not like the MacBook PRO). I present from it (Keynote) when I connect it to the data projector at the client. I proofread graphic designs with a pencil...of course I can live without it, or do the same with another device. But why when the iPad is so convenient? So you're actually right, it's a "better" toilet reader. But much better!
If the display is important to you, buy the Air 2, it's still a bit cheaper than the new iPad.
You're way off the mark here and you're not right about anything.
It is possible. Did you buy the "new" iPad?
No, I'm not the target, I'm waiting for the new Pro. I skipped the current one and am going to Air2. But I understand people for whom it will be enough. Likewise, I can imagine places where a base model at the lowest possible price would fit, and this will be just that.
Partially agree with George. It can be interesting for a lot of people, I only watch TV series and children simple games on Air 2 and it's still enough for me. True, 2 months ago I did a Hard Reset and a new installation (without restoring the original) and it helped a lot with the speed.
The question is why you should not buy the Air 2 now, because it is even cheaper and, above all, has a better display. I really don't envy someone who chooses.
Slightly rejuvenated low-end device, gateway to the world of iOS. Same as iPSE - nice, robust, useful, 90% of the features of more expensive devices, but the price is significantly lower. Just an iPad for those who don't want to spend or just use it as a reader. Why not? Just because I'm not interested in it and it's not intended for me, I'm not going to write that it's useless.
For me, the biggest problem is the processor. I have an A8 on my iPhone, and the slowness of updating iOS 10 on it really annoys me. If the iPad has A9, it will reach the same desperate speed in a few months with the arrival of iOS 11. Buy an iPad and in half a year it will be lazy? Thanks, I don't want to. If there was an A10, I won't even say ash. Not like this.
Unfortunately, the A8 is very close to the A7 in terms of performance, which disappointed me a lot at the time. I remember that the difference in speed between 5s (A7) and 6 (A8) felt very small, and the following iOS 9 slowed it down considerably. That's also why I quickly switched to a 6s (A9) and the difference is huge, it's a much faster phone. A9 is a powerful SoC, compared to iPhone 7 with A10 I don't see a difference in response, or it is imperceptible. So I wouldn't worry about it in this case.
Isn't it because a new device comes with a fresh install?
As I wrote, when changing the 5s to the 6, I felt like I had the same fast phone just with a bigger display, even the clean system didn't affect it. While the 6s is a much faster phone, even a backup pulled from the cloud didn't change anything, even now after the iOS 10 update it still maintains a great response. If a hard reset as I read above has ever helped you, then something was probably very wrong, normally I didn't notice that this would ever bring me anything. But I don't have and never had an Air 2, it has an A8X, which is a 3 core, so it may have more power than the 2 core A8 in the iPhone 6.
Well, I actually cursed the iPad Air 2 a lot in the discussions and people wrote to me that everything was OK with them, so I got a recommendation for a clean installation and it really helped. It is possible that I transferred the data on the iPad from the iPad 2 (without Air, so the iOS version is a good idea ;-) ). Otherwise, I agree, I'm satisfied with the iPhone 6s, it's definitely a little livelier even now after resetting the iPad Air 2. Special, especially on Apple programs (Treba AppStore). 6s was my first iPhone, so I started from the beginning, so I have no comparison with older versions. Somehow it seems to me that even historically, the "s" versions are more fine-tuned.
Well, there must have been a problem. I agree with the memory, it is important, more so than the SoC, and the ideal is to buy when I increase it, if I have to keep it for a while. I still have an iPad 4 and it's quite fine for casual use, but the 1 GB of RAM is just useless, it can't remember anything. Considering that I use the iPad a little, it doesn't bother me that much, but it's a joke to use it, I would have replaced it a long time ago. I never understood what you said about iOS not needing that much RAM, although it's not like Android where it starts to run out of RAM, etc., but because it keeps reloading everything = almost constant lag. The iPhone 6 with 1 GB was proof of that, at the time it was the TOP model in the range, and as soon as it was released it was obvious that it had ridiculously little memory, quite a shock from Apple at the time... even for the money.
Yes, I agree. I also bought all devices with the fact that there was just a RAM upgrade ;-). Lately, Apple has been doing this in 3-year cycles. Such a device then has a 2-year longer service life. On the other hand, if you've already bought it, you pray that it doesn't happen too much ;-). Then, instead of optimization, the developers will write that you have a problem with the older device, so it works fine with the new one and it doesn't work at all with the old one.
I had the same problem with iPad Air 2 being slow and a Hard Reset and clean install solved 90% of the problems. A really brutal shift in performance by 3 classes. Mainly the Store and other Apple services. So I recommend it, it is now a handy device that will last another 2 years ;-).
I think most of the debaters didn't understand, Apple has the iPad Pro 9.7″ model for top users, chasing top HW, which will surely update to a new CPU sooner or later, Air2 was only slightly worse and so they made an obvious step, they needed cheaper HW , to support sales of the Pro version and not the Air3, which would be closer to the Pro 9.7.
Ad processor A8 and A9, I really wonder what applications you use on the iPad that you need that performance, I myself bought the very first iPad 1 right after it was launched in the US, and a year and a half later the iPad 2, where the biggest motivation was to have model with SIM card and 3G and I used it successfully for a long time and finally switched to Air2, where the biggest motivation was not even performance, but the impossibility of sharing a mobile connection on Wifi, which only the model with Retina was able to do.
I think for most users the A8X in the Air2 and then the A9 in the 5th generation will be enough for many years, people need it mostly for web, email, text and video, possibly kids for gaming, but little else except high end gaming and geek will make full use of that performance in the new models.
And there are better platforms for bitcoin mining ;-)
Exactly, unequivocal agreement. A lot of people would never buy or even use an overpriced Pro..
Hello,
I would like to ask you for a favor…
I have had an iPad 5 gen for some time. And I would need to start using the BioSign software…
Is it possible to use a stylus on this iPad?? :( apple pen 1st generation can't do it :/
Thank you very much for any help...