Michal Marek The new 10-inch iPad to be Apple presented on Monday, March 21, apparently it won't be labeled iPad Air 3, but iPad Pro. This marks the first time that two different-sized iPads have the same name, which raises many questions about what the iPad lineup will look like in the future. Does Apple want to offer iPads according to the same idea and with the same nomenclature as it offers its MacBooks?
Just two years ago, the iPad offer was very simple and logical. There was a classic 9,7-inch iPad and a smaller 7,9-inch variant called the iPad mini. The names of these two devices spoke for themselves and it was no problem to navigate the menu. But then the 5th generation iPad was replaced by the iPad Air.
The iPad Air was the first 2-inch tablet from Apple to come with a new body, and Tim Cook's company wanted to make it clear with the name that this was a completely new device worth buying, and not just an annual upgrade of internal components. The iPad Air continued to be accompanied by the iPad mini, and after a year, with the arrival of the iPad Air 4, the older iPad XNUMXth generation was removed from the range, thus regaining its logic in the range of iPads. Only iPad Air and iPad mini were available.
Half a year ago, Apple's tablet range was expanded with the large and bloated iPad Pro tablet, which was expected in the last months before its release, so its proportions and name did not surprise many people. The trio of tablets with three different diagonals with the nicknames Mini, Air and Pro still make sense. However, a lot of confusion and speculation was brought by Mark Gurman's report, according to which in exactly three weeks we will see a new ten-inch tablet, but it will not be the Air 3. The new product will be called Pro.
If the smaller iPad Pro does come, many questions arise that are not only about the nomenclature, but mainly about what iPads Apple will actually offer. After a little thought, it seems that in Cupertino they are striving to unify the nomenclature of iPads and MacBooks, which, despite today's apparent complexity, will lead to a clearer offer.
By the looks of it, Tim Cook and his team have started the process, at the end of which we could have two families of MacBooks and two families of iPads. Logically, devices for "regular" and devices for "professional" use will be available. Tablets and laptops will then be available in such diagonals that the offer best covers the needs of each user.
MacBook and MacBook Pro
Let's start with MacBooks, where Apple is further along in the process of transforming the product line, and the goal is already in sight. The product that raises questions and whose fate defines the shape of the entire product line is 12-inch MacBook with Retina display, which Apple introduced last year. MacBook Air in its current form, it is rather a product of the past and it doesn't make much sense that Apple should come up with its new look while simultaneously releasing new generations of the 12-inch MacBook.
Unfortunately, with the current performance, the MacBook built on a mobile processor could not replace the established Air. But it's clear that increasing the performance of the 12-inch machine is only a matter of time. Then, as soon as the MacBook gets enough performance and wireless technologies become more common and affordable, there will be no place for the MacBook Air in Apple's portfolio. Both of these notebooks target the same group of users. The MacBook with Retina display continues the innovation started by the MacBook Air, and all it needs is time to succeed.
So the current situation is heading towards a completely logical conclusion: we will have MacBook and MacBook Pro in the menu. The MacBook will excel in its mobility and performance will be sufficient for the vast majority of users. The MacBook Pro will serve more demanding users who will need more performance, wider connectivity options (more ports) and perhaps even a larger screen size. The current offering of two MacBook Pro sizes is probably something that won't be moving anytime soon.
A more mobile MacBook for ordinary users may be able to get by with a single diagonal, which users of both the 11-inch and 13-inch Air will be willing to accept. As you can see, the retina MacBook won't tear the backpacks of users of the smaller version of the Air, because both notebooks are almost identical in terms of dimensions, and the 12-inch MacBook even wins in terms of weight (it weighs only 0,92 kg). For users of a 13-inch machine, the slight decrease in display space will be compensated by the subtlety of its resolution.
iPad and iPad Pro
When thinking about the future of MacBooks, the future of Apple tablets also seems much brighter. Everything points to the fact that they will also have two clearly separated lines: one for professionals, labeled Pro, and one for ordinary users, labeled only as "iPad".
Regular users will be able to choose between two iPad sizes, a designation that could include today's iPad Air as well as the smaller iPad mini. So there will be a choice between a tablet with a diagonal of 9,7 and 7,9 inches. It's possible that the smaller 7,9-inch tablet will continue to retain the Mini designation, unless Apple wants to completely go back to its roots by removing the established and catchy moniker.
But the fact is that the name "iPad" including both screen sizes would be more in line with the nomenclature that Apple uses for MacBooks. In addition to the two tablet sizes for regular users, there will also be two sizes of the inflated iPad Pro designed for more demanding users. They will be able to purchase a tablet in 9,7-inch and larger, 12,9-inch versions.
The clearest form of the iPad portfolio would then look like this (and practically copy MacBooks):
- iPad with a diagonal of 7,9 inches
- iPad with a diagonal of 9,7 inches
- iPad Pro with a diagonal of 9,7 inches
- iPad Pro with a diagonal of 12,9 inches
Apple's tablet offer will understandably reach such a form over time. If only the smaller iPad Pro is introduced in March, the offer will swell even more. The offer will include iPad mini, iPad Air and two iPad Pros. However, the iPad mini and iPad Air could be replaced by corresponding sizes of the "new iPad" already in the autumn, when the current models will probably see their successors. After that, only catch-up models will carry the old designation, which Apple always keeps on sale as a cheaper alternative to current products.
There is also the possibility that only the iPad Pro, which will be available on March 21st, will be available in the middle diagonal in the future. But it does not seem very likely that Apple in this size, which is clearly the most requested, offered only a device with professional parameters. Such a thing would only be possible if Apple managed to keep the price of such a tablet at the level of the current Air 2 model, which is hard to believe given the size of Apple's margins. In addition, the designation "Pro" would be illogical, which is simply not suitable for an iPad intended for the masses.
Whether Apple will eventually decide to logically simplify its offer is not certain. After all, for now we don't even know if it will actually show a smaller iPad Pro in three weeks. However, the Californian company has always liked to pride itself on a simple portfolio in which virtually every user could easily choose a suitable device. It is this simplicity that has partially disappeared in some products, but the clear division of MacBooks and iPads could bring it back. If the smaller iPad Pro does arrive, it could restore order to the entire product line.
The one with iPads, the naming is complicated basically from the beginning. First iPad and iPad 2, then suddenly only iPad. But then again the iPad 4, then the iPad Air and Air 2. I have the impression that Apple itself is a bit lost in this.
Yeah, that's true. I like the suggestion mentioned in the article and it sounds good. It wouldn't be out of place to tidy up the nomenclature :-)
There was never an iPad 4, just a "New iPad"
The iPad 4 was right after the "New iPad", it looked the same, had a new SoC, a better camera and lacked the 40-pin connector.
It was only followed by the iPad Air.
I wonder if there will be a bigger MacBook - because if we are talking about the Air, its diagonals are 11,6″ and 13,3″, so a pure 12″ MacBook is a replacement for the small Air, which, thanks to the smaller frames, has a larger display in a slightly smaller body. So for example 14″ would make a lot of sense in a body the size of a 13″ Air.
This would make the 12 and 14 models for less demanding customers, and the 13 and 15 for those demanding performance.
That would make sense - perhaps I myself don't need a powerful CPU or extreme mobility, but I want a completely passive laptop suitable for normal office work, multimedia, basic photo and video editing - home level, for example, iMovie with top processing and durability, which will be the only computer at home – and the MacBook 12″ seems too small for me, and the Air and Pro are out of the way thanks to the fan – and now I don’t care if it is only heard under load, but the fact that it sucks in air and since I move in a dusty environment, I always have to change the fan after a year – which increases the cost and cleaning of the machine and overall low service life and problems.
Unfortunately, the 12″ MacBook will not replace the Air if you want a machine for work (with performance and connectivity). I hope they don't "cut" the Air line...
And the iPhone in September will be iPhone 7 (4,7 and 5,5) and iPhone 7pro (4,7 and 5,5 with dual cameras) or simply without the 7...
Yes, something similar occurred to me as well. It would also make sense from a developer's point of view. Designing a proactive app for the iPad, which is supposed to run on a 7,9 and 12,9 inch display, is a problem. For that reason, I would not be surprised if Apple, for example, cut off the edges of the iPads and made them larger to 8,5 and 10,5 inches. After all, in the era of large phones, even an 8-inch tablet is quite small. I just hope that the two lines will differ from each other only in performance and not in pencil support, smart connector or camera quality. This iPad mini 4 with keyboard is an incredibly productive device thanks to its mobility. It would just like to support the latest technologies... In terms of Macbooks, I would see the point in releasing a 14 normal macbook. After all, only 12 inches is really titer and the enlargement of the variants for 14 and 16 inches. If the same thing happens with air. (Narrowing of the sides) so there should not be such a problem in mobility, and at the same time the 16-inch variant would also satisfy the owner of the 17-inch variant, which is already reaching its peak. I personally would welcome this change with open arms. After all, it makes sense that apple will introduce several lines with different diagonals for a product that earns more than macbooks and where this possibility has been around for a long time.
Most importantly, don't end the Air series. For me, it's the perfect laptop for work (graphics, web design). Thanks to the smaller resolution, the performance is at the Proček level, but the mobility remains. It has performance for work and play. The 12″ macbook has 0 performance and the keyboard doesn’t fit me very well, and the Pročka are too big and heavy.
I was looking at real tests of MacBook 12 vs MacBook Air - Lightroom, iMovie, etc…. – minimal difference in reality. It's worth it for the absence of a fan. The display is significantly better, the trackpad is better, the dimensions and weight are better.
Today, I consider the Air to be a knock-out model, which no longer makes sense. In addition, the MacBook 12 price has dropped to 32000 for the base 1,1GHz 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD at most retailers - the higher 1,2GHz 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD is 39000.
If you set the Air to similar RAM and SSD parameters, it is much more expensive - yes, it has a more powerful CPU, but that's not such a problem today, and you still have a much worse display, and in 11, it's almost unusable - too narrow.
The MacBook 12 is not for extra demanding renderings, etc., but it will handle office work, presentations, and basic work with graphics and photo video.
But I need Photoshop, illustrator and to do demanding graphics on an external monitor (I'm a graphic designer in a commercial and I do everything on Air (model 2013) + I like to play games and I watched those games on Air 2013, I go to ultra at 40 fps at 12 ″ they barely go 10 fps on low... the graphics are simply many times weaker there.
But guys a Core M 1,2 or 1,3 has the performance of a base i5 2014 from Air.
Of course, Photoshop and Illustrator run on the MacBook 12 - why wouldn't it too - I also ran it on a Cor 2 Duo and an old Pentium in combination with an external Eiz.
It's not much for games, it's true, but let's face it, it's not even a MacBook Pro.
I don't know about Windows virtualization, but if you have 2013-2014 Air in the base, the performance is the same.
Mobility – The MacBook 12 is smaller and significantly lighter than the Air 11.
Overpriced? 39 – 1,2GB RAM – 8GB SSD – Air with these parameters (yes, stronger CPU here) is 512 for 46.
Other Air combinations only have 4GB of RAM and always a smaller SSD - and when it comes to graphics, the more RAM the better - this is more noticeable than a 20-30% more powerful CPU.
Windows - accounting - faster than on iMac i5 thanks to SSD.
Can I ask how the 1,3 behaves in the MacBook 12 in terms of endurance? I suppose it shouldn't be a difference against 1,1 and 1,2. Thank you.
3 hours at hard work, over 4 hours at meetings/screen off.
So…. and what kind of hard work are you doing on it?
I looked at the tests - the web over 9 hours, streaming videos from iTunes 11 hours, in another test they said about 6 hours when editing videos and easy work with reduced brightness below 70% over 10 hours.
The Air lasts a lot longer and the Pro also a bit longer, but 3 and 4 hours seem extremely short to me - according to the specifications, the 1,3 shouldn't take more than 1,2.
Nothing, I'm an office rat: Safari, Mail, iWork. But I wouldn't reach 9 hours even with the display off :-). The official data on endurance is like the official data of car manufacturers on the consumption of a car. Look at foreign reviews, 9 hours is a dream.
Everything from foreign reviews - the Czech Republic doesn't even have any - yes, actually one on Mobilenet.
The numbers given by Apple about battery life are not true - for example, the iPhone 6s Plus lasts me non-stop for 10-12 hours - I mean really non-stop without turning off the display. Cousins Air pedals around 15:12 - they say XNUMX:XNUMX.
This one has a worse endurance, but according to the reviews, it fits and they always achieved slightly more than the figure that Apple states - 9h. Of course, it will always depend on the settings of the laptop - if you have everything turned on with non-stop synchronization and so on... I was just really scared for those 3 hours ;)
You have to take into account the retina, I personally have more performance than the display (yes, the retina is beautiful, but...) the raw performance may be the same, but the retina counts 4x more than the air's display, so the performance of the real one is completely different, that's why the Air is more powerful in practice than macbooks pro , thanks to the outdated display, which is much less demanding. I had a Macbook Pro 13 and I was returning to the Air because the performance of the Pro was not enough for me (there were more reasons, including mobility, etc.)
The Air 11 is a super mobile machine for most normal work with full connectivity (USB3, TB). I need to have enough performance for virtual Windows, connectivity to the Ethernet network (administration), the ability to work in Adobe programs (tests), ... the 12″ MacBook in its current form does not solve anything, apart from simple "content consumption" it is completely useless and, moreover, a cruelly overpriced toy … ;)
Sure, I have a MacBook 1.3 as the only computer in the studio, and the only slowdown is when doing heavy video work (eg exporting).
The performance of the MacBook 1.3 is really good, but unlike the MBAir, the battery does not last all day, max 3,5 hours of real work.
3,5 hours isn't it? It should last 9 hours of easy work, somewhere in the review they said that even more if the brightness is lowered below 70-80% and when it comes to working with video, about 6 hours. I tried it, but I can't compare the durability.
I'm strongly considering it - I'm waiting for this year's news and if Apple doesn't come up with an improvement like Touch ID and so on or with a bigger variant, I'll go for the 12 - probably the 1,2 with a 512 SSD. For 39 thousand it is tempting. How much did the 1,3 cost? And you probably bought at the original prices, right?
Thank you.
Nice, but I would like to see something else behind the name change. Business and marketing policy. On the one hand, changing the look helps with advertising and subconsciously forces people with, for example, an iPad 4 (which is still a sufficient machine without problems) to upgrade.
And secondly, I don't think Apple wants to target graphics in general, but then again ordinary users don't want an iPad that isn't "Pro". It creates a feeling of inferiority. I think that !if! Apple will release a 9,7″ iPad Pro, it will just be a different name Air3. This kills two birds with one stone. The fact that Apple wants to somehow unify the portfolio and with new families of names go up to the iPad Pro 37 model in 2056 :D imho makes no sense to think at all...