Review: Apple's 2017 9.7" iPad with A9 CPU isn't a game-changer, but it isn't supposed to ...

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 34
    tyler82tyler82 Posts: 1,100member
    No mention of the fact it has a headphone jack.

    i guess Apple doesn't really have that much "courage" and isn't that serious about lightning only audio, like the iPhone 7?
  • Reply 22 of 34
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    tyler82 said:
    No mention of the fact it has a headphone jack.

    i guess Apple doesn't really have that much "courage" and isn't that serious about lightning only audio, like the iPhone 7?
    Do you ever think before you post?
    StrangeDayschia
  • Reply 23 of 34
    neilmneilm Posts: 985member
    My iPad Air (1) with 64GB/WiFi/Cellular cost a hefty $800 or so (I've been trying to forget...) when I bought it to replace an iPad 2. The new model but with 128GB lists for only $559 but with double the storage, more RAM and a faster processor, all in the same size and weight envelope. A more basic 32GB model with just WiFi is an aggressive $329.

    Obviously I'm not planning any imminent replacement my iPad Air (1), but for those buying an iPad for the first time, or considering the upgrade from any model older than the Air, these are attractive deals.

    The problem for Apple — but not for us as customers! — is that the useful life of an iPad has proven to be quite long, constraining replacement sales. I suspect that Apple is seeking to kick-start upgrades by offering better value, and this latest iPad should be able to do that.
    edited April 2017 GeorgeBMacpulseimages
  • Reply 24 of 34
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    tyler82 said:
    No mention of the fact it has a headphone jack.

    i guess Apple doesn't really have that much "courage" and isn't that serious about lightning only audio, like the iPhone 7?
    I don't think Apple is serious about Lightning only audio at all, or Lightning in general for that matter, preferring instead to go down an all wireless path they've been heading since the first AirPort. 8 months in, there's no support for it on the Mac (to say nothing of anything else), and there's no high quality Apple or Beats Lightning headphones (the replacement EarPods don't count) -- two things one would expect if Apple were pushing it.

    That said, Apple already told us the main reason they removed the headphone jack on the iPhone 7 -- there was no room to keep it and add the other things they want. Period. The iPad, for now at least, has no such restrictions, so there's no reason to elimate a common port that many people use, including many of those who do not own iPhones, and have no use for Lightning audio (especially since Apple has not offered any support for non-iOS devices). Add to that the iPad is a completely different user experience, and while mobile, not typically carried around in use on the go under ever changing conditions -- but typically used by most on the couch in a stable environment, where a pair of higher quality wired headphones might be preferred over wireless ones.
    GeorgeBMacchia
  • Reply 25 of 34
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    k2kw said:
    sog35 said:
    mac_128 said:
    paxman said:
    I am just guessing but I imagine most people by far use their iPads for light work and media consumption. And therein lies the problem, or from a consumer's pov, the advantage with the iPad. I have the original iPad Air and it is absolutely fine for everything I use it for. In my mind it is still a pretty new iPad. There are no compelling reasons to upgrade. There are many less important reasons and when those reach critical mass I will. There is nothing on the horizon that makes me think the point is imminent.
    I agree. In addition, I think there are a few things they should have not dropped. The laminated display is one thing, but the anti-reflection coating is an important feature in the user experience. Dropping it seems petty to me for the sacrifice in user enjoyment. TrueTone also seems like a poor decision to omit for the same reason, especially given the rumored cost increase for the iPhone, and one that may have some impact on developers. But the big one for developers is going to be the smart connector -- the more iPads they have access to, the more they'll develop products for them -- unless Apple has something else up their sleeves in the near future negating the smart connector? It becomes an even bigger problem if the next iPad introduces 3D Touch. With the exception of the iPhone SE (which is not even in the same volume class of sales as the 6s & 7), Apple no longer sells an iPhone without it. But this low cost iPad, which is likely to bring tens of millions more customers into the ecosystem, not to mention tens of millions more upgraders from pre-Air models will most likely create an enduring platform without modern features Apple is trying to gain adoption for ... and if the previous 7 years are any indication, it's a problem which likely persist for the next decade. 

    I want specific features in my next iPad, like the Pencil, and TrueTone display, so the new inexpensive upgrade is out of the question for me. And on the one hand, that's fine for Apple, since they're going to get more money out of me after 5 years, then again, are they going to get that much more than they're going to make out of volume sales of product they had to invest very little startup costs into? 

    In general I get distinctions between Pro and consumer models, but Apple kind of went backwards from the Air 2, and probably shouldn't have where it counts the most -- the end user interface. Then again, that's likely the most obvious distinction between the 9.7" Pro, just as the 4" display on the SE is the most obvious difference between the 6s & 7. Tough call. 
    Most iPad buyers don't give a crap about those features you brought up - laminated display, true tone, 3d touch, pencil, ect.

    And if they do they can buy the iPad Pro.

    You can't expect Apple to have all those premium features on a $299 product. 

    Apple is basically spliting the market for ipad.  The ipad for casual users, and the Pro for power users.  Its a smart strategy.  Many people just want a basic iPad and are not willing to spend much more than $300.
    I think that the new iPad is a better value and product than the iPad Pro (unless you are an artist who would actually use the Pencil with the Pro).    As it is now Apple really needs to an more software enhancements (like mouse support) or a multi-user Family option that would make the iPad Pro more useful to more people.
    While I agree that there's no reason not to offer mouse/trackpad support at this point, even limited support for professional word processing, and apps that could take advantage of it; I'm not sure I agree there needs to be multi-user support. Apple's business model for iOS appears to be "personal" devices, one per person. And now the new iPad is almost cheap enough to fulfil that goal for even the lowest income families and school districts (surely that's why they still the 16GB iPod Touch). A share mode might be more valuable, that enables people to restrict access to anything but what they allow. 265GB is certainly getting into the territory that multiple people can manage separate accounts with separate media, but still not practical for more than a couple of people with medium to large music, photo and movie collections -- to say nothing of Apps (some of which are likely far more personal than even stored media).
  • Reply 26 of 34
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,834member
    tyler82 said:
    No mention of the fact it has a headphone jack.

    i guess Apple doesn't really have that much "courage" and isn't that serious about lightning only audio, like the iPhone 7?
    Silly post. As has been discussed numerous times, different devices with different form factors and thus different constraints and different use cases. 

    Are you complaining about the lack of a legacy headphone jack on the Watch? why not? oh yeah because it wouldn't make any fucking sense -- different form factor and use cases. Same thing. 
  • Reply 27 of 34
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    mac_128 said:
    k2kw said:
    sog35 said:
    mac_128 said:
    paxman said:
    I am just guessing but I imagine most people by far use their iPads for light work and media consumption. And therein lies the problem, or from a consumer's pov, the advantage with the iPad. I have the original iPad Air and it is absolutely fine for everything I use it for. In my mind it is still a pretty new iPad. There are no compelling reasons to upgrade. There are many less important reasons and when those reach critical mass I will. There is nothing on the horizon that makes me think the point is imminent.
    I agree. In addition, I think there are a few things they should have not dropped. The laminated display is one thing, but the anti-reflection coating is an important feature in the user experience. Dropping it seems petty to me for the sacrifice in user enjoyment. TrueTone also seems like a poor decision to omit for the same reason, especially given the rumored cost increase for the iPhone, and one that may have some impact on developers. But the big one for developers is going to be the smart connector -- the more iPads they have access to, the more they'll develop products for them -- unless Apple has something else up their sleeves in the near future negating the smart connector? It becomes an even bigger problem if the next iPad introduces 3D Touch. With the exception of the iPhone SE (which is not even in the same volume class of sales as the 6s & 7), Apple no longer sells an iPhone without it. But this low cost iPad, which is likely to bring tens of millions more customers into the ecosystem, not to mention tens of millions more upgraders from pre-Air models will most likely create an enduring platform without modern features Apple is trying to gain adoption for ... and if the previous 7 years are any indication, it's a problem which likely persist for the next decade. 

    I want specific features in my next iPad, like the Pencil, and TrueTone display, so the new inexpensive upgrade is out of the question for me. And on the one hand, that's fine for Apple, since they're going to get more money out of me after 5 years, then again, are they going to get that much more than they're going to make out of volume sales of product they had to invest very little startup costs into? 

    In general I get distinctions between Pro and consumer models, but Apple kind of went backwards from the Air 2, and probably shouldn't have where it counts the most -- the end user interface. Then again, that's likely the most obvious distinction between the 9.7" Pro, just as the 4" display on the SE is the most obvious difference between the 6s & 7. Tough call. 
    Most iPad buyers don't give a crap about those features you brought up - laminated display, true tone, 3d touch, pencil, ect.

    And if they do they can buy the iPad Pro.

    You can't expect Apple to have all those premium features on a $299 product. 

    Apple is basically spliting the market for ipad.  The ipad for casual users, and the Pro for power users.  Its a smart strategy.  Many people just want a basic iPad and are not willing to spend much more than $300.
    I think that the new iPad is a better value and product than the iPad Pro (unless you are an artist who would actually use the Pencil with the Pro).    As it is now Apple really needs to an more software enhancements (like mouse support) or a multi-user Family option that would make the iPad Pro more useful to more people.
    While I agree that there's no reason not to offer mouse/trackpad support at this point, even limited support for professional word processing, and apps that could take advantage of it; I'm not sure I agree there needs to be multi-user support. Apple's business model for iOS appears to be "personal" devices, one per person. And now the new iPad is almost cheap enough to fulfil that goal for even the lowest income families and school districts (surely that's why they still the 16GB iPod Touch). A share mode might be more valuable, that enables people to restrict access to anything but what they allow. 265GB is certainly getting into the territory that multiple people can manage separate accounts with separate media, but still not practical for more than a couple of people with medium to large music, photo and movie collections -- to say nothing of Apps (some of which are likely far more personal than even stored media).
    I would suggest that you be careful comparing where they've been to where they're going.
    While technology appears to progress in leaps and bounds, it really progresses much more linerally.  The leaps come when those accumulated minor advances enable a giant leap to be made in functionality.

    I think we are facing that now with the IPad:  as Apple has told us, advances in CPU's, GPU's and memory & storage have enabled IPads to rival Laptops.   And indeed, this article says that new IPad and laptops with the Intel's Core-M processor are about equal.   While IPads cannot compare to the power in a MacBook Pro, that gap will continue to narrow.

    And, as that performance gap narrows, I believe we will see the emphasis on a simplified, "personal" user interface be expanded to increase and improve functionality.   That is:  software progress always lags behind hardware progress but we are now at the tipping point for another big step in software functionality....
  • Reply 28 of 34
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    mac_128 said:
    k2kw said:
    sog35 said:
    mac_128 said:
    paxman said:
    I am just guessing but I imagine most people by far use their iPads for light work and media consumption. And therein lies the problem, or from a consumer's pov, the advantage with the iPad. I have the original iPad Air and it is absolutely fine for everything I use it for. In my mind it is still a pretty new iPad. There are no compelling reasons to upgrade. There are many less important reasons and when those reach critical mass I will. There is nothing on the horizon that makes me think the point is imminent.
    I agree. In addition, I think there are a few things they should have not dropped. The laminated display is one thing, but the anti-reflection coating is an important feature in the user experience. Dropping it seems petty to me for the sacrifice in user enjoyment. TrueTone also seems like a poor decision to omit for the same reason, especially given the rumored cost increase for the iPhone, and one that may have some impact on developers. But the big one for developers is going to be the smart connector -- the more iPads they have access to, the more they'll develop products for them -- unless Apple has something else up their sleeves in the near future negating the smart connector? It becomes an even bigger problem if the next iPad introduces 3D Touch. With the exception of the iPhone SE (which is not even in the same volume class of sales as the 6s & 7), Apple no longer sells an iPhone without it. But this low cost iPad, which is likely to bring tens of millions more customers into the ecosystem, not to mention tens of millions more upgraders from pre-Air models will most likely create an enduring platform without modern features Apple is trying to gain adoption for ... and if the previous 7 years are any indication, it's a problem which likely persist for the next decade. 

    I want specific features in my next iPad, like the Pencil, and TrueTone display, so the new inexpensive upgrade is out of the question for me. And on the one hand, that's fine for Apple, since they're going to get more money out of me after 5 years, then again, are they going to get that much more than they're going to make out of volume sales of product they had to invest very little startup costs into? 

    In general I get distinctions between Pro and consumer models, but Apple kind of went backwards from the Air 2, and probably shouldn't have where it counts the most -- the end user interface. Then again, that's likely the most obvious distinction between the 9.7" Pro, just as the 4" display on the SE is the most obvious difference between the 6s & 7. Tough call. 
    Most iPad buyers don't give a crap about those features you brought up - laminated display, true tone, 3d touch, pencil, ect.

    And if they do they can buy the iPad Pro.

    You can't expect Apple to have all those premium features on a $299 product. 

    Apple is basically spliting the market for ipad.  The ipad for casual users, and the Pro for power users.  Its a smart strategy.  Many people just want a basic iPad and are not willing to spend much more than $300.
    I think that the new iPad is a better value and product than the iPad Pro (unless you are an artist who would actually use the Pencil with the Pro).    As it is now Apple really needs to an more software enhancements (like mouse support) or a multi-user Family option that would make the iPad Pro more useful to more people.
    While I agree that there's no reason not to offer mouse/trackpad support at this point, even limited support for professional word processing, and apps that could take advantage of it; I'm not sure I agree there needs to be multi-user support. Apple's business model for iOS appears to be "personal" devices, one per person. And now the new iPad is almost cheap enough to fulfil that goal for even the lowest income families and school districts (surely that's why they still the 16GB iPod Touch). A share mode might be more valuable, that enables people to restrict access to anything but what they allow. 265GB is certainly getting into the territory that multiple people can manage separate accounts with separate media, but still not practical for more than a couple of people with medium to large music, photo and movie collections -- to say nothing of Apps (some of which are likely far more personal than even stored media).
    I would suggest that you be careful comparing where they've been to where they're going.
    While technology appears to progress in leaps and bounds, it really progresses much more linerally.  The leaps come when those accumulated minor advances enable a giant leap to be made in functionality.

    I think we are facing that now with the IPad:  as Apple has told us, advances in CPU's, GPU's and memory & storage have enabled IPads to rival Laptops.   And indeed, this article says that new IPad and laptops with the Intel's Core-M processor are about equal.   While IPads cannot compare to the power in a MacBook Pro, that gap will continue to narrow.

    And, as that performance gap narrows, I believe we will see the emphasis on a simplified, "personal" user interface be expanded to increase and improve functionality.   That is:  software progress always lags behind hardware progress but we are now at the tipping point for another big step in software functionality....
    I don't disagree. The issue I'm debating is not one of functionality, but marketing -- Apple makes much more off of a single device sold one per customer, than a slightly more expensive version used by multiple members of a household. I'm not sure Apple is interested in ever offering a multi-user iPad, regardless of what great leaps are awaiting us in the future. Will there be a multi-user iPad Pro? Possibly ... eventually. But customers will pay for that, just as they have been to get that functionality with the purchase of a Mac for years. Unless of course Apple radically changes their marketing strategy. There's no reason not to offer a multi-user interface on iOS now, except it doesn't fit with Apple's marketing plans -- actually they do offer some sort of multi-user interface in the education setting, which I assumed would make its way to the next consumer iOS, but it didn't. Maybe that's in the future, but again ... marketing.
    GeorgeBMac
  • Reply 29 of 34
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    mac_128 said:
    mac_128 said:
    k2kw said:
    sog35 said:
    mac_128 said:
    paxman said:
    I am just guessing but I imagine most people by far use their iPads for light work and media consumption. And therein lies the problem, or from a consumer's pov, the advantage with the iPad. I have the original iPad Air and it is absolutely fine for everything I use it for. In my mind it is still a pretty new iPad. There are no compelling reasons to upgrade. There are many less important reasons and when those reach critical mass I will. There is nothing on the horizon that makes me think the point is imminent.
    I agree. In addition, I think there are a few things they should have not dropped. The laminated display is one thing, but the anti-reflection coating is an important feature in the user experience. Dropping it seems petty to me for the sacrifice in user enjoyment. TrueTone also seems like a poor decision to omit for the same reason, especially given the rumored cost increase for the iPhone, and one that may have some impact on developers. But the big one for developers is going to be the smart connector -- the more iPads they have access to, the more they'll develop products for them -- unless Apple has something else up their sleeves in the near future negating the smart connector? It becomes an even bigger problem if the next iPad introduces 3D Touch. With the exception of the iPhone SE (which is not even in the same volume class of sales as the 6s & 7), Apple no longer sells an iPhone without it. But this low cost iPad, which is likely to bring tens of millions more customers into the ecosystem, not to mention tens of millions more upgraders from pre-Air models will most likely create an enduring platform without modern features Apple is trying to gain adoption for ... and if the previous 7 years are any indication, it's a problem which likely persist for the next decade. 

    I want specific features in my next iPad, like the Pencil, and TrueTone display, so the new inexpensive upgrade is out of the question for me. And on the one hand, that's fine for Apple, since they're going to get more money out of me after 5 years, then again, are they going to get that much more than they're going to make out of volume sales of product they had to invest very little startup costs into? 

    In general I get distinctions between Pro and consumer models, but Apple kind of went backwards from the Air 2, and probably shouldn't have where it counts the most -- the end user interface. Then again, that's likely the most obvious distinction between the 9.7" Pro, just as the 4" display on the SE is the most obvious difference between the 6s & 7. Tough call. 
    Most iPad buyers don't give a crap about those features you brought up - laminated display, true tone, 3d touch, pencil, ect.

    And if they do they can buy the iPad Pro.

    You can't expect Apple to have all those premium features on a $299 product. 

    Apple is basically spliting the market for ipad.  The ipad for casual users, and the Pro for power users.  Its a smart strategy.  Many people just want a basic iPad and are not willing to spend much more than $300.
    I think that the new iPad is a better value and product than the iPad Pro (unless you are an artist who would actually use the Pencil with the Pro).    As it is now Apple really needs to an more software enhancements (like mouse support) or a multi-user Family option that would make the iPad Pro more useful to more people.
    While I agree that there's no reason not to offer mouse/trackpad support at this point, even limited support for professional word processing, and apps that could take advantage of it; I'm not sure I agree there needs to be multi-user support. Apple's business model for iOS appears to be "personal" devices, one per person. And now the new iPad is almost cheap enough to fulfil that goal for even the lowest income families and school districts (surely that's why they still the 16GB iPod Touch). A share mode might be more valuable, that enables people to restrict access to anything but what they allow. 265GB is certainly getting into the territory that multiple people can manage separate accounts with separate media, but still not practical for more than a couple of people with medium to large music, photo and movie collections -- to say nothing of Apps (some of which are likely far more personal than even stored media).
    I would suggest that you be careful comparing where they've been to where they're going.
    While technology appears to progress in leaps and bounds, it really progresses much more linerally.  The leaps come when those accumulated minor advances enable a giant leap to be made in functionality.

    I think we are facing that now with the IPad:  as Apple has told us, advances in CPU's, GPU's and memory & storage have enabled IPads to rival Laptops.   And indeed, this article says that new IPad and laptops with the Intel's Core-M processor are about equal.   While IPads cannot compare to the power in a MacBook Pro, that gap will continue to narrow.

    And, as that performance gap narrows, I believe we will see the emphasis on a simplified, "personal" user interface be expanded to increase and improve functionality.   That is:  software progress always lags behind hardware progress but we are now at the tipping point for another big step in software functionality....
    I don't disagree. The issue I'm debating is not one of functionality, but marketing -- Apple makes much more off of a single device sold one per customer, than a slightly more expensive version used by multiple members of a household. I'm not sure Apple is interested in ever offering a multi-user iPad, regardless of what great leaps are awaiting us in the future. Will there be a multi-user iPad Pro? Possibly ... eventually. But customers will pay for that, just as they have been to get that functionality with the purchase of a Mac for years. Unless of course Apple radically changes their marketing strategy. There's no reason not to offer a multi-user interface on iOS now, except it doesn't fit with Apple's marketing plans -- actually they do offer some sort of multi-user interface in the education setting, which I assumed would make its way to the next consumer iOS, but it didn't. Maybe that's in the future, but again ... marketing.
    Thanks for explaining that...   I agree.   It is unlikely Apple will go with multi-user products anytime soon -- mostly because it would be highly intrusive to both privacy and simplicity -- both of which are critical features of the Apple's mobile products.
  • Reply 30 of 34
    tyler82tyler82 Posts: 1,100member
    Soli said:
    tyler82 said:
    No mention of the fact it has a headphone jack.

    i guess Apple doesn't really have that much "courage" and isn't that serious about lightning only audio, like the iPhone 7?
    Do you ever think before you post?
    That's your response to a very valid point? Cute.
  • Reply 31 of 34
    I have been using my iPad Pro for about a month now and it doesn’t feel like much of an upgrade from my iPad Air. There are 4 speakers which to me just make the tinny sound louder. It is faster. I do not understand why the lightening cord still plugs into the machine right at the Home button. Many, many websites only use a portrait mode and when the iPad is plugged in charging, the cord has to be bent to be able to use it. There is an abnormal amount of stress on the lightening cord and it is no wonder I had to buy 2 replacement cords for my iPad Air. But it is nice and works fine unless a beta iOS decides to crash. Please Apple give me more control over the Home screen so I can display the date and time at the top of the screen like my Mac has been able to do for over a decade. I also purchased the Apple Pencil and Apple's Cover. The pencil is ok and works for the most part but finding how much charge it has remaining is sometimes an adventure. Apple did not provide any documentation on finding the current charge. I did find on the Internet, directions to activate a battery widget and that worked...at least for a while. All of a sudden the battery widget disappeared and I couldn't get it to display. Honestly, I spent a couple of hours figuring this out and found the answer by accident. BTW: nothing in the Apple Communities helped assuming the Apple Communities worked. I finally gave up on the Apple Communities because I kept getting that Safari or Firefox could not connect because there was too many redirects. Some help huh? Quite by accident one day I plugged the Pencil in to the lightening port and found it had lost the Bluetooth connection when the battery drained all the way. So the Widget couldn’t find the pencil because it was no longer paired. This is way too much effort to find how much battery charge is left. Why doesn’t it show up in the System Settings? Every other peripheral does. Bad software design (again). But if you want poor design, buy the Apple Cover. The new Smart Connector design is not secure and the cover pops off easily and often. Then the magnets on the face are so strong it is hard to open at times. The cover is a bit too large and it makes it near impossible to access the buttons especially the power button. There is no storage location for the Pencil. Sometimes if you have the cover flipped back flat and try to move it to set it standing, the magnetic catch power downs the iPad. But the most stupid part of the design is there is no hole for the camera. You have to remove the cover to take a picture. My $149 Apple keyboard/cover is already in a drawer and has been replaced with a $12 cover that has none of the limitations or problems. So buy the iPad and save your money on the Apple peripherals.
  • Reply 32 of 34
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    Many, many websites only use a portrait mode…
    I assume you mean landscape, but regardless, I don't understand how websites are designed for one over the other since almost all of them are designed windows OS browsers. Now if you said that most of the apps you use can only work in Landscape mode, which seems very common with large games that tax the processor, then I'd understand.

    As for your cables, there are options with Lightning cables that could benefit your particular usage requirements.

    edited April 2017
  • Reply 33 of 34
    Good review, I actually expected the audio to be much better than the Air 2. Regarding performance, there's a video that shows iMovie performing better with the Air 2 than the new iPad, pretty crazy.
  • Reply 34 of 34
    neilm said:
    My iPad Air (1) with 64GB/WiFi/Cellular cost a hefty $800 or so (I've been trying to forget...) when I bought it to replace an iPad 2. The new model but with 128GB lists for only $559 but with double the storage, more RAM and a faster processor, all in the same size and weight envelope. A more basic 32GB model with just WiFi is an aggressive $329.

    Obviously I'm not planning any imminent replacement my iPad Air (1), but for those buying an iPad for the first time, or considering the upgrade from any model older than the Air, these are attractive deals.

    The problem for Apple — but not for us as customers! — is that the useful life of an iPad has proven to be quite long, constraining replacement sales. I suspect that Apple is seeking to kick-start upgrades by offering better value, and this latest iPad should be able to do that.
    This is why I am going to buy one of these 128GB WIFI models for my Mom for Christmas. I wonder if Jobs was still around if he could of made the Pro models something really great instead of what they turned out to be.
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