“It’s not the latest and the greatest, but iPad (5th generation) is the least expensive full-sized iPad ever — and, for some, that’s the feature that matters most,” Rene Ritchie writes for iMore. “$329. You’re not getting a next generation iPad for that price, of course. You’re not even getting last year’s iPad – there wasn’t one, aside from the Pro. What you are getting is an amalgam of several previous generation iPads with a jolt of new internals.”
“I’m used to reviewing the latest and greatest every year, not the most affordable. In almost every way, in almost every feature, iPad 5 is not what I’d expect from a 2017 iPad. And I’m going to want to point that out. In every section. A lot,” Ritchie writes. “But, $329.”
“Realistically, very little outside high-end graphics apps, extremely intensive photo filters, or bleeding-edge games will peg an Apple A9 chipset. If you’re coming from anything other than an iPad Air 2, things will be hockey-stick-graph better,” Ritchie writes. “Even coming from an iPad Air 2, the single thread improvement is enough to make everything seem snappier and more responsive.”
“It’s not an iPad Pro 2 or an iPad Air 3 and it’s not meant to be. Those would cost premium iPad dollars,” Ritchie writes. “iPad 5 is more like an iPad Air SE, and it costs less than ever.”
Much more in the full article – recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Take: This one is all about the price. The performance Apple offers is certainly a value. This is the iPad for your kids and the iPad for your mom and dad. This is going to reignite iPad’s unit sales numbers. Assuming that Apple’s maintaining Apple-eque margins here (a good assumption), it’s all good. Even if the margins are tighter than normal, Apple stands to make them up and more on the backend via Services. Like we said, when it comes to iPad 5, it’s all good.
Again, as we wrote so presciently back in January:
iPads are too expensive relative to the perceived competition and Apple has obviously done a piss-poor job of marketing the iPad family (read: clearly explaining to the hoi polloi why they want an iPad over an Amazon or other Android tablet).
Sticker price is the biggest reason why iPad sales struggle to return to growth (the next biggest reason is that iPads’ useful lives last so damn long, they’re not rapidly replaced).
We would have purchased iPads for family members this year if they had been updated as they should have been for the holiday season and if the prices were a bit more palatable. Yes, we know what an iPad offers. Yes, we know they’re worth the money Apple’s asking for today; even being last year’s models. But, Apple should really do the math and consider making certain hardware more affordable in exchange for the backend revenue and increased mindshare and market share that will deliver.
SEE ALSO:
iLounge reviews Apple’s new 5th generation iPad: ‘A good, solid product at a great price’ – April 3, 2017
It’s just plain old iPad, and it’s cheap – starting at just $329! – April 3, 2017
Apple’s new iPad is actually more than ‘just’ an iPad Air – March 30, 2017
Apple unveils new 9.7-inch iPad starting at new low price of just $329 – March 21, 2017
Apple put out a basic turd, but oh the price…
Just bought one yesterday as a replacement for the Air 2 (which unexpectedly died). Gotta say, it’s really nice: every bit as fast, maybe faster. And now with iPhone tethering, iCloud for photos, etc., I didn’t feel the need to load it up with LTE and extra memory.
What is iPhone tethering?
By “iPhone tethering”, he means giving your iPad access to the internet by connecting it to your iPhone’s wifi hotspot, in lieu of using an iPad’s built-in cellular LTE radio.
All current iphones have wifi hotspot functionality (which you turn on in settings right below wifi). Some cellular plans may charge extra on your monthly iPhone bill. Though, from what I’ve seen, most current plans include tethering (without any extra charges).
It is too bad that Apple didn’t include a GPS chip in the wifi-only iPad though. If they can fit one onto a Series 2 Apple Watch, it certainly isn’t a problem, size, power, or a need to triangulate with cell towers for assisted GPS.