Apple Must‘s Jonny Evans writes that Apple’s new 10.2-inch iPad has, as you might expect, a few small compromises, but Apple’s latest entry-level iPad is now nearly as good a device as last year’s mid-range iPad Air, powered by the same processor, but with a much lower starting price.
Apple’s eighth-generation iPad features the powerful A12 Bionic chip that brings the Neural Engine to the entry iPad for the first time. Starting at just $329, the upgrade packs even more value into the most popular and affordable iPad, featuring a stunning 10.2-inch Retina display, advanced cameras, and great all-day battery life
I’d argue that what this iPad proves is that in the absence of any serious competition, Apple has decided to compete with itself.
Take a look at the 2019 iPad for an illustration of this. This also had a 10.2-inch display, but used a relatively ancient A10 chip. Did Apple just iterate in the next edition? No. Instead, it squeezed much that’s great about an Air 3 inside the device. It raised all the boats and skipped a couple of chip generations… what you have here is an iPad that maintains the same design constituents that made iPad, well, iPad, but you also have a new entry-level iPad that’s quite as capable as last year’s iPad Air, delivers the test results to back that claim up, and reflects a real move by Apple to raise all the boats that make up the iPad fleet…
If you’re in the market to replace your non-Apple tablet, have an older iPad, or just want to find out what an iPad can do, this is a great machine that proves Apple’s commitment to the product range… The 2020 iPad is a very good release of a very good product that shows a very bright future for the line.
MacDailyNews Take: We can imagine millions of these iPads in the hands of consumers, students and teachers, and businesspeople in a very short period of time.
Apple hit a home run in value with the new iPad, starting at just $329 $299 at Amazon right now.
I could gripe about buying a 2019 iPad with an A10 When the new one is multiple times faster. Instead, I will say how much I have enjoyed my iPad as an all-purpose internet device. I have read around 120 books, obtained car repair advice, researched science and technology topics, communicated with family and friends, checked weather, shopped for all kinds of things, watched YouTube and TV shows, etc.
So my iPad may now be a laggard compared to the most recent entry model. But it has been great to me so far, and likely will remain quite useful for quite a while time to come.
Sounds like you haven’t done anything with your iPad that you couldn’t do faster and cheaper on a decade old used PC running Windows XP.
Sorry, but replacing the precise mouse with a smudged up touchscreen didn’t make information gathering faster or easier. The iPad will never, ever, ever replace my personal computer… Mac or Windows.
Different users have different requirements. If you enjoy using old Windows computers, good for you. Some other users value portability, security, ease of use, and long battery life. Good for them.
The resell value on all Apple devices should give you a clue, enjoy it, if you had bought a Windows PC or a Android smartphone, crap in your hand is all that you would have.
Ah, you speak like the king of your 2019 iPad.
And you speak like the king of blow-out fartistry… whose anti-family, left-wing, whacktoid farte belongs in a mental asylum
“but used a relatively ancient A10 chip.”
Such comments are so misleading, there is nothing wrong with the A10 chip, it can handle what 90% of the iPad owners can throw at it. No one needs to have the latest and the greatest when they only do social media and check email.