As we anticipated, Apple did indeed refresh the iPad line up but the changes they introduced signified a shift in the company’s focus for the iPad.
Here we look at the new iPad and help you to decide which one is right for you and your business.
The first thing to mention about the iPad is that the Air name has disappeared. It is simply called iPad and now means that the iPad line up has 4 models. The 12.9” and 9.7” iPad Pros, the 9.7” iPad and the iPad mini 4.
The second thing to mention is the price of the new iPad. It’s cheap. In fact, it is the cheapest full sized iPad that Apple has ever sold, and more importantly, it is even cheaper that the iPad mini 4. Even if you select the new iPad with the same 128GB storage capacity, you are looking at an almost identical price.
Therefore, unless you are really restricted for space, it is almost impossible to find an argument that says you should lease the iPad mini 4 over the new iPad. Yes, you could argue that the new iPad doesn’t have the fully laminated display or anti-reflective coating on its display as its smaller brother. But, you do get an A9 chip which is 1.6 x faster on processing and 1.8 x faster on graphics, plus you get a grown up iPad.
When it comes to the iPad Pro range, we have blogged before that since the 9.7” version came out, this would be the one we would go for. Like the 12.9” version, it comes with support for the Apple Pencil, Smart Keyboard, has an A9X processor and four speakers. The smaller model also has a rear facing 12-megapixel camera, True Tone flash, a better Time camera and enhanced video features such as 4K video recording.
So, in a nutshell, it would appear that we like our iPads at 9.7” and not at 12.9 or 7.9”. Both the larger and smaller options have a client base, but you cannot help but feel that they are more niche. The iPad seems right at 9.7”.
So which is the right one for you? If you are looking for an iPad that you can use for front of house activities in a restaurant, or to show prospective house buyers your latest house for sale, the new iPad is hard to beat. It’s cheap and does everything you need from an iPad. For those in design agencies or photographers then the iPad Pro 9.7” with its support for the Apple Pencil and greater specification is worth the increased cost.