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Apple iPad is a Faster, Cheaper iPad Air 2 (cnet.com)

Posted by msmash on from the good-stuff dept.

Say good-bye to the iPad Air, it's just the iPad now. From a report on CNET: Apple announced on Tuesday morning that it will be dropping the price of the 9.7-inch iPad by $70. The tablet's A8X processor will be getting an upgrade too, jumping over to the A9 chip used in the iPad Pro. The upgrade will replace the iPad Air 2, but the iPad Mini 4 will live on, starting at $399. The updated pricing will start on Friday, at $329 for the 32GB model and $459 for the 32GB WiFi with cellular service model. It's Apple's cheapest iPad, after the company decided to replace the iPad Mini 2, which started at $269. Although Apple's iPad is leading the tablet market, it's still a tumbling one as demand takes a decline thanks to people holding onto their tablets longer.

14 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. Faster, cheaper iPad Air 1 you mean by SirMasterboy · · Score: 3, Informative

    The new iPad shares the same 7.5mm thick 1.03lb body as the iPad Air 1. It also shares the same non-laminated screen and no anti-reflective coating as the iPad Air 1. The Air 2 was 6.1mm thick, 0.963lb with a fully laminated screen with anti-reflective coating.

    The new iPad is an iPad Air 1 on the outside, with an A9 CPU (from iPhone 6S) on the inside and the camera and TouchID from the iPad Air 2.

    1. Re:Faster, cheaper iPad Air 1 you mean by Andrew+Lindh · · Score: 2

      Does it have a real headphone jack? Or did they remove that to make it cheaper?

    2. Re:Faster, cheaper iPad Air 1 you mean by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 5, Funny

      Does it have a real headphone jack? Or did they have the courage to remove that?

      FTFY

  2. Much cheaper than the iPhone by fred6666 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It amazes me that they can offer the iPad for so cheap compared to the iPhone. Most components are the same, but the display and battery (probably the two most expensive components) must be much more expensive on the tablet, because of the size.

    We can thank carrier subsidies. A lot of people buy phones they can't afford because of that. I doubt they would be going to the bank to get a loan if it wasn't offered by the carrier.

    1. Re:Much cheaper than the iPhone by ledow · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It amazes me that the iPad is so damn expensive in the first place, given what it is.

      That they bolt on about 50% profit for the phone model is chickenfeed in comparison.

      Honestly, I bought a GBP 5 Android tablet the other day. Technically it beat most of the iPad Mini specs that are its closest rival. Sure, you can argue "screen resolution" but why would you on such a tiny device to start with?

    2. Re:Much cheaper than the iPhone by TheRaven64 · · Score: 2

      Most plans let you finance the phone for 24 months at 15-50% ARP, yet people are still gullible enough to think it's a subsidised price.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    3. Re:Much cheaper than the iPhone by myowntrueself · · Score: 4, Funny

      It amazes me that the iPad is so damn expensive in the first place, given what it is.

      That they bolt on about 50% profit for the phone model is chickenfeed in comparison.

      Honestly, I bought a GBP 5 Android tablet the other day. Technically it beat most of the iPad Mini specs that are its closest rival. Sure, you can argue "screen resolution" but why would you on such a tiny device to start with?

      Don't knock it, its probably more powerful than the Mac Pro by now.

      --
      In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
    4. Re:Much cheaper than the iPhone by ledow · · Score: 2

      And that's why your devices are expensive.

      No idea of the brand.
      No idea of the model.
      Just works.

    5. Re:Much cheaper than the iPhone by MachineShedFred · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That's because Apple has been ignoring the iPad Mini for like 3+ years now. Seriously, what have they done with it since putting the Retina display in it? Add the TouchID that all other iOS devices have, and throw us a bone with storage. It's the red-headed stepchild of tablets. If you really want to make it look like shit, compare it to the Nvidia Shield K1 that is now like 14 months old, and better in every way at practically half the price.

      I really like the form factor of the iPad Mini, but Apple seems hell bent on not making products I want, and in fact killing off the line of products that are even close.

      --
      Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
    6. Re:Much cheaper than the iPhone by ranton · · Score: 2

      My point of view is that if you don't have $700 for a phone, you can't afford a $700 phone, period, even if you finance it on two years.

      While I agree it isn't wise to have a $700 phone if you don't have $700 available in your checking account, it is also unwise to pay for the phone up front if you can get 0% financing.

      --
      -- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
    7. Re:Much cheaper than the iPhone by radarskiy · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It amazes me that people have already forgotten that Apple is why tablet prices are so low. Just before the iPad came out, people were seriously anticipating $899 or $999 starting prices from Apple and figuring they could sell an Android competitor at $699. The actual $499 base price for an original iPad shocked the tablet industry.

  3. Re:Honest question: what is the best... by Wdomburg · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It depends on what you're looking for specifically. At the moment every Windows 10 tablet can run full Windows programs, and they range anywhere from little 7" tablets you can pick up at Walmart for $69 to the top end Surface Book for $3199.

  4. Re:Wait...new iPad? by edxwelch · · Score: 2

    There's using the same naming logic as the Fast and Furious movies (i.e. random out of sequence numbers)

  5. Re:Why does apple always screw me over by Moof123 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Yep, giant "M'eh".

    Macs were outdated by time their did their last refresh. Mac Pro is a farce at this point. Mini is a severely overpriced 2 core puck. Years old mobile guts in fancy packaging at Gucci prices.

    Itunes got mangled beyond recognition to integrate it with Apple Music. hard to search without getting a big screen full of stuff to buy instead of stuff in my library.

    iPhone is the only thing getting any love, and it has become a me-too follower of Samsung (though less fire and bribery prone).

    For a company that has expanded greatly over the recent years they seem to be doing a lot less. Well, a lot less products and a lot more ego stroking anyway. What the hell are all those people doing? Spinning the motherboard yearly to keep everything up to date should be a baseline expectation, and nothing viewed as even innovative, just doing their job.

    Sigh.