The iPad Air name is out, welcome the new... iPad. That's right, it's now simply 'iPad', with no adjective in sight.
This new 9.7-inch iPad looks a lot like and iPar Air and feels a lot like an iPad Air, but it's not an iPad Air 2 upgrade or successor. Apple is selling this new tablet at prices starting at just $330, a stunningly low entry point for such an affordable tablet.
But there are a few bullet points to keep in mind here:
- The new iPad does have the same anti-reflective coating as the iPad Air 2, nor does it have the same lamination to the glass. This means that the display experience is simply not the same, it's in fact a downgrade from the screen of the Air 2. The right comparison would be to the original iPad Air, with a visible gap between the display and the glass
- The new iPad is thicker and heavier than the iPad Air 2. In fact, it will be just as thick and heavy as the original iPad Air. Here is how the numbers compare: the iPad Air 2 featured a thickness of 6.1mm and measured 0.96 pounds of weight, while the new iPad measures 7.5mm thick and weighs 1.03 pounds.
The new iPad is a refresh of the iPad Air 1
With these key points in mind, it is fair to say that the new iPad is more of a re-fresh of the iPad Air 1 formula, but it is not in any way an upgrade to the iPad Air 2. With cheaper parts, Apple seems to have been able to cut $70 off the starting $400 price of the iPad Air 1, while at the same time adding double the storage (the new iPad has a 32 GB and 128 GB models available).
Comparing the new iPad to the iPad Pro, you can see that removing the iPad Air 2 from its catalog, Apple has only widened the gap between its Pro tablets and the regular iPad. In fact, here are 10 important things that the iPad is missing in comparison with the iPad Pro.
Apple's new iPad vs iPad Pro 8 important things it is missing
Apple's new iPad vs iPad Pro 8 important things it is missing
1. True Tone display with a wide P3 color gamut
Apple's iPad Pro debuted with a True Tone display, a smart new technology that adjusted the color temperature of your screen to ambient light, so that your eyes do not get unnecessarily stressed. For instance, a warm incandescent lighting predisposes a screen that goes towards the warmer tones, and True Tone would automatically adjust for that, while regular displays do not. Well, the new iPad has a regular display that lacks this fancy feature.
2. Smart Connector and Smart Keyboard support
Are you ready to use your tablet as a laptop replacement? Grab that smart keyboard that Apple is selling and turn your iPad into one... but not if you have the new iPad. It lacks the Smart Connector and will not work with that clever new accessory. Of course, there are tons of other third-party keyboards for iPad that will connect via Bluetooth and work fine as well, but none have the sophistication and finish of the Smart Connector and Apple's Smart Keyboard.
3. Apple Pencil support
The Apple Pencil is a wonderful drawing tool that has won universal praise from the creative community. It will NOT work on the new iPad, so this pretty much rules it out as an option for those who draw and sketch on their tablets.
4. 4K video recording
The new iPad also - somewhat strangely - lacks a 4K video recording option, despite having the powerful Apple A9 system chip under the hood. Last time we checked, the iPhone 6s with the same Apple A9 system chip featured the same hardware and could easily handle 4K videos, but unfortunately this option is not available on the $330 new iPad.
5. LTE Advanced connectivity
4G LTE Advanced connectivity provides faster speeds and a more enjoyable web browsing experience. While the new iPad is offered in a 4G LTE supported version, the LTE model does not support the latest LTE-Advanced specification and has slightly slower speeds than possible. Keep in mind that not all networks actually support those faster speeds anyway, so this might make the device less future-proof, but not be an actual downside in current usage.
6. Live Photos
The cool Live Photos effect that records a short video to your images is also not present on the new iPad. We barely use it, but in some cases it makes special moments come to life, and it's a pity that this new tablet does not support capturing such photos.
7. True Tone flash
True Tone flash in the camera allows the flash light to adjust its color to the situation and provide better lighting to your images, but while there is a flash on the new iPad, it is not of the True Tone kind.
8. Four-speaker audio
Last, but definitely not least, the new iPad does not have the impressive quad-speaker audio system that the iPad Pro boasts. Hence, you get toned down sound, not as impressive as you can get on Apple's pricier Pro model.
Source: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Apples-new-iPad-is-not-an-iPad-Air-2-or-iPad-Pro-upgrade-8-things-Apples-330-tablet-is-missing8_id92282
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