
Apple introduces new version of the most popular iPad starting at $329 - theBashShell
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/09/apple-introduces-new-version-of-the-most-popular-ipad-starting-at-329/
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akersten
It's pretty bizarre to release a new iPad supporting only the 1st generation
Apple Pencil, no?

With the new iPad Pros, I would have assumed Apple was going all-in with the
2nd gen Pencil. But now both are supported by current iPad products, with the
"most recent" iPad only supporting the 1st gen Pencil. So both Pencil models
will be in stock, and only one will work with each type of iPad.

Does anyone else find that unusually confusing for Apple's product lineup? I
wonder what the technical difference is that prevents using 2nd gen Pencils at
the same price point (I assume it is a cost reason). Surely just including the
magnetic charging apparatus in the new iPad would have been cheaper than
maintaining two SKUs - unless they had a lot of leftover 1st Gen Pencils to
sell.

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ihuman
The iPad Air released earlier this year also only supports the 1st gen pencil.

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ChuckMcM
Looks like a nice mid-point with some of the pro features (keyboard, pencil)
and it rounds out the line. They really do seem to be competing with the
Surface Pro here. I find the two products fascinating (disclaimer I've got an
iPad 9.7, iPad Pro 10.5, Surface Book, Surface Pro 4, and Surface Pro 6).

My use cases are "on the go, notes and and apps", this tends to be an iPad,
and "portable office with some development" this tends to be a Surface Pro. I
take pictures with my iPad and mark them up in Notability. The simple AR-Kit
measuring apps are useful here as well. When I want a terminal / X session or
multiple displays I use the Surface Pro. While I have the stylus for both, I
sketch more on the iPad than the Surface even though in some ways the Surface
drawing experience is better. I have yet to achieve the rapid fluidity they
show on stage with either device, and I drew the line and buying a Surface
Studio (mostly I do e-cad in my spare time with some mechanical for 3D
printing).

The odd man out here is my Android phone. I would consider a cellular
radio/blob that could pair with my iPad and provide simple phone/text service.
If the Apple Watch is the wrist screen, it would be the 'ear screen' for me. I
would want it to work independently for calls/text so I could just have it for
contact, but it doesn't need the entire app ecosystem like the iPad has. Not
sure if I'll see anything like that.

And I'm still looking for a sketch app that is something between Visio,
Harvard Graphics, Sketchpad, and Solidworks. Maybe something like Sketchup
with a better finger interface to go with the stylus. Or perhaps I just need
to sit still and put in 10 - 20 hrs of solid work on one of them to get more
proficient :-)

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chapium
Why is apple so tight with storage? 32gb-128gb is laughable even for 5 years
ago.

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droithomme
Also worth mentioning is that the 64-bit 9.7" 2048x1536 32GB iPad with Apple
Pencil support has been selling at WalMart for $249 for almost a year now. It
makes a good web terminal as well as sketch pad. I've found it convenient and
useful for data consuming and light activities such as news reading, online
classes, and sketching out political cartoons for my blog.

