
iPad Air 2020 - stjo
https://www.apple.com/ipad-air/
======
npmaile
One of my biggest gripes with apple mobile design is the fact that the camera
sticks out from the back of the device, making it unable to sit flat. On a
phone it's much less of an issue given the usual one handed use and the fact
that the vast majority of people use cases(which I don't so it's still
annoying to me) but on a tablet, it's basically a deal breaker for me. If it's
meant to be drawn on with a stylus, it should sit flat on a table like a piece
of paper.

~~~
threatofrain
What's peculiar to me is that Apple hasn't released a premium accessory for
artists to angle their iPad for drawing.

~~~
klohto
They did. It's called a case.

~~~
threatofrain
You mean the Smart Folio? Which has only one angle and flexes under pressure
as you draw? That doesn't smell like a premium drawing story by Apple, and
definitely not very Pro.

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Someone1234
It is nice to see more iPads move to USB-C.

iPad Pro already did, now the Air has too, just leaves the "iPad" and iPad
Mini. This also moves their Apple Pen support to 2nd gen from 1st gen.

~~~
EricE
Hopefully this is also foreshadowing the iPhone moving to USB-C. Lightning is
OK, but the thought of being able to standardize on one cable for everything
is very, very appealing.

~~~
walterbell
Sadly iPhone seems to be moving to zero cables, which means relying on
perennially insecure basebands for Bluetooth & WiFi.

EU tried to force Apple to move iPhone to USB-C and their response was to drop
all cables.

Hopefully the market rejects zero-port iPhones and Apple finally provides
local USB-C for sync, audio, wired ethernet, keyboard, external displays, etc.

~~~
EricE
I don't see Apple ever moving to a cable less iPhone (at least on all models).
Wireless charging is no where near efficient enough to charge todays larger
phone battery packs with anything resembling decent speed. In a car I doubt my
phone would charge at all with the increased heat from sun and heat from
inductive charging - heck the phone might shut down; it sometimes does on hot
summer days already if I'm not really careful with positioning it.

I do admit that the majority of time I rarely plug it in, but when I do in
order to get it topped off as much as I can as quickly as I can, it's really
useful. External battery packs? Also very impractical and way more cumbersome.

It's a persistent rumor but I just don't see it.

~~~
ycombinete
I use a wireless charger/mount in the car, but it mounts in front of the
aircon vent, so it charges perfectly.

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ogre_codes
It is quite odd for the iPad Air to have the A14 based CPU while the iPad Pro
has the A12(Z?) CPU. I know the SOC in the Pro has more RAM and likely a
better GPU than he base A12, but it's a really odd mix of processors.

This and the fact that the processor on the iPad Pro only did a half-upgrade
earlier this year makes it seem like the Pro is in some weird between state.
Certainly if you were on the fence between the Pro and the Air, the case for
buying the Pro became a lot tougher.

Aside from the additional RAM, what are the big advantages of the Pro?

* Marginally bigger display. * 120 Hz refresh rate (ProMotion)/ Faster GPU * (Likely) More RAM * Bigger base memory (128GB vs 64GB) * Better cameras/ LIDAR. * FaceID

I guess it's still a pretty decent bump up for the $200 price difference?

~~~
eludwig
>>* Marginally bigger display. * 120 Hz refresh rate (ProMotion)

These 2 things are huge for some people, including me. I had been using a 2019
MacBook Pro 13 until I picked up the latest iPad Pro 12.9, mainly for the
pencil support (I draw things sometimes). The difference in screens is (to me)
ridiculous! The aspect ratio, brightness and 120Hz make the iPad display the
best 13" laptop I have ever used. The MacBook Pro looks kinds of sickly &
squashed by comparison. It makes me wonder if Apple actually cares about the
Mac laptops anymore.

Also, the processor in the iPad Pro is so fast, I honestly don't need any more
speed for now[1].

[1] yes, yes, on an infinite timeline...etc...

~~~
ogre_codes
I have the 1st gen 12.9" iPad Pro and love it. For the bigger size, there is
obviously no option with the Air. I can believe the Pro display makes a big
difference, I suspect this is one of the most under-appreciated advantages of
the Pro.

I still find it a bit of a weird time for the Pro though. I'm hoping we'll see
a new pro in the spring? Or maybe they'll release it before the end of the
year when they put out the new Macs.

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phren0logy
So now that this is nearly indistinguishable from the iPad Pro, what does that
mean for iPad Pro / ARM Mac?

Only Apple knows, but I wouldn't be shocked if the first ARM Mac is a 2-in-1
convertible that replaces the iPad Pro.

~~~
mortenjorck
I always used to think this idea was a non-starter given the many incompatible
UX patterns between MacOS and iOS. Then came the ARM announcement, including
the mention that Apple Silicon Macs would be capable of running iOS apps,
which would point to such a seemingly chimaeric device being inevitable.

How I think Apple will manage it is by keeping the two halves separate. No or
minimal touch interactions in MacOS; no Mac desktop in iPad mode. Apple won't
repeat Windows 8's fridge-toaster attempt at making a unified UI between
desktop and tablet mode, but apps with Mac and iPadOS versions will
automatically switch UIs dependent on context.

It will still be an enormous pile of design challenges, but for the first
time, I think a Mac-iPad hybrid could actually work.

~~~
EricE
I'd love to see the Pencil come to the Mac! And Big Sur spacing out everything
hints at touch probably coming to the Mac.

As a MacBook Air user I'd love an option to restore the previous compact
spacing. Maybe it will still come as an accessibility option? One can hope.

~~~
Marsymars
You can kinda have Pencil on macOS by using Sidecar with an iPad.

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jonplackett
I'm kinda surprised (in a good way) that they put the A14 in the Air. But
where does that leave the Pro now (with only A12Z)?

Or is the Z part of that processor so much faster that it's still got better
performance?

~~~
paulpan
Me too! It seems very odd (nouveau?) that Apple is announcing a new A-series
chip (A14) with an iPad, rather than an iPhone. Even more so that it's not
even a Pro version.

Eyeing the A14 vs. the A12X/A12Z, it look like it could be similar since
there's 2 less cores for CPU and GPU but there's also a 2-year architecture
improvements plus a node shrinkage from 7nm to 5nm. We'll see once 3rd party
benchmarks come out.

This suggests that the new Pro will be significantly better, at least in the
chip compartment. Otherwise Apple would've put the A13 to differentiate
between the Air and the Pro lineups.

~~~
jonplackett
> Otherwise Apple would've put the A13 to differentiate between the Air and
> the Pro lineups.

Yeah that's what I was expecting. Have any iPads (even pros) even had the
latest year's chips before?

I wonder if the plan is to push the iPad Air up a notch into pro usage (would
explain usb-c), and also push the Pro up another notch too even more into pro
laptop territory.

It will be interesting to see how they peg the iPad Pro VS the new MacBook
with apple silicon - which will they want to be more powerful? Maybe it will
just be a difference of how much RAM is in there.

~~~
paulpan
I suspect so too, the pricing seems to hint at this - the previous gen Air
started at $499 whereas this is $100 more at $599. Now this creates a fair big
pricing gap between entry level iPad at $329.

Going to be interesting in how Apple positions the new iPad Pro and the new
Macbook. Dare they price the Pro higher despite it having iPad OS and not
macOS?!

~~~
Marsymars
> I suspect so too, the pricing seems to hint at this - the previous gen Air
> started at $499 whereas this is $100 more at $599. Now this creates a fair
> big pricing gap between entry level iPad at $329.

Yeah, I had a base iPad, before moving to a 2019 iPad Air, but with the price
increase for the Air, I'll probably skip at least this year and move back to
the base iPad series.

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apazzolini
Looks good, but I'll hold out for a similar upgrade in the Mini form factor. I
don't see the extra size, weight, and sharp corners as an improvement for
reading in bed.

~~~
chrisweekly
If you mean reading in the old-fashioned sense (ie, books), I recommend giving
serious consideration to a Kindle Oasis.

~~~
skrtskrt
How are the Kindles with PDFs that may have technical diagrams, like O'Rielly-
style instructional books or CompSci textbooks?

I want a device I just use for reading, but I almost exclusively read PDFs of
technical books. I'm thinking iPad Air vs Kindle

~~~
Jtsummers
I've found the Kindle Fire to be a pleasant reading device for PDFs and
ebooks. It's not an e-ink display, but you do get full color and PDF rendering
is good. It's also cheap compared to an iPad, especially if this is your
primary use case (I have both an iPad Pro and a Kindle Fire, the Kindle is my
main reading device now, the iPad is a portable computer with Scrivener,
Blink, Textastic, and Working Copy).

~~~
skrtskrt
Thank you. I still might hold on for an updated iPad Mini because I know I'll
get the itch to set up Blink and Working Copy.

~~~
Jtsummers
A nice thing about the Fire is that it's cheap. They had a recent sale going
on the Fire HD for $60, I think it's about $100 now. It's not an either-or
proposition (at least not for me), more of an "iPad now, Kindle in a month or
two" (or reverse depending on your more important use-cases) proposition.

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msoad
Can't wait to see what they have built for laptops with the 5nm fab process.
I'm sure this CPU will break some records on its own but a boosted version
with more RAM will deliver MacBook Pro level performance.

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bryanmgreen
Now if they'd just give the iPad Mini the thinner bezel.

A 9" screen on that would be my dream. I take my mini everywhere because of
the form factor.

(Also, touch ID integrated into the top button is great)

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threatofrain
What now differentiates between iPad Pro 2020 ($800) and iPad Air 2020 ($600)?
Surely not the sensor.

~~~
iagooar
I saw: A14 vs A12 processor, the camera, Touch ID vs Face ID, LiDAR sensor vs
no sensor.

I almost regret getting the iPad Pro recently...

~~~
davio
120Hz - which I've never appreciated on mine

~~~
EricE
Careful what you ask for. Scroll a 60 and 120 side by side and it's very
obvious. And once you see it you may not be able to unsee it.

When LCD TVs first came out I thought people were being overly dramatic with
the whole motion blur thing - until I went looking for it. And then I saw it -
every time a scene was still, it was in perfect clarity - the the camera
panned and everything went fuzzy. Once I saw that effect I couldn't unsee it.
120Hz scrolling is the same for me too.

Ignorance is indeed bliss :)

~~~
wenc
I have both an iPad Air 2 (60Hz) and an iPad Pro 10.5 (ProMotion 120Hz). (I
wanted to trade in my Air 2 but saw it wasn't worth much so decided to keep
it)

Scrolling is smoother on the latter, but it wasn't appreciable enough that the
iPad Air 2 looked bad in comparison. I could continue using the Air 2 without
any FOMO.

Maybe it makes more of a difference for artists? (Pencil users)

~~~
EricE
It is indeed a stark difference in latency - I posted this earlier but it's
worth repeating:

If you are using a pencil I understand the difference is dramatic. Excellent
thoughts from Serenity Caldwell who loves to draw:
[https://www.imore.com/promotion](https://www.imore.com/promotion)

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svacko
* first they mention "10x faster machine learning" * later they mention "70% faster machine learning"

seems not enough ML applied in the review process ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

~~~
colinmhayes
Who's doing machine learning on an iPad? Unless they mean running the already
trained algorithm which I think is a stretch to call machine learning.

~~~
manojlds
They clearly said it's about apps leveraging CoreML models to do things.

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Hemospectrum
The internet is erupting in a chorus of "How much RAM?" but Apple seems to be
keeping quiet about that. Maybe we'll find out from an iFixit teardown.

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kevindong
RAM isn't super relevant to iOS devices. Those devices have always managed to
squeeze out far more performance with far less RAM than their competitors.

~~~
Hemospectrum
From what I'm seeing, most of the people asking are artists and musicians, and
the apps they use are more RAM-hungry than the OS itself or the bundled Apple
apps. However, I'm not sure what specific apps those are. Maybe they're ports
from Windows, and their iOS-native competitors can make better use of GPU and
ML hardware acceleration APIs, since those seem to be strengths of the A14
SoC.

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mandeepj
Apple is back to flat edges (similar to iphone 4s) instead of round

~~~
Zippogriff
For whatever reason, I like the flat edges on phones but not on tablets. I've
got a gen 4 iPad Pro with the flat edges and a 1st gen with rounded, and
rounded both looks better and feels more comfortable to hold. Meanwhile I wish
my iPhone 7 Plus had flat edges.

~~~
archagon
Agreed. The iPad 3 was the best feeling iPad to me. Easy to pick up, easy to
hold.

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ddlutz
Extremely disappointed it doesn't support the apple pen 1st gen. The apple pen
1st gen is still being sold, and I just bought one 2 months ago to work with
my "old" 2017 ipad pro. Why force us to spend another $130 for a 2nd gen
pencil when the first gen is essentially just as good.

~~~
AgloeDreams
The First Gen is not just as good. It has longer latency, no tap sensor, worse
ergonomics and critically: no mount magnet or wireless charging. The lightning
connector for charging would plug...where?

Type C iPads support Pencil 2, Lightning iPads get Pencil 1

~~~
tzs
> The lightning connector for charging would plug...where?

Into the adapter that comes with it that lets is be connected to any lightning
cable for charging?

~~~
AgloeDreams
So now the design of the pencil, designed to be plugged straight into the iPad
now has users dragging around an adapter, an additional cable (not included
with either product) and the pencil that does not store on the device. Pretty
clearly this is not how Apple builds things.

~~~
tzs
That's how the Apple Pencil 1 works.

You generally don't need an additional cable because you can use the same
cable you use to charge the iPad.

Keep the adapter on that cable when you are not using it to charge something
else. Or keep it on the pencil itself all the time instead of the rounded
cover.

~~~
AgloeDreams
The Statement I was making is that the new iPad does not use that cable, it
uses USB-C, meaning that a person who buys the iPad Air 2020 and then sees
that they can use the cheaper Pencil 1 with it might be weirded out by the
idea that you need a battery bank or power brick or a specific Type C to
Lightning cable that comes with none of these devices. It just doesn't work
out from a marketing/use standpoint and makes for a worse product in the long
run. Plus they can sell more Pencil 2s.

Personally, I don't get why they don't just adapt all iPads to support
wirelessly charging the Pencil 2 and get rid of the Pencil 1, it's really
quite poor compared to the second gen.

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foobaw
Their new products always make me regret buying their older product line but
too expensive for me to upgrade

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jbverschoor
The iPad / Macbook merger seems awfully close. Same CPU, same connectivity.
Macbook can run iOS apps.

If I can get an iPad Pro, which I can use as a desktop too. That'd be awesome.

I remember a year or so ago, Apple promoting the iPad or the Macbook as "The
last notebook you'll ever buy"

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krisag
Given this, what are some valid reasons for folks to prefer iPad Pro over iPad
Air ?

~~~
mcphage
If (like me) you like the 12.9" form factor. That being said, I wouldn't buy a
new iPad Pro right now.

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tosh
iPad Pro 11" (2nd model) and iPad Air 11.9" 4th gen in comparison:

[https://www.apple.com/ipad/compare/?device1=ipad-
pro-11&devi...](https://www.apple.com/ipad/compare/?device1=ipad-
pro-11&device2=ipad-air-4th-gen&device3=ipad-8th-gen)

the Pro comes with a better camera (ultra wide), more maximum storage (1TB vs
256GB), slightly higher resolution at same DPI and higher screen brigthness
(600 nits vs 500 nits), will be interesting to see how the A14 Bionic (Air)
stacks up against the A12Z Bionic (Pro)

~~~
threatofrain
I wonder if the "pro-motion" high screen refresh technology makes any
difference for artists?

~~~
EricE
If you are using a pencil I understand the difference is dramatic.

Excellent thoughts from Serenity Caldwell who loves to draw:
[https://www.imore.com/promotion](https://www.imore.com/promotion)

------
opieters
Sigh, the default storage option is still 64GB...

~~~
aYsY4dDQ2NrcNzA
Why does the _default_ option matter to you?

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Jtsummers
Because the default option is a poor choice for many (if not most) users, and
it's the option used to show the base price. In practice, all prices are
$100-150 higher than listed when people actually get around to buying. It's a
misleading tactic to get people in the door (so to speak), and then upsell
them.

~~~
aYsY4dDQ2NrcNzA
I’m not sure I see the problem. What you’re saying is it entices people to go
to the website only to discover that the one they really want is more
expensive than the base model. At which point... I guess they close the
browser? No harm done.

~~~
Jtsummers
It's a way of priming people, an element of marketing. You get them in the
door (or site) already committed to the purchase because they think they know
the price. Then they find out the truth, but they're primed to buy your
product and it's easier to sway them to the higher priced "upgrade" (which
should be the base, especially in this case, as the base option is too little
for many users).

This isn't unique to Apple, many (if not most) companies do the same.

~~~
aYsY4dDQ2NrcNzA
But “getting them in the door” is in actuality “visiting a website.” It’s not
like they’re pot committed to purchasing anything.

This is a far cry from walking onto a car dealership or something.

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ethanpil
With Apple's switch to Arm, is this basically the new Macbook Air in a tablet
format with iOS instead of MacOS?

~~~
iagooar
That is an accurate description of an iPad, yes.

BTW, Apple „switched“ to ARM 13 years ago with the launch of the iPhone.

~~~
ethanpil
You know what I meant... With Apple's switch to Arm [on Desktop]. But touché
on exactitude...

------
leetcrew
"all screen design" is kinda pushing it. the bezels look no smaller than the
side bezels on a nexus 9.

------
josteink
> iPad Air does more than a computer in simpler, more magical ways.

They keep claiming this, but it’s still not true, and this is why I’m still on
the lookout for a new laptop, and not another tablet.

Tablets, no matter how fancy the hardware, are always let down by their locked
down software-platform hellbent on making it an appliance rather than a
computer you actually own.

~~~
EricE
Depends on who you are. While I tried the iPad only lifestyle and found it
wanting (ended up back with a MacBook Air) it absolutely is true for my
father. He never did feel comfortable using computers, but he loves his iPad
Pro - it let's him keep in contact with friends, follow news and sports, keep
track of his appointments - in other words it's a tool that does things he
cares about. He doesn't consider it a computer, nor does he want a computer.

I suspect that there are far more of him than there are of us - which is why
having a choice of computing styles is a good thing. It always baffles me when
people (not necessarily you, just making general observation) seem to get bent
out of shape that every offering doesn't meet _their_ expectations and is thus
bunk. Maybe it's not bunk, but just not good for your use case.

Diversity is our strength and all that...

~~~
josteink
Not getting bent, but if what you’re selling isn’t a computer, don’t market it
as one.

If some told you you were getting a car, and in the end you are delivered a
bicycle, you’d be unhappy.

Obviously that bicycle may be great for a lot of people, it may be the best
bicycle ever built... But it’s still not a car, so don’t sell it as such.

~~~
EricE
But it is a computer. And it's no where near as dramatic as a computer vs.
bicycle. I'd pin it more from nimble sports car to full size sedan in
variation.

It may not be your definition of a computer, but it does everything my father
wanted a computer for - without having the overhead of having to operate and
maintain a general purpose computer. In that respect it's FAR superior to a
general purpose computer.

If you want to call it an appliance - fine. I'm down with that. Still doesn't
make it any less powerful for my dad and what he wants, and doesn't make it
any less powerful for the majority of what I do either.

And honestly if text selection would have been better I probably would still
be on my iPad Pro. Yes, now they have track pad support for the text selection
but I'm not investing in a new keyboard with trackpad for an older iPad Pro.
It will be interesting to see if I get an iPad Pro or new laptop first.
Multitasking on the iPad is still a bit convoluted so I'm tending to remain in
the laptop first for upgrading camp, but I vastly prefer the form factor and
flexibility of the iPad Pro.

Thankfully most of my issues with the iPad Pro vs. MacBook are software and
they have fixed the vast majority of them with the two iPad OS 13 & 14\. It's
nice to have choices!

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mitjak
Touch ID in the locking button is neat but I've seen issues with the touch ID
home button dying on previous generations of iPads. Wonder what'll happen with
this generation.

~~~
mns
Never heard of this. We still have some old 5S, 6S and an iPad Air 2 being
used as music and cast devices around the house and all of the 1st gen Touch
ID buttons still work.

My problem is the placement, I’m using my iPad daily and almost only in
landscape mode. That power button Touch ID seems very uncomfortable to use.

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jiofih
Camera bump. Bleh.

