Overall Event

I was okay with the idea that the new iPads would be released via a press release, but it’s nice to see Apple put a little more promotional weight behind them with a full event. One could argue they put a bit too much promotional weight behind them with the way people reacted to what seemed like a perfect normal Apple ad 🤷🏾. Maybe they always planned an event, but I wonder if this was a much about promoting the M4 as it was about the IPads.

As I said going into this event, I was very interested in how Apple was going to market the iPad as a product line. Unfortunately, they didn’t give us a new mission statement. It’s possible they feel burned by doing that in the past, since it can raise the tech press’ already weird expectations for the iPad. One day everyone decided that iPad was supposed to 100% replace laptops, even though I can’t remember Apple ever advertising it that way.

iPad Air

Interestingly, Apple did gave us a mission statement for the iPad Air:

iPad Air is designed to deliver advanced features pioneered on iPad Pro, and make them available at an even more affordable price

This has been clear since the iPad Air branding was revived in 2019, but it’s interesting that the company decided to call it out. The Air has never really been about being the thinnest and lightest option, it’s an essentially a cheaper iPad Pro. For those pointing out that the iPad Air is now thicker and heaver than the Pro…once Apple changed the Air to essentially use the same chassis as the 11 inch Pro, they’ve more or less been the same weight. Let’s not pretend there was some huge weight gap that’s now gone.

With this given mission statement in mind, I was pleasantly surprised that the 13 inch Air starts at under $1000. This is key for what is sure to be one of the more popular iPad models going forward. The iPad Air has been a easy recommendation for people that want a little bit more than the base model iPad, but don’t have a need to spend upwards of $1000 on an iPad Pro. If I were less of a techie, I think I’d be pretty happy with an iPad Air, specifically the 13 inch model. I could easily see myself getting this model for my mother next time she needs an upgrade.

I was 50/50 on whether or not the Air would get the rumored landscape camera, since this update was rumored to be so minor. While I still think it makes the most sense for the 13 inch models, it’s nice to see some standardization here. I’m super curious if they do this for the Mini in the fall, since it feels the most portrait oriented iPad out of the whole line up.

Speaking of the 13 inch, I am beyond thrilled we are finally done with the “12.9 inch” branding for iPads. 11 and 13 inches. That’s it. This was an obnoxious distinction Apple was only making with iPads. Its not like they’ve been marketing the 14.2 inch or 16.2 inch MacBook Pros these past few years.

iPad Pro

There were no real surprises here, but I was happy with everything they announced. I’m thrilled to see Apple investing time and resources into making this device their thinnest ever. To be honest, after the 2021 MacBook Pro design, I didn’t think Apple’s current industrial design team had it in them to make something so radically thin anymore. I look forward to gasping when I feel how much lighter the Pro is out of the box.

I was hoping to see an option for 24 GB of ram similar to the MacBooks. Yes, it is completely unnecessary, but still would have been cool (and ungodly expensive).

If Apple isn’t going to bring MagSafe to the iPad Pro, I’d love to see an expansion of the companies allowed to use the Smart Connector. Logitech used to make this cool charging stand for the original iPad Pro, that was never adapted for the 2018 redesign and was discontinued. Last I heard, interested manufacturers that weren’t Logitech were having trouble getting Smart Connectors out of Apple, and lost interest. Using Bluetooth also makes more sense as your accessories aren’t just limited to iPads.

iPad 10

I’ve been waiting for a price drop on this model since it was released, but really wasn’t expecting it until the fall. I expect this year we’ll move back yearly updates for this model and Apple will likely upgrade the chip to an A15. I honestly can’t think of any other updates this model is in need of that wouldn’t jack the price back up into “too high” land.

iPad Mini

No sign of the Mini besides a mention that it still exists. There were no rumors this model would get an update at this event, so that isn’t a surprise. Its more likely it will get updated with the base iPad in the fall. I’d love to see it get an A17 Pro chip, but there’s speculation that Apple is trying to get off that chip design due to it being expensive to make. I would love to be wrong.

Pro App Updates

Final Cut Pro and Logic for iPad received some decent sized version updates. The multicam update looks cool, even though it is wayyyyy beyond my meager abilities. The Final Cut Camera app looks like the pro camera app people have been asking Apple to make for years.

I am the most novice of novice Logic users, but using AI/ML to split a track into its stems seems super cool for those of us that just want to practice singing over a backing track.

Conclusion

We were never going to get any major software announcements before WWDC. And there’s not a guarantee that any “big” iPadOS announcements will happen this year. The hardware and software teams are unfortunately, often out of sync. When I look at this hardware, it doesn’t feel like its begging for new software the way the 2018 models did when they came out. Lest we forget, that model had a USB port that couldn’t accept a thumb drive!

Oh, and despite making a public apology, I think the reaction to that iPad ad is still a net win for Apple from an awareness perspective.