Here ’s a fun thought experimentation : what would Apple ’s tablet range look like if you removed the iPad Air ? Just the basic iPad at one end ( follow by the outdated and unappealing iPad miniskirt , which we ’ll largely ignore for now ) and the iPad Pro at the other . How would you approach that as a retail offer , and how would it affect your buying decision ?
The answer , for me at least , is that it would n’t be a range at all . It would just be two separate and isolated product with little to connect them . It would be like comparing the Mac mini and the Mac Pro . Or the Apple Watch SE and the Vision Pro , for that matter . There would be no point liken their specs or weigh up their pros and bunco , you would simply look at the one which is evidently aim at you and bribe it if the price is right . If you need a lounge computing gadget you purchase the standard iPad ; if you ’re a hardcore originative you buy the iPad Pro . It would make the decision a no - brainer .
That feel like a good , matter , good ? Surely Apple need the buying decision to be a no - brainer , so there ’s as lilliputian detrition as potential to slow the process from “ desire iPad ” to “ own iPad . ” Surely it want to make things easy for the client . Ormaybe it does n’t .
The iPad Air has the same sized screen as the 10th-gen iPad and 11-inch iPad Pro.
Because here ’s the matter : That is n’t just a thought experiment , it ’s reality . For 99 percent of iPad purchaser , there may as well just be those two options .
For most of the citizenry who ask for my advice , the “ right ” selection is the introductory iPad , because it ’s more than capable enough for their requirements and ( following a well-timed price cut ) is big economic value . Very few iPad owners need a super - fast C.P.U. , a gamey - conclusion screen , or a TB of storage . And for the small market of creative professional whodoneed those thing , the Pro make a lot more signified than the Air , because it ’s more future - proofed , delivers skilful colour procreation , has Thunderbolt , and so on . If the iPad is your study computer , you do n’t skimp on the premium feature article . In most of Apple ’s product categories , theinbetweenersare a clever choice , blending feature and time value for money . But when it comes to iPads , because of the binary path people expend them , you should determine whether features or value are the antecedency for you and then lean fully into that .
Give these people Air
If that ’s the fount – if the iPad Air is irrelevant to most client – then it raise the question of why Apple bothers to have an zephyr at all . And here at Macworld we have a possibility .
I said to begin with that an atmosphere - less iPad cooking stove just seems like two unrelated products – okay three , but honestly , the iPad miniskirt is not deserving your consideration until it gets an update – that have so little in common that no customer would rag to compare them . But what the Air does is nosepiece the spread between the stock iPad and iPad Pro and add a common sense of cohesion to the range . Indeed it makes the range existas a range , rather than standalone production .
The iPad Air has the same sized silver screen as the 10th - gen iPad and 11 - in iPad Pro .
The iPad Air has the same sized screen as the 10th-gen iPad and 11-inch iPad Pro.
Petter Ahrnstedt
With the aviation nestled in the middle , it becomes much more tantalising to load up Apple’siPad comparison pageand start doing school principal - to - heads on tech glasses . And then the intrusive thoughts begin . An anti - brooding finish sound courteous . I like the look of that new Magic Keyboard , maybe I should get an iPad that supports it . What ’s Wi - Fi 6E ? Do I want 16 GB of Aries the Ram ? How many CPU cores are deserving getting ?
In other words , the existence of the iPad Air introduces a whole lot of indecision that can in reality help Apple , because it encourages customer to expend more on things they need but might not demand . And for customers who are sensitive and stay in their lane , it helps to reward the value for money of the standard iPad at the lower end and the capabilities of the iPad Pro at the top .
For those who are considering a vanilla iPad , the iPad Air act as a price anchor , quietly institute in the client ’s mind the thought that $ 599 is the sort of price somebody might middling pay for a new tablet . In comparison tothat , $ 349 seems like an absolute steal , especially for the same size CRT screen and very alike purpose . And in comparison to the Air ’s M2 mainframe , 6.1 mm chassis , and laminated head screen ( all of which we know are fantabulous , because this is n’t the budget iPad we ’re spill about ) , the Pro ’s M4 , 5.3 mm chassis , and tandem bicycle OLED concealment look really world - whipping . Which , lease ’s be absolved , they are … but it ’s nice to make certain customers appreciate what they ’re getting for their money .
I have no doubt that Apple sells plenty of iPad Airs , but the product ’s value to Apple is n’t define to the number of units it shift . It ’s all about the way it give customer experience about theotheriPads . And that sentiency of confusion you feel when you look at the iPad range might not be an accident after all .
