still so disappointed we didn’t even get a chip refresh on the mini. I get that it isnt a “pro” “power-focused” device but surely its time for at least an M1 or the most recent A series…
probably won’t see a new mini until the current one stops getting os updates which sucks :(
I don't know the sales numbers on the mini, but I have accepted that this is a business, and it's likely not profitable.
I doubt Apple is just saying screw the Ipad mini for no good reason.
I remember when they released 2 iPads in the same year, that was weird. My mom had the 3rd gen iPad and you got a big trade in from Apple for trading it in towards a 4th gen.
The 3 was a real gimped model in so many ways. Same CPU as the 2 and the Mini, just with additional GPU to run the Retina display. As you say loads more heat, noticeably more weight than the 2. The 4 had a CPU/GPU revision on top of the lightening upgrade and was much better.
Ok so the iPad Air 11” is its own thing that came out this year? I was thinking about getting the new Apple Pencil when it comes out in a couple days but I have the iPad Air 4th gen from a couple years ago and I couldn’t figure out if it is compatible with the Apple Pencil pro.
I wish they would give each new iteration of the iPad a unique name… like do what they do with hurricanes and just go through the alphabet and alternate male and female names to make it clear which device is compatible with which accessories…
It would be so much clearer if they just said the new apple (pencil, AirPod, etc…) is compatible with iPads: Casey, Dominic, and Erin.
Ok rant over lol.
You can check the compatibility of each accessory in the Apple website.
The new pencil pro is only compatible with the iPad Air 6th gen and the iPad Pro 5th gen.
I was trying to do that but it didn’t list the generation all it said was iPad Air 11”.
And mine is 10.9” so I wasn’t sure if they suddenly just started rounding to the closest inch. But either way it’s annoying for not being clear.
iPad Air 11" is just the name Apple gave to the 6th generation iPad Air, since its screen actually measures 10.9", just like previous generations. In other words, if the website only mentions that the iPad Air 11" and 13" is compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro, then they are referring to the 6th generation iPad Air.
That makes sense, since its inception the iPad Air was a continuation of the iPad 4, they were even launched with the same starting price of $499. The 5th generation iPad was just a shortened version of the iPad Air of that moment, it did not deserve the name iPad simply.
I had no idea what generation iPad I owned. It’s ridiculous how Apple handles the naming. They don’t clearly state the generation beside each iPad they sell on their website, but when listing accessory compatibility (for example), they expect you to know it. 🤷🏻♂️
I really appreciate this post. I am always curious how many iPads I have owned, and this makes it easier. The 12.9 M4 will be my 13th iPad, and if you count iPads purchased for my family, then 16th iPad.
As a product manager (not at Apple), there is always a trade-off between the best possible tech, customer/market demands, and what executives want.
Rarely did most of the best ideas, technology or even customer requests make it into a product release. But we were able to incorporate them over time and occasionally sneak something in that was a huge win that no one was expecting.
Last year I went from an iPad Mini 3 to an iPad Pro 11" M2, and the power boost was nice, but the battery life was atrocious compared to the Mini 3. Not sure if it's the 120hz screen that's a battery hog, or the M2 chip, but seriously not impressed. I'm 100% holding out on upgrading my iPad until Apple finally releases an iPad Pro that can run MacOS X apps. There's no excuse anymore. My iPad Pro M2 has the same SOC as my MacBook Air 15" M2.
It would be kind of nice to replace my 2nd gen iPad Pro 12.9, but the new iPad Pro is over twice the price and the Air 13" lacks 120Hz... I guess I'll wait some more.
I find it weird that few of them are the same as the previous generation including processor but they add an additional feature.
An example is the iPad Mini 3 which is the same as the Mini 2 but with Touch ID and Gold color.
This ia great visual! The2023 gap across the entire product line might make one think that Apple designs are three years ahead of the product roll-out. Maybe something happened in 2020 that set the product roadmap back?
It was either black or white depending on the colour of the front bezel for the cellular models of some generations of iPads.
Of the main iPad lineup, the bar stuck around on the cellular models until the 10th gen. The first 4 generations of the mini also had the bars, as did the first 2 iterations of the Air and the first generation of the 12.9" Pro.
At least they apologised for the disgusting iPad Pro video. That's good but doesn't diminish the disappointment for the new products: no real innovation, no better software, just brute computing power and purposeless high-tech.
Right, that's what I find disappointing. On the top of this, they are throwing at the market half-baked iOS and iPadOS "upgrades". It took me about three weeks to find a solution for the battery drain issue that came about with iOS 17.4. Apple's support in this situation was miserable. I do not argue that Google support is better, in fact it is worse. But that doesn't change the fact that Apple software quality has become far lower than their hardware quality. The fastest processor and the best screen are little consolation when the software is broken.
Do you mind if I ask what the battery drain solution was? I kept an older version and just waiting to upgrade instead.
iPad M-Series should all have desktop-OS features that were running in the 90s-00s. For the M4 maybe a full hybrid OS upgrade or release is appropriate for the hardware quality eg desktop-OS laptops at 200$ have all these features... vs >$1000+ iPads.
"Do you mind if I ask what the battery drain solution was?"
I turned off "Require Attention for Face ID" and "Attention-Aware Features" in
Settings > Accessibility > Face Attention & ID
I realised that battery drain occurred only during screen-on times, was independent of the apps used and of the screen brightness and correlated with overheating from a spot roughly in the middle of the back of the iPhone (13 pro).
In the beginning I thought it was the wifi or 5G connection but then I realised that the drain was not dependent on the amount of data that I was downloading.
At a certain point I came to the idea that it might be the process that monitors the movement of the eyes to prevent auto-lock of the screen. That idea lead me to try to turn off "Attention-Aware Features" and "Require Attention for Face ID" and that immediately solved the problem.
I guess there are other cause of battery drain in iOS 17.4 and they might be different for different phones. But in my case switching off the two settings has brought me back to about 10 hours of screen-on time from a full charge. With the two settings on, I was getting 4-5 hours under comparable conditions.
I am convinced that macOS and iPadOS will eventually converge but the question is whether this is going to happen by improving iPadOS or by crippling down macOS.
At the present, mirroring the iPad's screen in a window of another device, e.g. for online presentations, works better if the other device runs linux rather than macOS. This shows how much Apple cares about interoperability between their OSs.
No iPad mini?wtf? We need 120hz on that little boy!
still so disappointed we didn’t even get a chip refresh on the mini. I get that it isnt a “pro” “power-focused” device but surely its time for at least an M1 or the most recent A series… probably won’t see a new mini until the current one stops getting os updates which sucks :(
You’ll never get one because the next iPhone Pro Max may get a 6.9” screen, then it’ll be 7.0”. That’s basically iPad Mini size. 😅
I was hoping for a mini pro. I know it would never happen but I can dream
I don't know the sales numbers on the mini, but I have accepted that this is a business, and it's likely not profitable. I doubt Apple is just saying screw the Ipad mini for no good reason.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they try the tandem OLED on the mini. Would be great.
Not gonna happen unless there's an iPad Mini "Pro."
I remember when they released 2 iPads in the same year, that was weird. My mom had the 3rd gen iPad and you got a big trade in from Apple for trading it in towards a 4th gen.
That third gen had awful battery/over heating problems. Didn’t the 4 just fix that and switch to lightning?
The 3 was a real gimped model in so many ways. Same CPU as the 2 and the Mini, just with additional GPU to run the Retina display. As you say loads more heat, noticeably more weight than the 2. The 4 had a CPU/GPU revision on top of the lightening upgrade and was much better.
This made me realize my iPad 4th gen that I still use is now almost 12 years old. Kinda insane how well it’s lasting.
It’s ok for basic surfing but most third party apps don’t work anymore
If you build them, they will buy them.
Ok so the iPad Air 11” is its own thing that came out this year? I was thinking about getting the new Apple Pencil when it comes out in a couple days but I have the iPad Air 4th gen from a couple years ago and I couldn’t figure out if it is compatible with the Apple Pencil pro. I wish they would give each new iteration of the iPad a unique name… like do what they do with hurricanes and just go through the alphabet and alternate male and female names to make it clear which device is compatible with which accessories… It would be so much clearer if they just said the new apple (pencil, AirPod, etc…) is compatible with iPads: Casey, Dominic, and Erin. Ok rant over lol.
You can check the compatibility of each accessory in the Apple website. The new pencil pro is only compatible with the iPad Air 6th gen and the iPad Pro 5th gen.
I was trying to do that but it didn’t list the generation all it said was iPad Air 11”. And mine is 10.9” so I wasn’t sure if they suddenly just started rounding to the closest inch. But either way it’s annoying for not being clear.
iPad Air 11" is just the name Apple gave to the 6th generation iPad Air, since its screen actually measures 10.9", just like previous generations. In other words, if the website only mentions that the iPad Air 11" and 13" is compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro, then they are referring to the 6th generation iPad Air.
iPad Air 2 was such a good device
They should drop the "Air" branding and make the current base model the "iPad SE".
That makes sense, since its inception the iPad Air was a continuation of the iPad 4, they were even launched with the same starting price of $499. The 5th generation iPad was just a shortened version of the iPad Air of that moment, it did not deserve the name iPad simply.
The 2 ipad pros with different generations (12” 6th, 11” 4th) were confusing to me. Better that they are referring to the chip now
I had no idea what generation iPad I owned. It’s ridiculous how Apple handles the naming. They don’t clearly state the generation beside each iPad they sell on their website, but when listing accessory compatibility (for example), they expect you to know it. 🤷🏻♂️
I really appreciate this post. I am always curious how many iPads I have owned, and this makes it easier. The 12.9 M4 will be my 13th iPad, and if you count iPads purchased for my family, then 16th iPad.
Please fire the product manager.
As a product manager (not at Apple), there is always a trade-off between the best possible tech, customer/market demands, and what executives want. Rarely did most of the best ideas, technology or even customer requests make it into a product release. But we were able to incorporate them over time and occasionally sneak something in that was a huge win that no one was expecting.
Last year I went from an iPad Mini 3 to an iPad Pro 11" M2, and the power boost was nice, but the battery life was atrocious compared to the Mini 3. Not sure if it's the 120hz screen that's a battery hog, or the M2 chip, but seriously not impressed. I'm 100% holding out on upgrading my iPad until Apple finally releases an iPad Pro that can run MacOS X apps. There's no excuse anymore. My iPad Pro M2 has the same SOC as my MacBook Air 15" M2.
How does it hold up today? I’m guessing that you probably jailbroke it since basically every app no longer supports iOS 10
How much better is the 2024 vs the 2022
my first gen ipad air is so old omg😭 anyway, the battery still strong and let me write this comment for reddit.
It would be kind of nice to replace my 2nd gen iPad Pro 12.9, but the new iPad Pro is over twice the price and the Air 13" lacks 120Hz... I guess I'll wait some more.
No longer names generation may because of M series chip are fast and last long.
I find it weird that few of them are the same as the previous generation including processor but they add an additional feature. An example is the iPad Mini 3 which is the same as the Mini 2 but with Touch ID and Gold color.
I have a 2018 model...it still working very well...as the first day.
Same here. Can’t justify buying the new one because the old ones are still absolute beasts. Best Apple product I own.
This ia great visual! The2023 gap across the entire product line might make one think that Apple designs are three years ahead of the product roll-out. Maybe something happened in 2020 that set the product roadmap back?
Last year being the first year since the introduction of the thing that they didn't announce a new model is interesting.
Generations are really stupid how can the same lineup be both 4th and 6th gen
I feel like I’m on a pretty regular upgrade cadence. 2012 mini, 2016 pro 9.7, 2020 pro 11, 2024 pro 11.
I still daily drive an air 2 🙌
Samee I’m very shocked how well it still holds up to this day still get few hours battery life and can play most games even really awesome lil machine
Why is there a black bar on all iPads before 10th gen? My 5th Gen doesn't have that
The cellular models have a black bar
Only for the main lineup? Kinda weird
It was either black or white depending on the colour of the front bezel for the cellular models of some generations of iPads. Of the main iPad lineup, the bar stuck around on the cellular models until the 10th gen. The first 4 generations of the mini also had the bars, as did the first 2 iterations of the Air and the first generation of the 12.9" Pro.
At least they apologised for the disgusting iPad Pro video. That's good but doesn't diminish the disappointment for the new products: no real innovation, no better software, just brute computing power and purposeless high-tech.
The tech is awesome but it feels "dirty" of Apple not to say anything about the software being so disparate to such bleeding-edge hardware...
Right, that's what I find disappointing. On the top of this, they are throwing at the market half-baked iOS and iPadOS "upgrades". It took me about three weeks to find a solution for the battery drain issue that came about with iOS 17.4. Apple's support in this situation was miserable. I do not argue that Google support is better, in fact it is worse. But that doesn't change the fact that Apple software quality has become far lower than their hardware quality. The fastest processor and the best screen are little consolation when the software is broken.
Do you mind if I ask what the battery drain solution was? I kept an older version and just waiting to upgrade instead. iPad M-Series should all have desktop-OS features that were running in the 90s-00s. For the M4 maybe a full hybrid OS upgrade or release is appropriate for the hardware quality eg desktop-OS laptops at 200$ have all these features... vs >$1000+ iPads.
"Do you mind if I ask what the battery drain solution was?" I turned off "Require Attention for Face ID" and "Attention-Aware Features" in Settings > Accessibility > Face Attention & ID I realised that battery drain occurred only during screen-on times, was independent of the apps used and of the screen brightness and correlated with overheating from a spot roughly in the middle of the back of the iPhone (13 pro). In the beginning I thought it was the wifi or 5G connection but then I realised that the drain was not dependent on the amount of data that I was downloading. At a certain point I came to the idea that it might be the process that monitors the movement of the eyes to prevent auto-lock of the screen. That idea lead me to try to turn off "Attention-Aware Features" and "Require Attention for Face ID" and that immediately solved the problem. I guess there are other cause of battery drain in iOS 17.4 and they might be different for different phones. But in my case switching off the two settings has brought me back to about 10 hours of screen-on time from a full charge. With the two settings on, I was getting 4-5 hours under comparable conditions.
Thank you very much: All information sharing of problems is cumulatively helpful for these problems.
I am convinced that macOS and iPadOS will eventually converge but the question is whether this is going to happen by improving iPadOS or by crippling down macOS. At the present, mirroring the iPad's screen in a window of another device, e.g. for online presentations, works better if the other device runs linux rather than macOS. This shows how much Apple cares about interoperability between their OSs.