iPad
| Consumer | Mini | Prosumer | Professional | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPad version | iPad (10th Gen) | iPad Mini | iPad Air | iPad Pro |
 |  |  |  | |
| Features | A16 chip, TouchID, 10.9" screen, USB-C connector | A17 Pro chip, TouchID, 8.3" screen, Apple Pencil USB/Pro support | M3 chip, TouchID, 11"/13" screen, SmartConnect, Apple Pencil 2 / Apple Pencil Pro support | M4 chip, FaceID, 11"/13" screen, Multiple lens camera system, LIDAR scanner, flash, Retina XDR display, SmartConnect, ProMotion, Apple Pencil 2/Apple Pencil Pro support, upto 2TB of internal storage. |
| Launch Date | March 2025 | October 2024 | March 2025 | May 2024 |
| Launch Price | From $329 | From $499 | From $599 for 11", From $799 for 13" | From $999 for 11", From $1299 for 12.9" |
| Best Feature | The new standard iPad, at the new price. Double the starting storage at 128GB, so it's more useful. | Small size. Good enough to be the communication device if you don't want the iPhone. Same chip as the iPhone 15 Pro | It's has around 80%-90% of iPad Pro features at half the price. New Magic Keyboard for this generation. | FaceID and the best screen in Apple's iPad line up. Once you go ProMotion, you'll never go back |
| Verdict | The gold standard of iPads. Good enough for the kids or content consumption. With the new price of $329, can't find fault with the iPad | iPad Mini was updated in September 2021 and it was a major upgrade. However, the price bump to $499 will deter potential buyers, but it is the most powerful iPad after the Pro at this juncture | It's good if you want the iPad Pro form factor and most of the features without paying all the premium price. Although iPad technology is so overpowered that a 2018 iPad Pro is not a bad proposition either | Apple's attempt as a laptop replacement. At launch, it has the most powerful processor in Apple's lineup. CPU performance even matching M2 Max despite a 5.1mm thin tablet. iPadOS is holding it back though |
The iPad is Apple’s line of table computers that was first introduced in 2007. The original iPad bought many firsts for Apple: first tablet, first custom chip, first mention of iOS (was first on the iPhone 4, but was redesigned for tablet in mind). Now the tablet has morphed into 3 distinct lines. The consumer is called the iPad or iPad Mini which means a content consumer device. The middle-tier is the iPad Air which has some of the features of the Pro models but a more approachable price. The top tier is the iPad Pro which is intended to be a laptop replacement device. The iPad Pro has many features that are not even available on the MacBook line up such as LIDAR scanner or MicroLED screen and is competitively priced against their own MacBook line. The iPads run on a special operating system called iPadOS which at the moment has features that are present in both iOS and macOS.
Current line up
Since inception, Apple has basically cornered the tablet market. For the most part, the tablet form factor is the perfect form factor for content consumption. Apple does indeed push the boundaries of what a tablet can do with the Pro series, but for the most part, iPads now are so overpowered over what most people use it for: media consumption, mobile games and drawing. The real Achilles heel of the iPad (especially the overpowered M2 Pro) is that iPadOS is basically a neutered version of macOS. With mouse, external monitor support (with stage manager), the iPad (even the new basic 10th Gen running on A15) can do so much more.
Update cycle:-
- iPad Pro (last update: Q2 2024, next expected update: Q2 2026)
- iPad Air (last update: Q2 2024, next expected update: Q2 2026)
- iPad (last update: Q4 2022, next update: Q1 2025)
- iPad Mini (last update: October 2024, next update: Q1 2028)
You can read the latest rumors in one convenient page here.
iPad Accessories
Although not a requirement to run any program in iPadOS, having accessories like a keyboard or pointing device can significantly enhance your experience using the iPad. You will also notice that some tasks like drawing are much easier with a pointing device like the Apple Pencil.
Since iPadOS 13, iPadOS has included mouse support. They are labeled as assistive devices but Apple on the other hand sells Magic Keyboard with built-in trackpad. Mouse and trackpad is not a requirement to use any of the iPadOS program, but just like the Apple Pencil, they contribute to a better overall experience when using certain programs.
- Apple Magic Keyboard for 12.9" - Buy at Amazon
- Apple Magic Keyboard for 11" iPad Pro or iPad Air 4 - Buy at Amazon
- Apple Pencil Pro
- Apple Pencil 2 - Buy at Amazon
- Apple Pencil - Buy at Amazon
- Smart Keyboard - Buy at Amazon
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