Apple announces new iPad Air, iPad mini

The Crayon is actually a great stylus - tougher than the original pencil, a better charging method, and I find it more comfortable to hold than the first generation Apple Pencil.

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Anyone else hear about the new iPad Mini and start wondering till how long @katiefloyd needs to confess to @MacSparky that she is practicing the two iPad lifestyle?

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Iā€™m waiting to hear about iOS 13. If the small screen of the mini will be allowed to take advantage of the rumored refreshes - that is, if Apple doesnā€™t restrict more sophisticated springboard viewing options to larger devices or just to the Pro models - I am likely to buy a mini after WWDC. I loved my Mini_2 for reading and movies and websurfing and fast two thumbed typing so this sounds like it would be the update I was looking for, even if the price ends up being around $700 after tax.

Is it worth upgrading to the Air from a 2018 iPad 6th Gen?

Here is my assessment and thoughts. Please chip-in and let me know your thoughts.

Pros

  • Larger 10.5" Screen
    • Current 9.7" does occasionally feel cramped with two apps on screen
  • Laminated Display (with P3 etc)
    • The ā€˜air-gapā€™ non-laminated display causes me a few annoyances
  • Option to add keyboard cover
    • While bluetooth is an option, very fiddly to pair and unpair keyboards with my Mac!
  • Processor Upgrade
    • A10 to A12 generation
    • Moving from 2016 iPhone 7 era to 2018 iPhone Xs/Xr era processors
    • Nearly doubling multi-threaded benchmark scores
    • Nearly doubling graphics benchmark scores

Cons

  • Storage size variation
    • Currently have 128GB iPad (Currently using 70GB)
    • Choice between slimming down to 64GB or going up to 256GB
  • Price Tag!
    • 256GB is at Ā£629
    • Trade in with Apple gives me a Ā£175 back on a 1 year old iPad
    • Private sale (eBay etc) would get me between Ā£200 - Ā£320 back
    • Looking to spend between Ā£310 - Ā£430 to just upgrade.
    • Could buy a second 9.7" for that price difference!
    • That said, for the number of Pro features in the new Air, itā€™s still not a bad price relative to the Pro line.

Conclusion

I think I have been spoiled by how good value the 9.7" entry level is, a very good price for what youā€™re getting! Makes it hard to spend almost the same amount again to get an updated and more premium (but not the most premium!) experience with this latest iPad Air.

Upgrading and getting that laminated screen, avoiding the Pencil Bongoā„¢ effect (read below) would greatly improve the experience and self consciousness of using the iPad and Pencil. More screen space would be great too, plus the performance bump! But is it worth the value of my current iPad again to get it?!

I will have to see how much it nags at my brain and let you all know whether I will/have upgraded!

Backstory:

The day the 9.7" iPad 2018 came into stock at my nearest Apple store, I took a long lunch break to drive over and buy one! Iā€™d been waiting for the day that I could use an Apple Pencil without having to spend over Ā£1000!

The only pain was coming from an iPad Air 2 was that the laminated display without that air-gap was nice. All in all, that was the main difference between the two.

I did get used to the non-laminated display of the iPad 6th Gen. However after some use I noticed that the air-gap causes the pencil to resonate and echo. Any writing and tapping on the glass with the pencil is noisy and potentially disruptive while using! I bought the pencil to be able to take handwritten notes during meetings and in seminars. Both occasions when, when it goes quiet, I donā€™t want my iPad and pencil being that annoying tapping that distracts everyone. (Nothing worse than the obnoxious Apple user!!!)

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There are bluetooth keyboards that can pair with multiple devices with a hardware button to switch between them (this Logitech model for example).

Out of context post but Iā€™m curious if you, @bowline, have used the split keyboard option in the standard ipad version of Appleā€™s keyboard. If so thumbs up or down?

I used it, and it was fine. But I preferred using the mini because I could easily hold the device up and type with my thumbs while propped up in bed, whereas I couldnā€™t hold the larger, heavier iPads the same way.

One of the frustrations with the Mini_2 was that I typed so fast with my thumbs Iā€™d repeatedly get screen lag.

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a better charging method

I feel like the Apple Pencil 1 charging method is superior. Sure, your usually need an adapter. But when your on the road with just your iPad and the Pencil you could quickly attach them and after a few seconds you had a enough power for the next hour or so.

With the crayon you always need to bring a cable and a power bank with you.

My wife uses her pencil all the time, for drawing, and loves that she can plug it straight into the iPad, no need for cables or fuss. Sure it looks odd, but that doesnā€™t really matter. Lots of people say they worry about snapping it off or something, but I never heard of it happening really. The only real downside for her is that she worries about the cap disappearing while charging, but it hasnā€™t happened yet.
Sheā€™d love the new Pro method even more, but sheā€™d find the Crayon method a step back.

Iā€™ve just bought a Crayon to go with my iPad 9.7, to say a bit of money a get something I can keep in a pocket for my occasional use.

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Now that there is a clear demarcation between iPad models and iPad Pro models (e.g. Apple Pencil 2 vs 1, Face ID vs Touch ID), Iā€™ll be interested to see if the 11ā€ iPad Pro gets split view with two iPad-class apps (rather than two iPhone-class apps). Or maybe with iOS 13 the whole multitasking paradigm will change?

Well, I doubt Katie will go 2-iPads, even though she loves the mini so much. I, for one, am using the iPad Pro 2 and iPad Mini 4. I carry the mini in my purse, and for consumption late night reading in bed.

I would pay extra for Face ID on the mini because Touch ID does not work for my smooth fingertips.