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New iPad Air and iPad Mini

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Re: New iPad Air and iPad Mini

#181

Post by Brain_Thief »

segphault wrote: post #115
komali2 wrote: post #32

More and more I get the sense that there is a gap in the market for a device that ticks these boxes: Ultraportable Stylus enabled Fully capable desktop operating system Ports to allow hook-up to external monitor I wanted something like this as a frequently traveling and programming, conference hand written note taking engineer. Then I notice some of the designers in my office experimenting with iPads, Pencils, and Ma…

> I just hate programming in windows and haven't touched one of these that are powerful enough to run Ubuntu in a VM in a reasonable fashion. I have a hard time understanding where this sentiment comes from. WSL is categorically better than using Homebrew on macOS. It is basically an Ubuntu userspace with apt, running directly on the Windows kernel. Using Ubuntu in a VM seems pretty superfluous when all the useful pa…

I can't claim to know the OP's perspective w.r.t. why he / she doesn't like programming on Windows, but as an early (and current) user of the WSL I can say that I too dislike the overall experience, mostly due to how it colors my experience programming and using the system. Windows has an intensely corporate feeling to me that I can't seem to shake; it's obvious to me when I'm using it that I don't in any sense "own" my system, and that my behavior is being monitored and recorded on some level. The next update will inevitably bring some setting reversion to a pro-tracking default, and the lack of visual and system-level customization options takes a lot of the joy out of system setup, management, and exploration for me. Windows is, and always has been, a corporate productivity environment at its core, and it's very good in that role, but it feels awfully stiff and suffocating as a dev environment to me. Minor technical frictions like moving data and files between Windows land and my WSL home directory add just enough unnecessary overhead to my workflow that I find myself constantly questioning what actual value the entire thing provides. I suppose for people who are chained to specific Microsoft productivity software it's a good option, but in the absence of such a requirement I don't really understand the appeal.

To be fair, the environment is nice, and the WSL is certainly an impressive technical accomplishment (no question there!), but it doesn't have the feeling of a Linux to me. The freedom, control, and transparency just aren't there.

Re: New iPad Air and iPad Mini

#182

Post by qalmakka »

drewg123 wrote: post #68

Why did they keep the lightning connector? The Pro uses a USB-C. I wonder why they stuck with lightning for these models? I'm an Android guy, fed up with the clunky experience on Android / Amazon tablets, and thinking of making the switch & getting an air, mainly for media consumption during business travel. The last thing I want is a unique-to-me charging adapter that I'm sure I'm going to leave in a hotel or on a p…

Because this is just an update of the old model; they haven't changed everything they could keep the same (see TouchID instead of FaceID) to avoid having to modify their production lines in any way, thus minimizing costs. They kept lightning because the first-gen Apple Pencil recharges using it, and putting USB-C inside of the newer iPads would have either required updating the outdated pencil to USB-C (expensive) or retrofit for the older designs the magnet latch they made for the new Apple Pencil they ship with the iPad Pros. It's just a matter of cost.

Re: New iPad Air and iPad Mini

#183

Post by tolmasky »

askafriend wrote: post #178
tolmasky wrote: post #30

It is so weird that the iPad Air and iPad mini only support the old Apple Pencil. The iPad mini was my favorite incarnation of the iPad line when it came out, and I was considering getting one again, but I have no interest in needing two different kinds of iPad pencil. Apple keeps creating and extending these arbitrary transition periods. The old Apple Pencil should be in the past. Instead we have an entire other gen…

This is a supply chain optimization and also the reason they can keep the costs low for these products. Cost is important here and the whole reason this product line exists. It’s a mirror of their iPhone strategy where they sell last years model for cheaper. They’re using old components and designs where they think it makes sense, but are being uncompromising about the compute power (e.g. A12 Bionic, AR capabilities)…

Edit: inlining the comment here instead since this turned into a conversation

These products just feel like “component pipeline optimization” instead of working backwards from customer needs. There should be 3 iPads, all with the same form factor, same connectors (can’t believe I even have to specify this): small medium large, and they should be called iPad mini, iPad, and iPad Pro. The iPad should serve the vast majority of the market. The pro should really feel like it’s for Pros. The mini should feel like it cannot be beat on a hike taking nature photos. Stories based on use, not price. The way I imagine them talking about iPad uses cases instead is: “imagine you want to buy an iPad, but you only have $399. Boom: iPad mini, the perfect fit!”

Re: New iPad Air and iPad Mini

#185

Post by kgwgk »

vbezhenar wrote: post #180
chrisseaton wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> to connect their iPhones/iPads to their computers Why do you need to connect your iPad to your computer? I have never connected mine - everything goes through the cloud or Bluetooth. Are you developing apps on it? That's a pretty niche use-case.

Why ship any cable at all then?

Charging.

Re: New iPad Air and iPad Mini

#186

Post by scarface74 »

jimbokun wrote: post #145
tolmasky wrote: post #30

It is so weird that the iPad Air and iPad mini only support the old Apple Pencil. The iPad mini was my favorite incarnation of the iPad line when it came out, and I was considering getting one again, but I have no interest in needing two different kinds of iPad pencil. Apple keeps creating and extending these arbitrary transition periods. The old Apple Pencil should be in the past. Instead we have an entire other gen…

Starting to feel like Ballmer era Microsoft. Unforced errors like this seem to be occurring more and more often. Seemingly minor pragmatic issues that will prevent many users from upgrading or leaving the ecosystem altogether, that could easily be avoided.

The 1st generation iPad was woefully lacking RAM (256MB) even though the iPhone 4 that came out 3 months later with the same SOC had 512Mb. That led to the iPad being unusable with iOS 5 that came out 2 years later and unsupported after that. The iPhone of the same generation was supported through iOS 7.

The 3rd generation iPad was heavy, slow, and had horrible battery life and was discontinued six months later as they transistionef to a better processor and the lightning port.

So what are tablet users going to leave the iPad for? All of the great Android tablets available?

Re: New iPad Air and iPad Mini

#187

Post by occamschainsaw »

jackfrodo wrote: post #3

I'm 24 years old, work in software. Neither I nor any of my friends uses a tablet for work or pleasure. I guess I know a couple of people who have Surface Pro's, but that's about it. I'm wondering if the appeal of these begins when you get older? Seems like a lot of the market for these is people who are 50+, but I'd like to know if any people under 25 are interested in them.

Counter point: I am also 24 but in academia. A lot of people in our age group (and professors) use tablets (especially with styluses, iPad Pro and Surface). I guess it is field dependent. It is a blessing for managing stacks of research papers and taking notes. I got the new iPad Pro and installed some latex and jupyter apps, and with a decent terminal app, I can start working on my iPad. YMMV ofcourse.

Re: New iPad Air and iPad Mini

#188

Post by stiGGG »

segphault wrote: post #115
komali2 wrote: post #32

More and more I get the sense that there is a gap in the market for a device that ticks these boxes: Ultraportable Stylus enabled Fully capable desktop operating system Ports to allow hook-up to external monitor I wanted something like this as a frequently traveling and programming, conference hand written note taking engineer. Then I notice some of the designers in my office experimenting with iPads, Pencils, and Ma…

> I just hate programming in windows and haven't touched one of these that are powerful enough to run Ubuntu in a VM in a reasonable fashion. I have a hard time understanding where this sentiment comes from. WSL is categorically better than using Homebrew on macOS. It is basically an Ubuntu userspace with apt, running directly on the Windows kernel. Using Ubuntu in a VM seems pretty superfluous when all the useful pa…

IMHO Homebrew is much better than apt on Ubuntu. E.g. when I read in the news that a new version of my favorite tool is released, i know that’s normally only a brew upgrade away to have it. And i mean now and not until the next OS release happens. With brew it’s also very easy to go back in versions of individual packages in case the current release is buggy or breaks something. You can have this with 3rd party repos in debian, but that’s usually more hazzle from my experience.

Re: New iPad Air and iPad Mini

#189

Post by hmart »

gpmcadam wrote: post #13
lucb1e wrote: post #5

I was looking for the justification of the word dramatic until I realized it's written by Apple itself. For such a headline I would rather see an independent reviewer, or editorialize it to reduce the drama.

Agreed, this just reads like an ad.

+1 Apple doesn't need HN to recite their flambouyant and misleading headline. Look that it's a device in an old chasis, with an old charger and only compatible with an old pencil.

Re: New iPad Air and iPad Mini

#190

Post by mixmastamyk »

chrisseaton wrote: post #162
baobrain wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Keeping the lightning port is what really jumped out at me. Now some iPads are going to have USB C and others are going to have lightning, all under the same umbrella product of the iPad. What is even worse (!) is that the iPhones and iPads still ship with a USB A to lightning cable, meaning even users inside the Apple ecosystem need a USB C/thunderbolt dongle with usb A ports to connect their iPhones/iPads to their…

> to connect their iPhones/iPads to their computers Why do you need to connect your iPad to your computer? I have never connected mine - everything goes through the cloud or Bluetooth. Are you developing apps on it? That's a pretty niche use-case.

I connect my tablet because wifi is too slow when transferring large files.
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