Apple introduces iPad Air with powerful M3 chip and new Magic Keyboard • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple introduces iPad Air with powerful M3 chip and new Magic Keyboard

#41

Post by toomuchtodo » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 2:28 PM UTC

42772827 wrote: post #20

Here’s a guide for quick decision making re: iPad purchase: * iPad is for kids/edu * iPad Air is for adults (most people) * iPad Pro is for adults who want to flex or who have a company credit card.

Do they all support the Apple Pencil? Or only certain versions? Thank you for this.

Re: Apple introduces iPad Air with powerful M3 chip and new Magic Keyboard

#42

Post by mherkender » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 2:29 PM UTC

mholt wrote: post #3

I still don't understand the iPad lineup. What is the point of iPad Air? It's compatible with the latest Apple Pencil, but iPad isn't, but iPad Pro is, and the Pencil Pro is only compatible with iPad Pro, iPad Air (not M1), and iPad ... MINI (not iPad). (Edit: Actually the Apple Pencil for our iPad Air M1 isn't even sold anymore, I guess?) The Apple Pencil USB-C compatibility matrix is even more confusing. Why is thi…

Different product launches have different people running them that want to do things their way, and not enough leadership to keep the overarching vision consistent.

Re: Apple introduces iPad Air with powerful M3 chip and new Magic Keyboard

#43

Post by Etheryte » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 2:29 PM UTC

42772827 wrote: post #20

Here’s a guide for quick decision making re: iPad purchase: * iPad is for kids/edu * iPad Air is for adults (most people) * iPad Pro is for adults who want to flex or who have a company credit card.

That's an interesting take that I've never heard before. Why do you feel this is the case?

Re: Apple introduces iPad Air with powerful M3 chip and new Magic Keyboard

#44

Post by alexfromapex » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 2:29 PM UTC

42772827 wrote: post #20

Here’s a guide for quick decision making re: iPad purchase: * iPad is for kids/edu * iPad Air is for adults (most people) * iPad Pro is for adults who want to flex or who have a company credit card.

I was trying to think of a reason you'd need the full power of an M3 chip in an iPad...any ideas?

Re: Apple introduces iPad Air with powerful M3 chip and new Magic Keyboard

#45

Post by gjsman-1000 » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 2:30 PM UTC

scarface_74 wrote: post #37

What really surprises me is that they introduced any new M3 based devices. Common knowledge was they wanted to move away from the M3 quickly because it was on TSMCs first gen 3nm processing technology that had lower yields

Well, “common knowledge” around here tends to be wrong, constantly.

Re: Apple introduces iPad Air with powerful M3 chip and new Magic Keyboard

#46

Post by moolcool » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 2:30 PM UTC

notesinthefield wrote: post #6

Were it not for constantly updated buying guides from tech news sites, Im not sure anyone even Apple employees themselves would know which iPad to recommend to anyone.

I don't really see the value proposition for the iPad Pro. It's got powerful hardware, but I can't imagine myself doing any heavy work on a tablet.

Re: Apple introduces iPad Air with powerful M3 chip and new Magic Keyboard

#47

Post by 42772827 » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 2:30 PM UTC

toomuchtodo wrote: post #41

42772827 wrote: post #20

Here’s a guide for quick decision making re: iPad purchase: * iPad is for kids/edu * iPad Air is for adults (most people) * iPad Pro is for adults who want to flex or who have a company credit card.

Do they all support the Apple Pencil? Or only certain versions? Thank you for this.

All support Apple Pencil. Just get the one that the check out flow says goes with the one you picked and be done with it.

Re: Apple introduces iPad Air with powerful M3 chip and new Magic Keyboard

#48

Post by pseudocomposer » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 2:31 PM UTC

notesinthefield wrote: post #6

Were it not for constantly updated buying guides from tech news sites, Im not sure anyone even Apple employees themselves would know which iPad to recommend to anyone.

Well, Apple employees can’t work remotely :) But if you do, and you like working outside your house, the cheapest 10+-inch M-series model you can get is the answer. With Sidecar, it’s at minimum a wireless external display everywhere you go.

At this new model’s cost, it’s hard to recommend. But it does make last year’s M2 models (and older M1 models) more sensible for this purpose.

Re: Apple introduces iPad Air with powerful M3 chip and new Magic Keyboard

#49

Post by eknkc » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 2:31 PM UTC

I owned multiple iPads and never found a compelling use case for them. I don't know why I keep buying them but they have been great computers for my parents so it's not like I buy to shelf them.

Are there any use cases (apart from drawing maybe. I can't draw a stick figure if my life depended on it so that's not for me) for developers?

Re: Apple introduces iPad Air with powerful M3 chip and new Magic Keyboard

#50

Post by acc_297 » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 2:31 PM UTC

I had been hoping that apple would one day produce an M-series chip powered version of the 12 inch retina macbook air. They discontinued those in 2017 and I have one of the last ones that were sold but the battery is very dead and it has stability issues now. I may consider this product if the keyboard is solid and the screen doesn't shake when typing.