Like clockwork, Apple delivered the good at the event in San Francisco earlier today, and we finally saw what the company has been ‘Cooking’ up. The debut of the iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina display certainly garnered quite a bit of attention, but could have left a few underwhelmed.
With just about every spec for the new iPads either rumored or leaked in one way or another, the excitement quickly waned after the official announced. With no Touch ID or other features that would have wowed the crowd, the new iPad lineup delivered exactly what we were expecting, but that’s not a bad thing.
Here are some reactions from the IntoMobile Team:
Blake
It’s hard to be mad when you see essentially every rumor materialize in a new product. The iPad Air’s new design is pretty stunning, which is what I’m most impressed with. Narrowing the bezels on the new iPad was more than welcomed and Apple didn’t skip a beat when it announced that the A7 and M7 were to be included with the new tablet. Still, no one was surprised there.
The iPad Mini with Retina display has been rumored since the debut of the original Mini, so in no way should anyone be surprised. The specs are on par and the price is right for an Apple product, but bringing the new iPad Mini to the $400 price point may have some looking to the first-gen model that’s $100 less. That said, I’m guessing the iPad season holiday season is going to be pretty awesome for the boys at Cupertino.
It’s a standard Apple affair. Being good enough for Apple still translates to being the best, and the new iPads fit the bill here.
Ian
I can’t say that I was surprised or wowed by Apple’s new iPad announcements today. The Apple team unveiled two new models that were pretty much on par with the rumors that have been circulating for some time, with the naming of the devices the only surprise. As expected, both the iPad Mini with Retina Display (how original) and the iPad Air are rocking the same processor as the iPhone 5s, the 64-Bit A7 processor with M7 co-processing. The only real improvement here is the retina display, which is admittingly beautiful.
All in all, it was another boring Apple keynote, with Tim Cook and Co. dragging out their announcements by patting themselves on the back before revealing two very non-revolutionary products. There’s no doubt that Apple will sell a crapload of new iPads. But as far as I’m concerned, there are a plethora of Android tablets that outperform anything Apple has announced, at a fraction of the price.
Kelly
Overall, Apple’s October announcement mirrored what we expected from rumors that leaked before the event. Apple didn’t disappoint on the hardware side and unveiled some great new iWork and iLife suites that take advantage of the power of these new devices.
As expected, Apple did a fine job of improving the hardware of its 9.7-inch iPad Air, while keeping the price the same as its earlier full-size iPad models. It’s a great device for users who are not iPad owners, but it may not be a big enough jump to entice current iPad owners to upgrade. Noticeably missing is the TouchID fingerprint sensor which debuted on the iPhone 5s.
Apple also made some big changes to the iPad mini, which now sports an A7 chip and a retina display. The retina display is the feature enthusiasts have been clamoring for since the iPad mini was introduced last year. Unfortunately, this hardware boost tacks $70 onto the base price of the device, making it a pricey $399. I think the device will appeal to serious Apple fans who don’t mind paying a bit more for a high-resolution screen, but I think the higher price tag will push the average consumer towards Google’s Nexus and Samsung’s Galaxy tablet devices.
Wade
Apple’s event brought just about what we all expected. Honestly the most surprising thing announced today was the “iPad Air” name for Apple’s latest version of its flagship tablet. Otherwise, the 64-bit upgrade, thinner bezel, etc. were all in line with the rumors and Apple’s slow and steady upgrade cycle. There was a retina iPad mini, some iOS 7 updates of several of Apple’s most popular apps, and a lot of middle-aged white men in untucked shirts and mom jeans. Seems about right.
Charles
Apple did what it always does around this time of year, and that’s introduce new iPads. To noone’s surprise, this year’s larger iPad is impressive as the company introduced the iPad Air: a thinner, lighter, faster predecessor of last year’s 4th generation model. This thing is basically a bigger iPad mini. Throw in some new paint with silver white and space grey black, and you have a complete refresh.
However, we already knew what to expect with everything Apple announced today, from the looks to the specs, we were keen on it thanks to a slew of leaks that had hit the interwebs. Much of what we already knew had been impressive to us, but what we didn’t expect was for Apple to confuse us on some of its pricing decisions.
Apple’s new 9.7-inch iPad Air will start selling at its usual $499 price tag — and rightfully so. But the mini is where things get a bit off. Like I tweeted earlier about the new Retina mini, “Apple adds new paint, chips, and a Retina screen. This warrants a $70 price hike?”
This is a problem. I’m sure Apple would’ve taken too much of a hit on profit if it would have just kept the same $329 price tag from last year’s model. Even $349 would have been reasonable, but $399 is sure to make Apple’s most loyal customers cringe before hitting the “Add to Cart” button. Speaking of last year’s iPad mini, Apple saw it fit to drop the starting price from $329 to $299 — oh, are they not merciful?
What’s even more puzzling than all these prizes is the fact that Apple continues to sell the iPad 2. Why? This tablet is now three generations behind, but Apple still commands its customers to spend $399?! That’s crazy. No consumer should remotely consider buying this tablet at this price point.
That being said, today’s announcement proved once again why Apple is still the king of polish and marketing spin.