Apple doesn't raise the price of the iPad every year, instead they only raise it when
they launch a dramatic redesign or feature improvement.
When they introduced this flat-edged liquid retina form factor, folding magic keyboard,
smart connector, and brilliant second-generation Apple Pencil to the iPad Pro in 2018, its
price jumped $150, compared to the previous gen.
But those price increases and features trickle down to the rest of the lineup.
The mid-range iPad Air got them in 2020 for $100, and last year's Mini got it too for
$100 as well. Inflation.
That leaves this, the entry-level 9th generation iPad, and I was wondering if Apple would continue
this trend with the 10th generation. Well, we got the price increase, but we didn't get everything else.
Deciding which iPad to buy is not easy, especially as there are now four very different models.
Not that you'd be able to tell looking at them. This, the newest 10th generation iPad, was released quietly with a simple press release
NVIDIA. At a price of $450, it's not the cheapest available.
Because they're still selling the 9th generation for $120 less.
But don't go thinking it's a good deal compared to the $600 iPad Air.
This certainly looks familiar. Flat edges? Check.
Rounded corners? Check. Touch ID in the power button?
Check. USB-C port? Check.
Rearmounted smart connector? Wait, it's down here?
Second gen pencil dock? Um, what is this?
For the first time ever, this new iPad has its center stage webcam on the long side of
the device. For people who are in group video calls all the time, this is ideal.
As the camera now aligns with your eyes when you set it down horizontally.
But it demonstrates a radical change on how Apple thinks we should use this iPad.
Which is that it's not for art. Because the webcam is up here, it takes up the space of the second gen charging and pairing
modules, so it doesn't work. And there's nowhere else to put it.
The solution? Go back in time. This iPad supports the fully round first gen Apple pencil from the Obama era.
And there are many problems with this, let me explain. The first generation Apple pencil was designed to work with iPads that came out before it
existed. That's why it charges and pairs this way with a very sturdy male lightning connector
at the end under this easy to lose cap.
Plug it directly into the iPad for 5 seconds and you get 15 minutes of charge in a pinch.
For the next generation, the iPad was designed with the pencil in mind, so we got this.
And you might think that going back to the old pencil and new iPad design would work
just fine. But it doesn't. Because even if you already own a first generation Apple pencil, you can't use it.
Say you have a USB-C to lightning cable like the one that comes with your iPhone.
Plugging the lightning coupler the old pencil came with will charge your old pencil, but
it will not pair to your new iPad. For that, you must buy the new USB-C to pencil adapter separately.
Or it's included in the box of new first gen pencils.
But even with that, it's dumb. Here's an actual scenario.
I went to sketch out thumbnail ideas with Maria. I didn't have my pencil because there's no way to carry it along with me.
However, her iPad Pro is dead, so we'll use her pencil.
Just kidding. I can't attach to my iPad, so I can't pair it.
So I walk back to my desk to get mine. It's also pretty dead.
So I go back again to get the easy to lose USB-C to Apple pencil adapter.
I go through the whole rig of my role of assembling the pencil to charge it.
But even though this looks ridiculous, I can't use it while it's plugged in.
But Jonathan, you might say, maybe the cable can't send the power and data at the same
time. Sure. But when I plug my iPad to a monitor, we can see that USB-C is fully capable of sending
power and data at the same time. So this new iPad is $120 more, and it doesn't support the latest pencil.
So what about the current Magic Keyboard that uses the smart connector mounted on the back?
Well, it doesn't support that either. Instead, this iPad has the smart connector on the bottom, like the old style iPads and
their keyboards. This means that you can only use the new $250 Magic Keyboard Folio.
The keyboard attaches to the bottom here, and the kickstand attaches to the back.
Now the Magic Keyboard already solved the lapable problem.
But this? I still have to sit like a uniformed grade school student just to use it.
There's no charging pass-through or keyboard backlighting, but there is a very handy function
row that the more expensive keyboard doesn't get. So great savings!
Alright, so I'm ranting about peripherals you might not ever buy.
But the update to the device might be worth it too, right?
Oh, but it is not. A USB Type-C connector on an iPad does increase its capability significantly.
You can plug any USB hub, drive, or peripheral in, and they will just work in a really laptop-like
fashion. Lightning-equipped iPads require a darn goal, and even then you can't expect everything
to work. But this iPad's port only supports the 20-plus-year-old USB 2.0 standard.
That's insane, as the standard supports transmission speeds of just 480 megabits per second.
This is absurd when you consider that the discontinued 4th gen iPad Air from 2020 with
the same A14 chip supports USB 3 speeds.
How about the screen? Yes, this is technically a liquid retina, meaning it has the round corners.
But this screen is actually no better spec-wise than the one installed on the 9th gen iPad
as well. It's not laminated, so there's a gap between the top of the glass and the bottom of the
panel. And it displays fewer colors too, outputting the SRGB color palette instead of the DCI-P3
found in more expensive models. I don't mind that as much as the fact that it doesn't seem to have an anti-reflective
coating. And is this even oleophobic? There's so many fingerprints.
You're going to want a good screen protector.
Oh, and there's no headphone jack as well, so if you want to give one of these things
to your kids, remember that AirPods are choking hazard.
So at 450, is this iPad worth it?
No. And things get even weirder when you look in the refurbished store.
At the time of writing, a two-year-old iPad Air with the exact same chip and none of the
compromises is available for only $20 more.
A four-year-old iPad Pro with a chip in the same performance tier, remember the list I
made, is also only $20 more. If you want a little more storage, you can get a three-year-old iPad Pro for $100 more.
And if you want a lot more storage, that four-year-old iPad Pro is $60 less than the equivalent
10th gen. Compared to this, getting one of those is a complete no-brainer.
And remember, Apple's refurbished iPads get a completely new chassis and battery.
Though I think because of the more modern chip equivalency, I'm going to be leaning towards recommending a refurbished Air.
But it also shows something else very interesting. The iPad Pro has been in the B performance tier for four years.
Then two years later, the iPad Air joined the B performance tier.
So for a similar price, you can get a cheap iPad or one that was an expensive model a few
years ago. Or if you think you're going to be using your iPad for a long time and you have the
cash, you could get an expensive one now and get all the fancy new features.
In fact, the iPad I daily hear at the office is a BDOP 2017 iPad Pro.
It has that beautiful promotion screen and it still screams.
It does everything I could ever expect an iPad to do incredibly well.
But the battery is now wearing out, so let's say $100 repair.
But if you need a new model now, I'm still happy to buy, use and recommend the 9th generation
model or look in a refurbished store. For the extra $120, the 10th generation iPad commands, it's only really useful for those
who are doing lots of video calls and don't need the pressure sensitivity of the Apple
Pencil, which might be most people, just not me.
Thanks for forgetting to record the outro for this Mac Address, Jonathan.
If you like the colors of the new iPad, give this video a like.
And if you're curious about more of my thoughts on the iPad, particularly with the Pro, might
as well subscribe. Now, I'm curious, are you one of those people who will never use the pencil and therefore
the compromises of this iPad won't matter? Comment below.
And also, I have a little surprise.