I’ve been thinking a lot about this new release from Apple. What it means and what it could mean. So here’s a few slightly coherent thoughts on it:
- I think the iPad being just ‘iPad’ and priced at $329 is fucking fantastic. It’s the model people should get, and it helps that it is now the lowest priced model. I am tempted to pick one up for our household.
- The new red iPhone is hideous, should have had a black front.
- The iPad mini seems dead. I am guessing it is only sticking around because Apple is testing a theory: people bought iPad mini’s because it was the cheapest. So set the larger iPad at a lower price and bring up the iPad mini — see which one sells better. Come this time next year my money would be on the iPad mini being no more.
These announcements also seem to gel nicely with the 10.5″ iPad Pro rumors. I would guess that come October-ish we get new iPad Pros in both 9.7 and 12.9″ variants — both with bezel reductions (lord knows the 12.9 could use that).
As for those wondering what I might want the new iPad model for: myself. I would give my wife my 9.7″ Pro and keep the new model for me. Unless you need the keyboard or pencil, it really is the best model to buy. Keep in mind that new iPads are never limited by hardware speed, only by the software itself — a nice position to be in.