Apple's iPad and iPad Air updates are good, just not dramatic

The update range of the new iPad Air and the new base iPad is not as expected, but both are still excellent devices and perfectly meet their respective needs.

In 2024, the iPad Air ushered in a notable update, with the first 13-inch version. At the same time, the iPad Pro has also undergone a significant upgrade, equipped with an OLED screen.

Authentic, only by seeing the OLED iPad Pro with your own eyes can you truly understand the difference. Even so, both Apple’s iPad models have undergone major updates.

These are relative, and Apple intentionally blurs this, but the sales of the OLED iPad Pro don't seem to meet Apple's expectations. Specifically, OLED screens don't seem to be as attractive as predicted.

Fast forward to 2025, the new iPad Air is almost no different from the previous generation model in terms of appearance, and the improvements to the new base iPad have not met expectations.

But they will all sell well because their features are perfectly suited to the needs of the target users.

Negated focus

The update of the basic iPad is surprising, and it may even be surprising to even Apple itself, because it was obviously called the 11th generation of the iPad, but it turned out to be just an upgraded version of the 10th generation. It is difficult to find the visual difference between the previous generation 10th generation and the new 10th generation (second edition).

Apple initially launched Apple Intelligence only for American English. Even if you can't see it, there is at least one difference that looks important—and will undoubtedly be criticized. That is, the new basic iPad does not support Apple Intelligence.

This will be criticized as the iPhone 16e lacks MagSafe. Apple argues that the target users of the iPhone 16e do not want MagSafe, and there is no doubt that Apple's market research on its own users is better than anyone else.

Similarly, Apple has more reasons to claim that its users do not need features that it does not include.

But Apple is very clear about targeting iPhone 16e users as those still using the 2019 iPhone 11.

iPhone 11 does not have MagSafe. iPhone 11 users don't have MagSafe, have never used it, and have no special reason to know how convenient it is.

Only when you understand something, when you experience it yourself, will you know its value, and you will find it difficult to leave it.

Therefore, users without the base iPad have had Apple Intelligence before—at least, not on their iPads. Especially since Apple Intelligence is still very new, fewer people have used it than MagSafe.

The new iPad is the first new Apple device to not include Apple Intelligence since the launch of this AI service. Even the iPhone SE was replaced by the iPhone 16e, partly because the model has Apple Intelligence, and a higher price to back it up.

Therefore, in terms of the product line of all Apple devices, the new iPad is undoubtedly an outlier. But for its users, its tiny updates still have an advantage that is important to them.

Specifically, the new iPad has been updated to use the A16 processor that was first used in the iPhone 14 Pro. Its starting storage space has also doubled to 128GB.

This is more important than Apple Intelligence for the target market for the basic iPad. The older iPad's 64GB of storage is available in 2024, but with a smaller capacity. So, in this sense, the new iPad improves users more significantly than having Image Playground.

Buy in bulk

It is common to think of any Apple device as a thing, almost automatically. For example, we will automatically compare the new iPad Air to the old ones – but Apple has a broader consideration.

Apple compares millions of new iPad Airs to millions of last year's models, because at least some of its users are.

Of course, in the field of education, several AppleInsider, including me and Mike Wuerthele, have taught in schools where all students have iPads. Education buyers are not careless about their spending, but they are also looking for the right equipment for their students.

Seldom students really need iPad Pro.

They may not even need an iPad Air to complete the coursework they do. In an enterprise, employees need more powerful devices, or just more storage space and a better screen, and the situation may vary, but the principles are the same.

Basic iPad users will not miss Apple Intelligence, which is not a criticism of it. Apple targets its devices as buyers who will pay hundreds, thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of devices. They want a lot of stuff—reliability, performance, and price—but they don’t want to pay extra for upgrades that they won’t use.

For Apple, users are more important than newer

Tech enthusiasts always want the latest and best products, and they also understand the advantages of a faster processor or a better screen and camera. However, most people who buy Apple devices are not particularly concerned about technology.

They may be all kinds of people, and they may be very picky in more than a dozen different aspects. But having absolutely the latest technology and seeing it fundamentally updated every year is not a priority for most users.

And dramatic updates have to pay, that is the price. Apple has a bad habit of charging the same price even if the device has not been updated over the years – just like the original Apple Pencil or AirPods Max.

But this time it didn't do that. This time, especially the new iPad Air, it maintains the price while updating the model.

This year's iPad Air is a very worthwhile product. Just because last year’s version was excellent, that’s not a reason to see the 2025 update as a disappointment.

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