Welcome to our weekend Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed this week in a handy bite-sized summary. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, but it’s great if you also want to read it over lunch or dinner.
No matter the price, feel the quality.
It’s been a big week in Apple land, with the tech giant releasing new versions of its iPad, iPadProY Apple TV 4K product lines. But not everyone was impressed, with some company supporters looking at the price of the new devices much more than their updated specs and expanded feature sets.
On the one hand, this interest in the bottom line had some PR benefits: In particular, the new Apple TV is dramatically cheaper, which makes it that much more attractive at a time when the cost of living is spiraling and Household bills are out of control. . But the 10th-generation iPad is much more expensive than its predecessor, and it was hard to escape the cries of outrage on social media after Apple revealed the new price.
I’m writing this from the UK, where prices (including iPad Pro models) look particularly steep, largely as a result of currency fluctuations and general political drama. But Apple can’t completely hide behind pound weakness, as our mathematicians discovered in an article linked below.
In any case, American consumers have not gone unpunished when it comes to price hikes. The 9th-gen iPad started at $329 when it first came out, but the 10th-gen model now starts at $449. The 9th-gen is still on sale, mind you, so it’s still the cheapest option, but It hasn’t dropped a dime in price even though it’s now a full year old. (And in the UK it’s actually gone up.) The sleight of hand can’t hide the fact that Apple is asking consumers to dig deeper.
Everything could have been so different. If Apple held an event in October, like wrote last week, he could have easily controlled the narrative. Presenters could have talked about the basic iPad’s biggest increase in screen size, the addition of 5G and USB-C, the faster processor and vastly improved cameras, and even its vibrant new color options. If potential customers get their information directly from the broadcast, Apple can tell the story the way it wants, instead of waiting for media reports to draw the desired conclusion from its press releases… which, of course, , they did not.
IDG
It’s not even that the new iPad is a disappointing launch (although it is muddy the lineup a little). There is a lot to like here and it has a lot of significant improvements. (Sadly, this doesn’t include a laminated screen, but you can’t have everything.) The problem isn’t that the 10th-generation iPad necessarily offers low value, but rather that it veered off track, moving away from the budget space. and cannibalizing iPad Air territory. Apple needed a new budget iPad, not a second mid-market one.
Most of us are feeling the pressure right now, and it’s hard to imagine that Apple will sell many iPad Pro M2s in the current economic climate, nor that the 10th-generation iPad will sell in the same numbers as its predecessor. It may not be necessary for it to count as a success. But a good-looking, affordable iPad would have fitted the bill for many, and it would be sad for Apple to shift its focus away from the budget market at a time when money is tight for many.
Trends: The best news of the week
it’s apple scamming the rest of the world with inflated prices? Karen Haslam has done the math.
of Apple new line of tablets it is confusing, redundant and overwhelming. good luck figuring it out which ipad to buy now.
Apple is quietly preparing for a future without iphone-either another great thing.
And you thought the iPhone 14 Pro Max was expensive… A $599 iPhone sold out for almost $40,000.
the rumor mill
the last week of october It will be a a big one for Apple, it may be the biggest in history.
A new home screen, video clips and new AR chat features… Apple is believed to be planning a important message review on iOS 17.
Reportedly, Apple working on a dock that will turn the iPad into a home speaker and hub.
A major redesign it’s likely reserved for Apple iPhone SE 4.
podcast of the week
The M2 deployment is on the move again with the introduction of the new ipad pro. Apple also updated the regular iPad and Apple TV! We talk about new releases in this episode of the Macworld Podcast.
You can watch all the episodes of the Macworld Podcast at Spotify, sound cloudthe podcast appeither our own site.
Software updates, bugs and issues
iPad OS 16 monday is coming but you’ll need a very new ipad to get all the features.
And with that, we’re done for this week. If you want to get regular summaries, sign up for our newsletters. You can also follow us On twitter for breaking news. See you next Saturday, enjoy the rest of your weekend and stay Appley.