After years of rumors that an iPad refresh was in the works, Apple has finally announced its latest model today at the company’s annual developer conference in San Jose, California. The 10th generation iPad has been released with a new design that looks very similar to the iPad Pro models of the same size but packs more processing power than ever before and features that are especially useful on iOS devices. It joins its new sibling, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro which was also unveiled today.
The iPad has been a staple in the Apple ecosystem for over a decade, but with the iPhone taking up the majority of the market share, it is difficult to justify an iPad purchase. The 2018 iPad Pro was refreshed this year with a series of look-alikes that started with the new 10th-generation model. The first basic machine in the extension of the 2018 iPad Pro does not have any specs that are much different than its predecessor and even comes at a higher price point.
{tocify} $title={Table of Contents}The first basic machine in the extension of the 2018 iPad Pro
The 10th generation iPad is not only characterized by its appearance with a new design language but also incorporates the essence of the 2018 iPad Pro in various aspects.
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The new Magic Keyboard Folio inherits the advantages of good key touch and trackpad while bringing notebook PC-like operability at a lower cost. The placement of the front camera with the center stage function assuming a horizontal screen will be useful for video conferencing with a natural line of sight. This camera arrangement is the first change in the iPad series, and it should be carried over to other models when future design changes occur.
For those who wanted the same price as the 9th generation for the 10th generation iPad, the price may seem quite high, but the overall price is still attractive. After all, it is equipped with the same SoC as the 4th generation iPad Air, which was sold as a current product until just a few months ago.
In terms of specs, isn't this 10th-generation iPad better than the 5th-generation iPad Air that switched to the M1? Some of you may be starting to think so. I personally don't feel the need for the M1 if it's just for text manuscripts and photo handling. Even if it involves work such as RAW development.
In that sense, many people may have failed to buy the 4th generation iPad Air with the same SoC, or want to compare the price while recognizing the performance difference with the 5th generation iPad Air with M1.
However, in conclusion, the 10th generation iPad is a completely different product from the iPad Air series. The iPad Air was a product that stripped down the creative functions and performance of the iPad Pro by selecting the really necessary functions and performance. On the other hand, the 10th generation iPad is an extension of that, but it sets the "baseline for modern iPads set by Apple".
If you do not do video editing or full-fledged illustration design, I think that there are many people who are satisfied here.
The part that feels the most different is
By the way, after learning about the 10th generation iPad, some people may be surprised that the compatible Apple Pencil is "why is it the 1st generation?" Even with such a small iPad mini, the second-generation Apple Pencil can be magnetically attached and charged.
This point will be discussed later, but apart from illustrators who use Apple Pencil all the time, those who are used to iPad Air and Pro will first feel a big difference when they start using the 10th generation iPad. Is probably the quality of the LCD screen.
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Looking at the numerical specifications, the 10th generation iPad and the 5th generation iPad Air have exactly the same screen size, resolution, and brightness, as well as the brightness of 500 nits, which does not support HDR display. The only difference is whether the color reproduction range is sRGB or Display-P3, which is the difference in the ability to express vivid colors. For example, if you're just looking for information on the web, or if you don't really care about the quality of your photos and videos, you shouldn't feel any difference on a daily basis. Even if you stick to photos and videos, you won't feel the difference in every scene.
So where do you feel the biggest difference? It becomes more of a physical, optical appearance. The display on the 10th-generation iPad does not have an anti-reflection coating and is not assembled with full lamination. The former is a coating that reduces reflections, as the name suggests, and the latter is a difference in the composition of the display parts.
Apple's low-reflection coating is excellent and attenuates light over a fairly wide frequency range. Of course, it's not perfect, but the difference is clear, and the difference is bigger when you actually put it side by side than how it looks in a photo.
Full lamination is a process in which everything from the liquid crystal panel to the protective glass on the surface is glued together as a single part before assembly. Since there is no air layer in between, there is no reduction in contrast due to internal reflection, and you can expect a vivid and clear display. The difference in color gamut between the two models may be due to the difference in this process.
However, when it comes to experience, the difference between the two is much greater than the difference in specs. Also, the effect of not being fully laminated is also relevant when using the Apple Pencil. Because there is a distance between the protective glass surface and the liquid crystal surface, the parallax increases and it is easy to feel uncomfortable with fine drawings.
Note that these display-related parts are the same as the 9th generation, and have not deteriorated.
No dissatisfaction with keyboard-based work
On the other hand, aside from the display quality and construction, most other experiences are comparable to the higher-end iPads. In particular, the installed SoC A14 Bionic has a significantly improved Neural Engine, a processor dedicated to machine learning processing (80% higher performance than the A13 Bionic of the 9th generation iPad).
iPadOS 16 is equipped with many functions that use machine learning processing, such as "Live Text" which extracts characters from videos and still images, "Scribble" which allows you to handwrite characters such as URLs on the spot, and simple touch operations. The Neural Engine is used in various situations, such as "visual lookup" which cuts out subjects from images. Considering that this route will continue in the future, the meaning of being A14 Bionic is great.
In addition, the CPU and GPU are unlikely to be dissatisfied with document creation, photo retouching, presentations, web browsing, etc. In the first place, from a mobile PC perspective, it has performance comparable to the current mainstream mobile PC.
In the last few years, the operation using the keyboard and trackpad, the behavior of the Japanese input function, etc. have been greatly refined, and when it comes to working mainly using the keyboard, there is almost no difference from the top iPad.
There may be pros and cons to the Magic Keyboard Folio, but by separating the stand and keyboard, the structure of the hinge, which was one of the reasons for the high cost and weight, has been simplified, and the operability of the keyboard and trackpad has improved. I would like to welcome that the price has become easy to purchase as it is. Another plus is that the keyboard can be removed and the stand can be used alone.
However, the keyboard and the iPad itself are soft and loose, and you can't expect the rigidity of a notebook PC. Also, as with Microsoft's Surface Pro, both the keyboard and the stand require depth, so if you want to use it on your lap, it feels a little cramped.
The magnet on the keyboard is strong enough to keep the main unit from falling even when the keyboard is lifted, but it can be easily removed by applying a slight twisting force. Of course, it may be designed with such intention, but I would like to be careful of omissions when actually using it.
iPadOS 16, “Raising the Baseline” for Beyond
As mentioned, the 10th generation iPad is not a direct successor to its predecessor. In terms of the basic model, it is a model that defines the basics of the iPad genre, but the 9th generation iPad will continue to play an active role as an educational or business terminal.
So what does the 10th generation iPad mean?
Initially, the main purpose of the iPad was to browse Internet content and respond with a little text input, but later expanded its functions to include document creation, photo editing, music production, and video editing, and the iPad was released in 2018. Since the appearance of Pro, it has strengthened its role as a tool for professional creators.
In order to shape the iPad with such a creative side, Apple separated iPadOS from iOS and gave it functions only for the iPad. It is a frank impression that the 10th generation iPad was established by renovating various elements as the basic model in such a series of flows.
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The structure of the Magic Keyboard has also been changed to make it more affordable, so more people will want to use the iPad for document processing in a mobile environment.
While there are parts such as the display that are cheaper, the 10th generation iPad has four colors with a more personal image, and the functions using machine learning processing provided by iPadOS 16 with A14 Bionic are more accurate. and work comfortably. By adopting the USB Type-C port, it is also possible to use various industry-standard peripherals. Storage devices, single-lens cameras, and external displays can be connected.
The stage manager, which is a new feature of iPadOS 16, does not work, and the fact that Apple Pencil is only compatible with the 1st generation is different from the higher model, but in other words, it does not matter if the Apple Pencil is the 1st generation, or the 1st generation. If you own an Apple Pencil, you don't have to worry about it.
Looking back at the long-term strategy, the 10th generation iPad can be seen as completing the renewal of the entire iPad series that started with the 2018 iPad Pro. In the future, it should be a true hit model (the model that sells the most in the entire series), playing a central role in personal iPads. Yes, if you think of it as a powerful base model like the iPhone SE and Apple Watch SE, the 10th generation iPad will become the center of the market in this genre in the future.