A new iPad is here!
Yes, that is the regular 10.9-inch model. No air, although there is a new one. Only the regular iPad.
So what has changed compared to the previous version from 2022? Well, it has an A16 chipset -that is the same that is found on iPhone 14 Pro models and the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. You will now also receive 128 GB storage on the basic model, instead of only 64 GB. And that’s it.
Okay, so hardware upgrades are limited to an absolute minimum. So what about software?
Well, the new iPad runs iPados 18, the tablet version of iOS 18. However, it is simply the standard version of Apple’s latest software, which means not Support from Apple Intelligence.
Apple
When I heard this for the first time, I couldn’t completely believe it. Why would Apple release a mobile device in 2025 without AI, the word at the moment actually the lips of every technology company?
Even if the company only wanted to do a small renewal, was Apple Intelligence certainly the most important function to add? If you are even interested in AI remotely, it makes no sense to buy the regular iPad.
Unlike rivals such as Samsung, Apple does not seem willing to make a more limited AI function set available on the more affordable devices.
Instead, the company assumes that if you only pay £ 329/$ 349 for an iPad, you don’t care whether it has AI functions or not.
Although that can be the case for most people at the moment, a tablet is a device that most people keep for several years. In 2028 or 2029, when AI has become much more advanced, will consumers still be happy to do it without?
That can still be seen. In the meantime, the new 7th -gen iPad Air is a better buy for most people, even though it starts at £ 599/$ 599. And if you want a more affordable iPad that Apple intelligence gets, just watch out for deals on the 2024 model.