With Apple’s strongest iPad line to date, pros’ eyes turn to software improvements at WWDC

“In what has become something of a trend, Apple once again unveiled a few iPad strategy adjustments in March,” Neil Cybart writes for Seeking Alpha. “This year’s changes include an update to the 7.9-inch iPad mini and altering the 10.5-inch iPad Pro to arrive at a lower-priced and rebranded 10.5-inch iPad Air.”
“There is no question that some customers use price to select the best iPad. Accordingly, the $329 iPad and $499 iPad Air will likely be strong sellers,” Cybart writes. “Another variable that may guide a customer’s buying decision is screen size. As with price, Apple has done a good job of covering the screen range from 7.9 inches to 12.9 inches. Apple continues to position the larger 9.7-inch iPad, instead of the new, smaller iPad mini, as the entry-level option. This is done because larger iPads have become vastly more popular than the iPad mini. Apple did not want to sacrifice that popularity just to have screen size correlate directly to price. In addition, the larger 9.7-inch iPad is marketed to educational institutions (special pricing brings the 9.7-inch iPad to $299).”
The complete iPad lineup —— A12X-powered 11-inch iPad Pro and 12.9-inch iPad Pro (left) and A12-powered 10.5-inch iPad Air, A10-powered 9.7-inch iPad, and A12-powered 7.9-inch iPad mini (right) —— now includes Apple Pencil support, best-in-class performance, advanced displays and all-day battery life
 
“From a hardware perspective, it’s hard to argue we aren’t looking at the strongest iPad line to date. Apple has spent the past three years expanding the iPad line in order to appeal to hundreds of millions of people,” Cybart writes. “This takes us to software – the missing link. All of the signs point to Apple getting the iPad line ready for new software features unveiled at this year’s WWDC. This week’s hardware updates cap off the first half of Apple’s two-part iPad show.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Just giving a bit more to more advanced users would go a long way at the higher end (iPad Pro). Apple could have things like floating windows, file management, icon arrangement, and other “pro” features off by default, to be enabled by those who want them.
Imagine an “iOS Pro” mode.
Turn on iOS Pro on your iPad Pro
1. Tap Settings > General, and make sure iOS Pro is turned on.
2. There is no step two.
Hey, we can dream, can’t we?
Shouldn’t such a thing already exist? Where would iPad sales be if it did? — MacDailyNews, December 29, 2015
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The answer isn’t to try to make the iPad into a MacBook. The answer is to provide all the tools possible in iOS for developers to make robust apps that can take advantage of the multi-touch paradigm. — MacDailyNews, May 16, 2017
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Take off the training wheels, Apple! After over a decade, we’re familiar with the touch paradigm already! — MacDailyNews, January 8, 2019
SEE ALSO:
Apple’s iPad Pro needs a pro version of iOS – January 10, 2019
Apple’s iPad Pro is only a few key steps away from being a killer computer – December 24, 2018
Apple’s amazingly powerful iPad Pro is a computer from the future, with software from yesterday – November 9, 2018
I can’t put Apple’s new iPad Pro down, but we really need ‘padOS’ – November 8, 2018
What Apple’s iPad Pro enables matters more than what it replaces – November 7, 2018
The Verge reviews the new iPad Pro: Apple’s approach to iOS is holding back powerful hardware in serious ways – November 5, 2018