Why I'm not buying the new iPad 2017

11-06-2017 458 words 3 minutes

Contents

Would you buy a new television when only the CPU is slightly faster, but the screen quality is worse? Would you buy a new phone, when it’s only slightly faster than the old model? Well, that’s the position I’m currently in. Last year I wanted to buy a new iPad. I was looking for an iPad around the iPad Air 2 price range. It’s just for home-use like Netflix, Spotify and HomeKit, so I’m absolutely not a Pro user. I didn’t want to buy a device that was released 2 years ago. You know Apple is probably working on a refresh. And you want to keep the device as long as possible, so a refresh will give you a new update-cycle. So you wait for that new model to get launched. A colleague was in the same boat just like me, so we waited for next year to come. My expectations where not that high for a new iPad. I just wanted a solid iPad for a nice price. I was in shock when Apple announced and released the iPad 2017 in March. How could you release a new product, which is actually worse than the previous model? The ‘new’ iPad 2017:

has a non-laminated screen (not easy to read with sunlight)
is like € 30 cheaper in the Netherlands
has the same cameras as the iPad Air 2 in 2014
is more bulky and heavier
feels like the old iPad Air 1

I don’t get it Apple. My expectations where not that high. The iPad Air 2 with a better CPU and a better battery would have been fine to me and an instant-buy. Not a downgrade to the iPad Air with a new CPU in it. When I look from the positive side, it’s just a nice tablet - when you turn your blinds down and keep the device in a dock. But not when you keep in mind that the Air 2 was released 3 years ago which was a better device, but a bit slower. Obviously, Apple wants people like me to buy the Apple iPad Pro, which will cost me € 200,- more. I’m not going to do that. I think that a lot of people with 4th Gen iPads or iPad Air 1/2 owners are again waiting for a new device or buying the iPad Pro. While I’m still happy with my iPhone SE for work in combination with iCloud Photos and my Apple Watch, Apple lost me in this one. Sorry for this non-Microsoft post, but I had to write this down because I think a lot of people are full of doubts too. I hope I was able to help someone with this post, because I couldn’t find critical posts.