Apart from the price, the new iPad may not be as good as you think

Apple launched a new 9.7-inch iPad tablet at its spring product launch on March 27. However, compared with previous expectations and speculations, the new iPad feels somewhat familiar and unremarkable.

In addition to the more affordable price and optimization in the field of education, the 2018 iPad is somewhat unexpected for ordinary users, because most people probably did not expect it to appear in this form.

For the education sector

In fact, the press conference itself was more like an educational keynote speech.

Many teachers invited to the event shared stories about education, school, students, and iPad. Apple Vice Presidents Greg Joswiak and Susan Prescott also demonstrated the various features of the new iPad, such as how it can help students quickly master knowledge points in an all-round way and guide teachers to complete teaching tasks.

However, these contents are closely related to the new iPad tablet computer, and the main audience and application areas of the new product are very clear.

The new 9.7-inch iPad has not changed much in appearance. The familiar screen size, bezel, and Touch ID sensor give people a sense of déjà vu.

Compared with the previously rumored full screen, Face ID and other exciting design elements, the new iPad is somewhat disappointing in appearance. Compared with the 2017 9.7-inch iPad, there is basically no change in appearance. Foreign media SlashGear also complained that the iPad's appearance design has been used for 5 years.

In terms of configuration, the new iPad is equipped with an A10 Fusion processor, still has 2GB of memory, an 8-megapixel camera, 10 hours of battery life, and supports cellular network models with optional LTE.

The support for Apple Pencil can be said to be one of the few highlights. After all, in the past, users could only use Apple Pencil on Apple's high-end flagship tablets.

But then again, although the 9.7-inch iPad has been upgraded with the A10 processor, this new product was released two years ago and its actual test results are at the same level as the iPhone 7.

And the screen is still the previous non-fully laminated Retina display with a resolution of 2048x1536 pixels, but it has added support for Apple Pencil.

In addition to Apple Pencil, AR augmented reality is also one of the highlights. Through the ARKit-based application Froggipedia, children can use Apple Pencil to dissect virtual frogs. AR augmented reality can provide clear knowledge point labels, which can reduce the death of frogs and make the learning process more profound.

The price is the highlight, but the embarrassment is the iPad mini4

In terms of price, the starting price of the new iPad in China is 2,588 yuan for the 32GB version and 3,388 yuan for the 128GB version. Compared with the starting price of 3,288 yuan for the iPad mini 4 with only the A8 chip, the new iPad with the A10 chip, Apple Pencil and other new technologies is obviously more cost-effective.

This has also put the iPad mini series of tablets in an extremely embarrassing situation, and it seems to be only a matter of time before they are replaced by the affordable version of the iPad.

Google Chromebook or Apple iPad?

According to a report by analysis firm Futuresource Consulting, Chromebooks account for 60% of the U.S. K-12 education market, far ahead of Windows, iOS and Apple laptops.

The reason why Google's Chromebook has been so successful is mainly due to the low price of Chromebook products (the price is always below US$300). The new iPad tablet is priced at US$329 (US$299 with education discount), which is similar to the price of Chromebook.

It can be seen that the new iPad has not only been deeply optimized in educational applications, but also targeted the education market in terms of product positioning.

But from a product perspective, if the iPad wants to have stronger creativity and efficiency than its competitors, Apple Pencil ($99) and Keyboard are obviously indispensable. But when you calculate it this way, the price advantage is not obvious.