Apple unveils revamped iPads; on sale Nov 1 in Japan

iPads will continue to be the most sold brand of tablets, but now that it's clear that Apple will only compete in the premium price tablets, it's also clear that their U.S. market share (now at 34%, when it used to be 60%) would also not increase; that's also why its stock price went down.

iPads are well-made tablets, but there comes a point that the tablet technology is outpacing what people use it for. What that means is, if people are mostly just going to use their tablets for email, websurfing, music, videos, Angry Birds, etc. other not-resource-heavy apps, people don't need the highest tech specs and certainly not pay half-a-thousand every couple years just for that. For most people, their current iPads are just fine. Especially nowadays that tablet technology has developed good enough that there are tablets at half the price would be sufficient for such tasks.

Same thing happened with computers. More than a decade ago, people expected to pay a couple thousands for decent computers they need it for. But now, it only costs half-a-thousand that's more than good enough for most people's needs.

oh can smell the Apple PR people getting there stories ready now, record this record that yap yap yap. so many products available that have way superior specs that Apple products without the rip off prices.

Why do these Crapple releases even make top headline news anymore? Its the same every time...*facepalm

Also, for those not familiar, Google docs and MS Office are freely available on other tablets as web apps.

2020hindsights: 64bit does not mean it is faster, just means you have more registers to do more calculations at the same time. If you have learnt anything from the console wars bits don't mean anything, raw CPU power or number of cores does.

No SD slot, no thanks.

@pizzatime

Uh I think u cut and pasted a review of last year's iPad mini?? It HAS a retina screen and an A7 processor

Same old crApple.

wtfjapan, quite right. You can get a better tablet than an Ipad2 for less than half the price. You can expand the memory and you can have a tab that you control, not one that controls you. I have an Ipad2, and it's good kit, but I wouldn't replace it if it broke.

"Even the doubters are making them now." Uh, I remember Microsoft rolling out tablets long before Steve Jobs "innovated" them. The only problem was they weren't shiny and made by Apple. I'm still using an Android Motorola Xoom because it has expandable memory, runs way better apps for gaming and media, and cost me about 1/3 what an iPad would have. I can't deny that the Apple products are nice; they really, really are. I just can never justify spending more money for the same product that isn't as functional. I'll play with one in Yamada Denki for 5 minutes, but I'll certainly never buy one.

Apple was ok during the late 1990's early 2000's....they still supported previous OSes, had upgradeable computers, batteries that could be replaced, and had no viruses. They were green. Now, Viruses, lack of support for previous OSes, upgrades purchased form / installed by Apple only, non-replaceable batteries, still made in china using crappy, out of date components,and 2 year support if your lucky. Definitely not green.

Still running a G4 tower running OS9/10.4 - for my server, Asus N56V running Linux Mint 13 & Pinguy for work.

not just for tablets but also for the amazing new line of Mac products,” Husson said.

Amazing or not, the use of this word takes away all credibility of this so called research center.

I'm still pretty happy with my ipad 2....

FYI there has been a guy lining up outside the Ginza Apple Store since Saturday (the 19th) - BEFORE THEY WERE EVEN ANNOUNCED!

LOL...

Still no SD card slot...

Alphaape>"If they can make it slimmer, why didn't tgey do that when they first came out...?" Sure and why didn't Henry Ford build a Ferrari instead of a model T? And the point isnt so much that it is thinner. It's that it is a third lighter. And that is a big difference when you are reading a book etc. Yes these will sell. But not to sheeple. To people who try them in an Apple store and realize how much nicer a light iPad is.

Why is it so hard for Apple Iphone, Ipad and Iwatch... to add a solar panel to each device so that you do not run out of juice... that is the next big idea... and would blow out Samsung who should be also making that worthless flap on the Galaxy 5 a solar flap... it is not expensive.. it is easy.. it is very much needed.. right now.. how much juice do you have in your phone?

It all depends on how you use your device. I thought I'd need a memory card slot but after having my iPad for a couple of years the only times I really wanted it was to watch a movie on a thumb drive or something. But in reality I'd rather have it on the iPad anyway. So it never really turned into the issue I thought it would.

Magnet> I don't rave about 64 bit processors, just one, the A7. And the difference between a tablet and a laptop in my book is largely the OS. iOS was designed from the very start to be a mobile OS (as was Android). It's quite a big difference.

Battery life of the A7? OK, Google me this: a 9.7 inch tablet with 10 hours battery life weighing just a pound. I await the results. And come back to me with specific tablets that are better in performance. I can't argue with you if you don't provide any evidence.

I don't accept that iOS is limited at all. And you have yet to prove to me that it is. I agree that it is extremely regulated and that is a good thing. Do I need to give the percentage of malware on Android to prove this or can you Google that yourself?

2020hindsights, the Surface Pro (although I'm not interested in getting one) had a 64bit processor... since 2012. No, you most definitely DO NOT get more for what you pay for with crApple. You only need to use the iOS ecosystem and app store to figure that out. They don't call it a closed ecosystem for nothing.

Sure and why didn't Henry Ford build a Ferrari instead of a model T?

@ 2020hindsights: Totally different concept. Outside of another OS, which they could force you to download if they really wanted to, there aren't any major technological breakthroughs with this newer version. Apple seems to have the reverse of Microsoft where they introduce new technology and then shortly offer a differnt product, whereas Microsoft introduces a new product, and then pushes out fixes to make it work causing one to evntually buy another product.

Yet we fall for it time and time again for both companies.

Magnet> "the Surface Pro IS a tablet, regardless of what your loyalties to crApple may tell you. Calling it a laptop is a poor escape from the truth."

Nice try, but laptop it is. If it ran Windows RT, i'd give you the point, but sadly it runs Windows 8 - same as other laptops.

"Not to mention that the Nokia Lumia 2520 and upcoming Note 10.1 are both significantly better (in specs at least, since they are yet to be released)"

Nice try again, but the Nokia Lumia 2520 is 32bit and the Note 10.1 is vaporware. Sure others can copy Apple, but Apple was first.

Alphaape> "Outside of another OS, which they could force you to download if they really wanted to, there aren't any major technological breakthroughs with this newer version"

Ummm, 64 bit processor that blows everything else away?

Magnet> "why would you pay so much money for an iPad when you can get something significantly stronger with laptop capabilities, as you say, for less?"

Considering it is twice the weight of the new iPad, I don't think so. I don't want laptop capabilities in a tablet. I don't want an OS that's based on being a computer OS with 30 years of history being a desktop.

As I have been saying, performance and battery life of the A7 blows everything else away. Prove me wrong. And there aren't any limitations of iOS (and why say stock).

You may disagree, and it's a piece of opinion, but I don't like Android as an OS. Especially on tablets. Apps tend to look like expanded Smartphone apps.

"how about sticking on Adobe, Word or Excel?" Ummm Adobe already has Photoshop Express. Word and Excel are Microsoft and they probably want to keep them on Surface. You can use Pages and Numbers though.

boring, there is only so many times you can bring out the same stuff with different specs, apple is just crap now

Obviously the user quoting 'ad Sdobe' was referring to Flash, which is a dying technology and full of trackers and bugs, which is why Apple dropped it. The iLife and iWork suites are great on a mobile and, they are FREE! What do you get for free with a Galaxy Tablet? A headache!

Wtfjapan> "that have way superior specs..." Name one other tablet that has a 64bit processor. Or any tablet that is faster. Can't be done. Apple charge more, but you get way more.

Gogogo>"64 bits does not mean it's faster... Raw CPU power or number of cores does." This where Apple got it right. The Note 3 has twice the number of cores, twice the memory, twice the frequency and more than twice the battery, yet it is slower and less efficient than the iPhone 5s. The A7 is fantastic. Magnet> "the Surface Pro had a 64 bit processor" I dont consider the Surface Pro as a tablet. It's a laptop with a touch screen. And talking about Apple ecosystem, I have a Synology (not Apple) NAS. It's not made by Apple yet i can stream video to my iPad, look at phitos on my iPhone etc. Many other companies support the ecosystem.

If they can make is slimmer, why didn't they do that when they first came out? I can understand a different OS than previous versions, but now they make them thinner? And guess what, the "sheeple" fall for it and go out and spend another $400 for something they have that works fine.

@Alphaape: yes, people like me will willingly spend around $1,500 dollars in news iDevices this season? There are two reasons that only Apple products provide: first, the old devices still work great and are a perfect gift for the younger ones in the family (my 4S which runs smoothly and whose exterior is still brand is promised to my 16 year old nephew, who are dreaming of it). Second: I buy because I can and I want a new iPhone. Is Apple at fault for the first reason? Not at all, it's just a side effect of their great products. But I do blame Apple for making better and better products every year, once you have one of them, you do want the next iDevice. Call me iSheep alright. I admit I love Apple products, something other brands can't replicate. Or, well, copy, rip-off...

2020hindsights, the Surface Pro IS a tablet, regardless of what your loyalties to crApple may tell you. Calling it a laptop is a poor escape from the truth. Nice try though. Not to mention that the Nokia Lumia 2520 and upcoming Note 10.1 are both significantly better (in specs at least, since they are yet to be released) than the iPad Air. And of course, let's not forget that they both run open ecosystems STOCK, unlike all crApple products. Add to that the expandable memory option via SD slot and you'd have to be a real fool easily appeased by form factor over function (which, to be honest, is yet another factor Apple is starting to go stale on) to choose a crApple product over their competition these days. Loyalty is rarely backed by reason apparently though... Whatever floats your boat I guess. At least it keeps innovation by the competition going and prices down for the rest of us non-iSheep. :)

2020hindsights, seeing as how you are so adamant about the Surface Pro being a laptop (though I still strongly disagree, it IS a tablet no matter how you choose to call it otherwise), why would you pay so much money for an iPad when you can get something significantly stronger with laptop capabilities, as you say, for less? Logical? I don't think so. Form factor wise, they're pretty much the same size, with the Surface only being a few mm thicker (which, when you consider that the folding flap case is also a keyboard, really makes the iPad that much less useful and inconvenient). And no, the 64bit processor on the iPad does not blow everything else away, especially when you consider the limitations of the stock iOS (which if you were going to go through the hassle of changing anyway, makes you even more foolish for not going with an Android in the first place).

2020hindsights, you claim you don't want laptop capabilities in a tablet, yet you rave on about 64bit processors. I'm not too sure that you're too sure of what you really want. Furthermore, the Windows OS on tablets is pretty much completely different from the past 30 years desktop version, so that's a moot point of comparison. Also, the performance and battery life of the A7 does not blow everything away, a simple Google search will show you that there are quite a few tablets that are, at the very least, on par in terms of performance and battery life, if not better.

In summary, I disagree with all of your points, and think your opinion is a product of the Apple marketing machine. The fact that you refuse to accept that iOS is an EXTREMELY limited and highly regulated ecosystem is proof of that. (I said stock, because the only way to get a little freedom on the iOS system is jailbreak, which isn't stock, or endorsed by Apple). Fair enough if you don't like Android, Windows or any other OS that actually works, that's what's keeping Apple product prices high, and keeping the good stuff nice, cheaper than Apple, and truly innovative for the rest of us non-iSheep. :) I guess that means I should thank you. So... Thank you! :)

The iPad Mini is one of the few new product lines that Apple has unveiled this year, yet it's really just an incredibly shrunken-down redesign of the iPad 2. It's a perfect size and weight and works exactly as advertised: it's a truly portable iPad with excellent battery life and nearly no compromises, except for lacking the most cutting-edge Retina Display technology and fastest processors. And it's priced above the budget range that's represented by devices from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Google. For a rundown on the iPad Mini versus the competition, read CNET editor Jessica Dolcourt's comparison.

If the iPad Mini had a Retina Display, a newer A6 processor, and a slightly lower price, it would be the must-have Apple gadget of the year. Even without those things, it's still incredibly appealing. Its $329 price still makes it one of the least expensive iOS gadgets Apple makes. Does it make more sense than a $299 iPod Touch with the same processor, twice the storage, and a sharper, if smaller, screen? The Touch is a tiny thing; the iPad Mini can be used at a distance, to read and even to type. So can a Touch, but it's not as comfy. It comes down to choice. The iPad Mini works with all of Apple's apps. It's superior for magazines and news, and for illustrated books.

Time to start queuing outside the Apple store in ginza.....

Best e-devices for X-mas. I certainly want to upgrade to the iPhone 5S, a new MacBook Air and a Mini iPad.