We review the new budget £339 iPad – but is it a bargain win or a cut price fail?
We get our hands on Apple's new gadget, which is a whopping £210 cheaper than the flasher 'Pro' model
THERE'S one very important fact about iPads which means they're great for consumers - but not so good for Apple's accountants.
The gadgets are built to last, meaning owners can go for several years without needing to replace them.
The devices are known for their bombproof build quality and are constantly updated by Apple, who offer users a brand new operating system every year along with all sorts of cool new features.
I can't help but feel this longevity is one of the motivations behind the launch of a new cheaper tablet that's been given the simple name 'iPad'.
Has Apple given its gadget a tempting price to lure people into upgrading their old iPads, particularly those which look set to become obsolete?
The gizmo starts at the competitive price of just £339, which is about £210 cheaper than the flasher "Pro" model and about £40 cheaper than the equivalent previous model, the iPad Air 2.
However, there's one question every potential customer needs to ask themselves: should you buy this or the more expensive model?
I'm lucky enough to own an iPad Pro, which I bought with insurance money after my toddler pulled my iPad 3 off a bookshelf and into oblivion.
I wanted to know whether tech fans should dig deep to buy the more expensive model, or whether the cheaper one would give them all they need.
Tech specs: Your guide to the iPad's features and specifications
- Display: Retina display with 9.7-inch LED-backlit Multi-Touch display, 2048-by-1536 resolution at 264 pixels per inch (ppi) and fingerprint-resistant coating
- Dimensions and weight: Height: 9.4 inches (240 mm). Width: 6.6 inches (169.5 mm). Depth: 0.29 inch (7.5 mm). Weight: WiFi - 1.03 pounds (469 g).Weight: WiFi + Cellular: 1.05 pounds (478 g).
- Processor: A9 chip with 64-bit architecture and embedded M9 coprocessor
- Connectors: Lightning
- Camera: 8-megapixel, with a 1.2-megapixel selfie camera
- Video recording: 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps and slow-motion at 120 fps
- Sound: Dual stereo speakers and dual microphones for calls as well as video recording and audio recording
First impressions
The new iPad is built as solidly as you'd expect.
It's sturdy and seems built to last, just like all iPads, to be honest.
The Pro model is significantly lighter and thinner, but this isn't really a big deal in practice.
Apple has made sure the new tablet looks elegant and feels good in your hands.
It weighs just 1 pound and is 7.5 mm thick.
The device's Retina display is colourful and vibrant, with deep, rich tones.
The display lacks an anti-reflective coating, but I didn't notice a huge difference from the Pro.
One very important thing I'd like to mention is how Apple migrates your settings from your older iPad to the new one.
When I switched it on, the iPad already knew my home wireless password and then went about basically cloning my old iPad, installing the same apps and settings.
The smoothness of this process is quite remarkable - if not slightly terrifying.
And if you own an older gadget, your new iPad will effortlessly install all your favourite software, allowing to jump in and luxuriate in the performance boost you'll notice with the latest model.
If I'd spent £339 on the iPad, I'd be very pleased with the quality of the product I'd purchased.
Frankly, it feels like a bit of a steal.
Performance
The iPad comes with a very speedy A9 chip, which is much faster than the A8 fitted into the iPad Air 2 but not quite as quick as the A9X in the Pro.
I was able to run demanding music software, games and video editing apps without noticing any slow down.
It chewed through the internet, with web pages loading up very quickly thanks to the WiFi technology which can download files at a speed of up to 866 Mbps.
The 8-megapixel camera and 1.2-megapixel selfie camera take good quality pictures and video too.
Battery life is also excellent, letting you surf the web or watch video for 10 hours, and the iPad charges quickly.
The tablet runs the latest version of iOS 10 and should be supported for at least the next five years, making it a future-proof purchase.
Some arty types might miss the ability to use the cool Apple Pencil, a stylus which lets you draw on the iPad Pro's screen.
But many people won't want to shell out £99 for this admittedly very cool accessory.
This is a speedy, attractive and high performance tablet.
My one gripe with the iPad
One of my great passions in life is music - and I've really enjoyed using Apple's incredibly innovative, stylish and elegant wireless Airpods, whilst simultaneously grumbling when it removed the traditional headphone jack from the iPhone 7.
Sadly, the new iPad has a big drawback for anyone who loves sound.
On the iPad Pro, there are four speakers which automatically adjust the frequencies they produce depending on the angle at which the device is held.
'Appy days: Here are some of the best apps for iPad
- Korg Gadget: This is easily the best way to make music on the iPad. It comes with loads of instruments and samples, letting you make a banger without breaking the bank. Music software like this costs hundreds of quid on desktop computers. But Gadget costs about £19.99 if you wait for one of the regular sales run by music firm Korg. Big recommendation.
- Within: A free app that lets you explore "VR content from the world’s finest VR creators". You'll be able to move your iPad around to explore virtual worlds. One of the most memorable experiences is a spooky trip through an asylum for the mentally ill.
- Microsoft Office: You might think that Microsoft's software only works on big, grey boring computers like the ones you use at work. But they are also available for iPad. You can buy Powerpoint, Word, Excel and all the other useful Office software from the App Store.
- Kitchen Stories: This cool app gives you free recipes every week, along with videos and pictures to help you along. It's like a cookbook that's constantly being rewritten.
- MyScript Calculator: A calculator that lets you write the sums by hand. You just scrawl out some maths with your finger and it will give you an answer. It even understands "complex operations" - just don't ask us to explain what they are.
- Swift Playgrounds: Teaching your kids (or yourself) to write computer code is one of the most important things you can do. This simple app introduces you to code by letting you play a series of games which gradually get more complex. You'll learn something, without even realising you're doing it.
- Playground Physics: This cool app shows you the physics going in everyday life. You can shoot a film and then analyse it with the app to see what's going on. This coudl, for instance, show you what's going on when your child is swinging on a swing or riding a seesaw.
- Endless Wordplay: It looks like a game, with its cool robots and cute graphics. But this neat app is designed to help kids learn to read and write. It lets you spell words and learn what they mean, teaching your kids something important whilst they think they're playing a game.
On the cheaper iPad, there are just two stereo speakers.
This sounds like a minor difference, but actually the Pro's army of speakers pump out loud, detailed sound with a really impressive three dimensional quality.
The new iPad sounds a bit tinny by comparison - but at least it has a headphone jack so you can plug it into speakers really easily.
However, while this would probably encourage someone like me bust out the credit card and buy the more expensive model, it might not matter to someone who's going to use it differently.
Should you replace an older iPad with the new one?
The answer to this is an unequivocal yes.
I was really impressed with the new model.
It has enough grunt under the hood to tackle the toughest tasks and is built like a particularly pretty-looking tank, if such a thing exists.
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It will last for years to come and will comfortably run the latest games and apps for a very long time.
The iPad has a Retina display four times the resolution of the old iPad 2, whilst the A9 chip is eight times faster and offer graphics performance that's 23 times faster.
If you've got an old model and you're in the market for an upgrade, it's a no-brainer.
Should you save up for the more expensive iPad Pro?
That depends.
I remember reading that there's something in male psychology which makes men unable to resist the biggest, baddest and beefiest option on offer.
It's why, for instance, many men will inevitably choose to have the largest burger on a menu, rather than opt for the weedier one.
Personally, I would more or less always opt to buy the Pro model and take the hit to my credit card.
But if you're less of a cave dweller than I am, I think you'd be very pleased with the new iPad.
It performs really well, it feels like a top quality product and is a massive bargain.
You'll love it if you're new to iPads, but you'll also appreciate it if you've owned one before.
If you've got a family, then there's no question about which iPad you should buy.
You could buy two of these models for a little more than the iPad Pro and keep the whole family happy.
Overall, this is yet another win from Apple.
I would definitely say "aye" to buying the new iPad.
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