I have devoted a soft, tender and affectionate corner to the iPad. Its power, multitasking capabilities, Apple Pencil support, and more are all impressive. But when Apple announced the iPad 9th Generation at the 2021 California Streaming event, I was disappointed.
The 2021 iPad had only a handful of updates. And Apple repeatedly called it a “new” iPad throughout the event, but I didn’t find much new in it. Join us to dig deeper into the iPad’s 9th generation specs and see if it’s as new and promising as Apple claims.
Contents
Not so new design
The basic design and form factor of the entry-level 10.2 inch iPad hasn’t changed since 2019, when the 7th generation was announced. Even in 2021, it has a thick bezel, a home button with Touch ID, and a lighting connector.
And if this was Apple’s signature or the best design ever, I wouldn’t have complained. it’s not! In addition, modern iPads – iPad Air, iPad Pro, and even the iPad mini have removed these elements.
Please try to imagine. The iPad doesn’t even offer decent colors. So why is the “new” iPad still stuck in the old console?
Are you still sticking to the Apple Pencil 1st generation?
Another bone I have to choose for the 2021 iPad design is that it doesn’t yet support the Apple Pencil 2nd Gen. It’s frustrating and annoying at so many levels!
Apple’s defense understands that Apple wants to make the iPad available to everyone, especially students. Therefore, you need to maintain a certain price. But that doesn’t mean that you’re ignoring old-fashioned design and continuing to introduce some features here and there.
Even more frustrating is that the so-called spec bumps are not comparable to industry standards or contemporary ones!
It’s powerful, but not “the best ever”
| iPad model | Released at | Chipset | Communication network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9th generation iPad | 2021 | A13 Bionic | 4G |
| 5th Generation iPad Pro | 2021 | Apple M1 chip | 5G |
| 6th generation iPad mini | 2021 | A15 Bionic | 5G |
| 4th Generation iPad Air | 2020 | A14 Bionic | 4G |
Isn’t it clear from the table above that the iPad has a serious service shortage? I feel like I’m proud of the chipset that I’ve dropped.
I agree, the A13 is a powerful chip, but in Apple’s wise words, the A15 is the best smartphone chip ever.
And they said the same with the A14 when the iPhone 12 went on sale. Now, my question is why the new iPad couldn’t have the latest chips, or last year’s chips. They did that on the 8th generation iPad too! It had an A12 Bionic chip, but the A14 was soon released.
Can you call the center stage a blessing of savings?
All the advances Apple has to offer, TrueDepth cameras, USB-C connectors, LiDAR, top button Touch ID, adaptive 120Hz refresh rates, flat edges, and all the iPad 9th Gen. Gets the Center Stage. Designed to make video calls and recordings more attractive, this feature automatically adjusts to the center of the frame.
I don’t even have a 12MP rear camera. It got the 8MP camera in the back. A slight improvement is the 12MP Ultra Wide FaceTime HD camera, which also facilitates the center stage,
So should I buy the iPad 9th Gen or wait for a new one?
If you really need an iPad and don’t have the budget for an iPad Air or mini, give it a try. It may not be the best iPad in the world, but it’s still a great gadget and perfectly suited for beginners, basic users, students, and kids.
However, if you want to use your iPad as your primary device for graphics-intensive tasks, wait a year. Apple may bring a better new iPad. Or even better, wait for a high-end iPad and save some money.
What do you think about the iPad 9th Generation? Do you think this update is worth it, or is it just a formal one that Apple had to perform? Share your opinion with us in the comments section below.
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