Apple introduces iPad Air with powerful M3 chip and new Magic Keyboard

Re:Apple introduces iPad Air with powerful M3 chip and new M... by paulcole on Tuesday March 04, 2025 @09:32AM (#43255132)

I bought the iPad Pro in 2020 (13”, last on the A series of chips) and the screen is so much nicer than on any iPad I’ve ever used before. I was planning to buy a new one this year if there’s a notable release but OK with waiting another year.

That said, with the Air having M3 and being available in 13”, I’ll have to take a long hard look at whether that screen is worth the extra money to me. I’d imagine that’ll remain one of the differentiators between the Pro and Air.

I do get an iPad about every 5 years and I don’t use a computer at home so splurging on the high end isn’t a huge concern for me. So not sure if I’ll be willing to give up the really nice screen.

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Re:Apple introduces iPad Air with powerful M3 chip and new M... by criddell on Tuesday March 04, 2025 @09:40AM (#43255248)

I bought an 13" M4 iPad Pro when it was released and returned it a week later because I didn't like the magic keyboard. I went back to my 2018 iPad Pro with the Smart Keyboard Folio.

I've been waiting and hoping for some third party to come along and clone the Smart Keyboard Folio. If they did, I'd repurchase an M4 iPad because other than the keyboard it was great.

I was just looking at the apple website to see if the Smart Keyboard Folio is available for the new iPads and it looks like that product line is gone for all iPads. Such a shame because it was a great product. I suspect it didn’t feel premium-enough for Apple management.

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Re:Apple introduces iPad Air with powerful M3 chip and new M... by blackaspen on Tuesday March 04, 2025 @11:16AM (#43256650)

I was also hoping they'd bring the Folio back. I've got an old Air that does need replacing and have thought about buying an M2 Pro just to find a used Folio with.

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Re:Apple introduces iPad Air with powerful M3 chip and new M... by paulcole on Tuesday March 04, 2025 @03:09PM (#43259340)

I love the Magic Keyboard's usefulness despite how crappy the durability is for such a high-priced accessory.

I also have the Smart Keyboard Folio and like it will enough but the angles it sits at aren't what I prefer and I really got used to the trackpad on it. The fabric-y feel of the keys is very nice and durability wise it seems to be holding up better than the Magic Keyboard (but to be fair, I probably use the Magic Keyboard 75% of the time).

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