The 10th Gen Apple iPad is Garbage. Here’s Why:

The 10th Gen Apple iPad is Garbage. Here’s Why:

The much-awaited makeover for the entry-level iPad is here with the 10th Gen model. While we should be happy that Apple is finally giving it a new design, the 10th Gen iPad is probably as garbage as a product can get and is perhaps one of the dumbest releases the Cupertino brand has released for 2022.

Don’t get us wrong: we like how the 10th Gen iPad looks much more modern than its predecessor, but there are a few glaring points that make it difficult to fathom why anyone would buy it at this point. Let’s break down our key arguments against the 10th Gen iPad:

It looks like the iPad Air—but with minimal differences.

Let’s take a look at the most obvious flaw first: if you compare BOTH the iPad 10th Gen to the M1 iPad Air, there are barely any differences between the two. Both have their TouchID placed on the power button, both have 64GB and 256GB storage options, both have USB-C connectivity, and both share the same 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display.

So what’s different between the two? Aside from the colorful back casing options, the 10th Gen iPad has a different set of Smart connectors (that are located on the bottom of the frame instead of on the back panel), an inferior display (only supports sRGB color gamut and does not have an anti-reflective coating) and the front camera is placed in landscape orientation. That doesn’t seem like a whole lot of changes for a new product,  and while the relocated front camera may be better, we have concerns over the Smart Connector, which brings us to our next point…

Limited Smart Connector Support

Unlike the iPad Air which has the Smart Connectors placed at the same location where you’d find them on the iPad Pro, the 10th Gen iPad has an unusual Smart Connector location that limits its support for accessories. That’s partly why the iPad Air is a good middle ground: since it has basically the same Smart Connector location and size as the 11-inch iPad Pro, it’s much easier to find accessories for it.

This means that you cannot use Apple’s expensive but class-leading Magic Keyboard on the 10th Gen iPad (or even any of the Smart Folio cases and keyboards that can be used on either the M1 iPad Air or M2 iPad Pro 11-inch), and that you will need for third party brands to come up with accessories that are compatible with it because of the different Smart Connector layout.

The Apple Pencil support is dumb.

Perhaps the biggest reason why we loathe the 10th Gen iPad is that it only supports the First Gen Apple Pencil, AKA the one that uses the ancient and god-forsaken Lightning connector. So, to charge that antiquated piece of tech, you’ll need to use a USB-C to Apple Pencil adapter since the 10th Gen iPad uses a Type-C port, forcing you to play musical chairs with additional dongles to make use of the most common accessory for a tablet.

It’s pretty ridiculous and a serious design flaw, which makes us wonder why Apple didn’t just go with a second-gen Apple pencil so consumers don’t have to spend extra (Php 590 to be specific) for an adaptor. Is Apple really that invested in their soon to be obsolete Lightning connector tech?

The previous-gen A14 iPad Air offers better value.

With the 10th Gen Apple iPad having a Php 29,999 starting price for the 64GB model, the M1 iPad Air is a better deal for Php 10k more if you compare both tablets side-by-side. Aside from having a better display, sensible support for the Second Gen Apple Pencil, and a more supported Smart Connector, you can do more with the iPad Air’s M1 chip compared to the A14 used on the 10th Gen iPad.

Now, if the M1 iPad Air is way too expensive for you, you can do yourself a favor and just go for the 9th Gen iPad and save Php 8K. It may look dated—but at least you won’t be worrying about dongles for the Apple Pencil.

For roughly the same price, you can just go for the A14 iPad Air—and still have a tablet that’s better than the 10th Gen iPad. The thing with Apple products is that even if they are a generation or two old, they can be sometimes better in one way or another—it applies to the iPhone 14 (vs iPhone 13), and the same can be said for the 10th Gen iPad (vs A14 iPad Air)

So while we’re all excited for anything new and shiny from Apple, just do us a favor: SKIP the 10th Gen iPad and just go for other iPads instead—you’re better off finding an A14 iPad Air for a lower price and still get better value for money.

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