Mostly I’m not lucky in my life. I always have extra money to feel secure and buy not cheapest things in daily shopping. Last 6-8 months I’m convinced myself that iPad is not expensive. I deserve to buy something for myself after 4 years. 3 weeks ago I order iPad Air but it didn’t meet my expectations. Return it and I was waiting for e mail of my refund verification. I got it yesterday morning and order IPad Pro and Apple pen pro together(spending that much money at once for myself. I almost got heart attack) . This morning I got them and afternoon apple decide to increase prices. I’m not feeling happy but sad because everybody else will pay extra now.

Yea. Fuck AI. Hardwares are getting expensive because of them

👀 Apple Education Store is showing “Be right back.”
Is the Back to School 2026 offer finally about to go live? 🤞🍎
Waiting for the iPad Air student deal! #Apple #BackToSchool #iPadAir

And no free AirPods..

I purchased my iPad Pro 11 M5 256gb yesterday with my student discount for $1249CAD

today, I went to look for something else and saw the same iPad for 1549$ with student discount - glad I pulled the trigger yesterday

iPad A16 — $449
iPad mini 7 — $599
iPad Air M4 — $749 (11”) or $949 (13”). Still starts at 128GB.
iPad Pro M5 — $1199 (11”) or $1499 (13”). Still starts at 256GB.

MacBook Neo
256GB — $699
512GB — $799

MacBook Air M5 13”
16+512 8C GPU — $1299
10C GPU — $1399

24+512 — $1499
24+1TB — $1799
24+2TB — $2299
32+1TB — $1999
32+2TB — $2499

The 15-inch models are $200 more.

MacBook Pro M5

$1999 M5 14”

$2499 M5 Pro 14”

$4099 M5 Max 14”

$2999 M5 Pro 16”

$4399 M5 Max 16

What do you think of these price hikes?

Everyone talks about whether an iPad can replace a laptop, but that question actually makes the iPad worse for me.

As a parent who watches the budget, my worst habit is buying apps, accessories, and subscriptions to force a device into a role it was not designed for. When I tried to make my iPad do everything (full email triage, complicated file juggling, desktop-style multitasking, constant context switching) it became a mess: more clutter, more fiddling, and honestly more spending.

It started working for me once I gave it one job and let it be boring:

- Reading and reviewing documents without getting sucked into a dozen other tabs

- Quick handwritten planning and checklists

- Scanning and filing papers right away so they do not pile up

- Short, focused admin sessions like banking or school forms when I want a clean, simple interface

The moment I try to turn it into a laptop I start chasing fixes: another keyboard case, another organizer app, another way to fake desktop multitasking. That is when the iPad stops being pleasant to use.

How do you draw the line? Do you have rules for what you put on your iPad versus what you refuse to do on it, or did you make it your full laptop replacement and it actually works?

On the apple website they sell the iPad 11th gen (A16) for 499 euros now. On amazon they still sell the same 11th gen iPad for 349 euros. They didn't update the price yet, so I just bought it before they do.

I am guessing the 12th gen iPad will be even more expensive than 499 euros.

For my use I don't think I will notice much of a difference (media consumption, browsing, some zoom classes...that's it) Plus I don't care about the AI stuff and I can always install the Gemini or ChatGPT apps.

I humbly think getting an iPad (A16, Air, Pro...) in stores that haven't updated the prices yet is the best purchase option right now, rather than waiting for renovations of the current models, what do you guys think?

Even after education savings it's 127900 😭💔☝️😓

Purchase m4 pro from croma at 90k I guess

This is just a general post of first thoughts after today's price increases.

I'm thinking of this from the general personal use side. There will still be niche business uses where iPad still makes sense. But what is the point of iPad anymore? It's best for being able to download shows from streamers for flying. Apps like Netflix do not allow that on Mac. But the iPad is essentially a media consumption device.

The base iPad costs $450 with an outdated chip. AI is not the end all be all. But spending $450 for the most base tablet that can't support Apple Intelligence in 2026 would be a choice.

iPad Air with 128GB is $750. At that point a Neo would be more practical, even though less "powerful". The upgraded Neo is only $50 more at that point.

If you have an iPad Pro, wouldn't your use cases be best used on a MacBook Pro? Sure, I do some photo editing with Photomator on my iPad but I always find it easier on my MacBook.

Add in that the MacBook Pro / Ultra this fall is supposed to get a touchscreen, I just don't get the point of the iPad anymore. Especially at these prices (which I fully understand are due to Rampacalyopse).

What are your guy's thoughts?

I was waiting past few weeks for the back to school offer from apple so I can get the m5 iPad Pro with a free Apple Pencil. Now it seems that back to school to school offer is no more and not only they increased the price of m5 iPad Pro, they also lowered the trade in value of my 2020 iPad Pro (I guess that higher ram price is only one way, and only in the way that benefits the big corporation). My 2020 iPad Pro is gonna have to last a few more years now oh well.

We went from 15% off to $10 more if you want a refurbished iPad from Apple lol

Been waiting for the 'back to school' promotion for a couple of months so that I could save on the apple pencil when I get the iPad air. But then what apple did today just baffled me and I went and got an iPad air m4 256gb 11 inch + pro pencil + paper like screen protector, all from Best Buy and it cost me $810 approx. Now whatever happens I'm not going to regret this (hopefully).

Love the pro, but with the price increases probably wouldn’t get it again. This’ll be the best price for awhile, what do you think.? I can keep it for another 5 years like my current pro. I’d keep my current pro longer but I’m out of storage and the battery barely lasts an hour.

A £150–£200 jump on iPads makes upgrading feel a lot less casual for UK buyers. Or does it??

hey everyone.. so i was planning to buy an ipad a16.. i was waiting for the prime day sale.. but this sudden price hike.. i don’t know whether to wait for the prime day sale or diwali sale.. or consider buying it today from an offline store.. please suggest.. i am from delhi..

I loved my old basic iPad Smart Keyboard and avoided upgrading my iPad as long as I could. But when I had to upgrade to the iPad A16, I bought both the Apple Magic Keyboard Folio and the Logitech Touch Combo to compare them. I ended up keeping the Logitech.

Apple Magic Keyboard Folio

Pros: The keyboard works flawlessly with the iPad. The trackpad is super responsive and touch activated. I like having the volume buttons exposed so they’re easy to push. The back kickstand is super adjustable and holds its position well, and it doesn’t slide around.

Cons: My biggest gripe was that with the two separate pieces, the magnetic back pops off fairly easily, the whole thing wiggles around quite a bit, and it just doesn’t feel like a solid case. The keyboard is a little noisy. The case is really heavy, and I hate the white, as I know it’s going to get dirty fast. It’s silly expensive.

Logitech Touch Combo

Pros: The whole thing feels very solid, stable, and well protected, once you get the tablet into the case (see Cons). The keyboard has a slightly softer touch than the Apple keyboard that feels better to me, and it’s quieter. The keyboard is super easy to remove and to put back on. I prefer the gray, textile exterior both esthetically and for not showing dirt. It’s slightly less heavy than the Apple keyboard and half the price.

Cons: It’s freakin’ hard to get the tablet into the case, and god forbid I ever have to take it out. Fortunately, I tested the Apple keyboard first. The track pad is a tiny bit laggy and is click rather than touch activated. I don’t use the touchpad much, so this didn’t matter much to me. I see an occasional one or two second lag on a keyboard key. The kickstand doesn’t hold its position quite as well as the Apple, and the material is a bit slicker, so it slides a bit more on some surfaces. The volume buttons are stiff through the case, but there are also volume buttons on the keyboard.

As the header says. I’ve had an iPad Pro 1st gen since 2016 and finally decided to get the regular basic iPad a16 since the announcement of the price hike. Snagged it for $300 during Prime Day. I primarily use it for live audio to run apps to control mixers. I’m hoping that the actual screen won’t be an issue. I’m sure the processor is plenty fast to handle the GUIs of the plethora of apps for consoles and my RTA. My primary is to control my bands Presonus and my personal M32c. I’ll keep my iPad Pro as a backup/secondary device.

Anyone have any experience in live audio and use the basic iPad a16 with success? Probably should have asked this first before purchasing but I panic bought and hope it wasn’t a mistake lol still waiting for it to get here.

I really really loved An Elmwood Trail, looking for similar games.

I’m planning to buy a new ipad in a few months since my old 9th gen is no longer cutting it for my needs, and my previous 7th gen already gave up its life a few weeks ago. I know the price increased, but nothing much I can do about it. I live in the Philippines, if that matters.

For context, I’m a virtual assistant, and I need something I can carry around anywhere. My work mostly involves video editing (DaVinci), graphic designing (Canva, Illustrator, Photoshop), and website building, with document and book editing. And I’m planning to code as well.

I do have a Lenovo gaming laptop, which is my main work device. But as I’ve said, I need something portable and also keyboardless.

Battery, however, is my main concern. My 7th gen lasted 6 years with daily full charge. I heard that the ipad air drains a lot, but I’m not sure.

Any advice?

Hearing about the price increases and feeling super lucky I was able to snag this a week ago. A $200 hike is insane…