iPad Amazon sale on the Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad Air

[OtinG]

Amazon has the Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad Air (4th Generation) and iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd Generation) on sale for $199 with free Prime delivery. That is $100 off normal price.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This might be an indication that the iPad Pro 11” is getting a refresh. Or maybe not. Regardless, the Magic Keyboard works with the current Air and the Pro 11” model. I doubt the Air will get a refresh this month since it was refreshed in the Fall of 2020.

[pwalker8]

Interesting. I've got a magic keyboard for my iPad Pro and I really like it.

I think they normally have some sort of iPad refresh this time of year, so it's certainly plausible.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Interesting. I've got a magic keyboard for my iPad Pro and I really like it.

I think they normally have some sort of iPad refresh this time of year, so it's certainly plausible.

The rumor mill is buzzing about a March event, which of course has not been announced yet. They refreshed the Pro models last March, so maybe it will happen, but that isn’t set in stone until, and if, Apple announces a March event this year. I’m a wait and see kind of guy. I’m not in the market for a Pro model though, but I try to keep up with the new models when they get released.

I must say it is uncharacteristic of Apple to discount an item by 1/3 unless it is going to be discontinued or refreshed. Apple store on Apple dot com still shows $299, but the Apple store on Amazon has it listed for $199. They also have some iPad models discounted on Amazon, but not by that much.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by OtinG

The rumor mill is buzzing about a March event, which of course has not been announced yet. They refreshed the Pro models last March, so maybe it will happen, but that isn’t set in stone until, and if, Apple announces a March event this year. I’m a wait and see kind of guy. I’m not in the market for a Pro model though, but I try to keep up with the new models when they get released.

I must say it is uncharacteristic of Apple to discount an item by 1/3 unless it is going to be discontinued or refreshed. Apple store on Apple dot com still shows $299, but the Apple store on Amazon has it listed for $199. They also have some iPad models discounted on Amazon, but not by that much.

I'm not really in the market for one either. My iPad pro should be more than good enough for several more years. The iPad mini hasn't gotten much use in this year of covid since I haven't been going to lunch at restaurants and that's basically what I use it for.

[John F]

Originally Posted by OtinG

The rumor mill is buzzing about a March event, which of course has not been announced yet. They refreshed the Pro models last March, so maybe it will happen, but that isn’t set in stone until, and if, Apple announces a March event this year. I’m a wait and see kind of guy. I’m not in the market for a Pro model though, but I try to keep up with the new models when they get released.

I must say it is uncharacteristic of Apple to discount an item by 1/3 unless it is going to be discontinued or refreshed. Apple store on Apple dot com still shows $299, but the Apple store on Amazon has it listed for $199. They also have some iPad models discounted on Amazon, but not by that much.

Does Apple have price control on what retailers can sell their products for?

The Airpods (at Amazon) recently went on sale for about 1/3 off, and are currently 25% off.

I'm hoping Apple will announce some new airpods, as mine are basically dead.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by John F

Does Apple have price control on what retailers can sell their products for?

I'm not sure. Apple does have an Amazon Store page on Amazon's website, but no clue if they have much say over prices. I assume Apple does have at least some say.

I remember in the early 1990s a computer retail store chain, possibly CompUSA (?), started offering big discounts on Apple products and Steve Jobs got so mad at them that he banned the chain from selling any Apple products for several years. This was Jobs version 1 before he was forced out of Apple. He wanted every retailer to sell Apple products for the same exact prices. CompUSA tried to skirt around this rule by offering a free Apple printer (made by Canon) with the purchase of a Mac. I'm not sure what his issue with that was, as that is a common retail practice in order to be competitive. Seems like Jobs would be happy as long as he got the wholesale prices he demanded, but he was such a control freak! Of course that was way back before Apple had their own retail stores.

I also remember Jobs, (Jobs version 2 after he returned to Apple), made Best Buy (?) dedicate a corner of their stores to Apple, and he had a lot of control over that prices and how the products were stored. I think Apple actually provided the sales staff for their corner in the store.

[tomsem]

I want to replace our iPad Air 2. Right now it is hard to justify getting 11” iPad Pro as it is slower and costs more than the 2020 iPad Air (albeit with better cameras, FaceID, Lidar). So I am interested in the iPad Pro refresh before making a decision.

Then there are rumors that a new iPad mini with a larger screen and TouchID in screen lock button. I am really happy with my mini 5 but would have to consider that as well.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by tomsem

I want to replace our iPad Air 2. Right now it is hard to justify getting 11” iPad Pro as it is slower and costs more than the 2020 iPad Air (albeit with better cameras, FaceID, Lidar). So I am interested in the iPad Pro refresh before making a decision.

Then there are rumors that a new iPad mini with a larger screen and TouchID in screen lock button. I am really happy with my mini 4 but would have to consider that as well.

The current one, the mini 5, has TouchID in the screen lock, but it's the same size as the mini4. It's been out for about two years. That's the one I've got. I would have thought that the next one would have face id rather than touch id.

[OtinG]

I just bought an iPad Air 4th generation (2020 model). Amazon had them on sale for $559. I couldn’t justify spending $200+ more for the 11” Pro. I wouldn’t use the camera or Lidar. Face ID would be nice, and so would the 4 speakers, but again there wasn’t enough to justify getting one. I’m really liking my iPad Air. It is crazy fast and has a very nice display screen. I love the new smaller bezel and larger display. A refreshed 11” Pro might be more worth the extra money, but I doubt it.

I’m trading in my old iPad Pro 9.7 which Apple is giving me $190 for. Once I get the Apple gift card for it, I’ll get a keyboard case, probably the Apple Smart Folio Keyboard case. The Magic case is heavier and it can’t be opened to bend the keyboard around behind for holding the iPad like a tablet.

[pwalker8]

Apple announced that they are dropping the full sized HomePod to focus on the HomePod mini. They will continue to support and produce software updates for the HomePod. I have a HomePod mini and like it. Right now, the only thing on the buy list is another HomePod mini so I can pair them.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by OtinG

I just bought an iPad Air 4th generation (2020 model). Amazon had them on sale for $559. I couldn’t justify spending $200+ more for the 11” Pro. I wouldn’t use the camera or Lidar. Face ID would be nice, and so would the 4 speakers, but again there wasn’t enough to justify getting one. I’m really liking my iPad Air. It is crazy fast and has a very nice display screen. I love the new smaller bezel and larger display. A refreshed 11” Pro might be more worth the extra money, but I doubt it.

I’m trading in my old iPad Pro 9.7 which Apple is giving me $190 for. Once I get the Apple gift card for it, I’ll get a keyboard case, probably the Apple Smart Folio Keyboard case. The Magic case is heavier and it can’t be opened to bend the keyboard around behind for holding the iPad like a tablet.

One nice thing about holding on to an iPad for a few years is that when you replace it, the new one feels so fast. Typically, no one year is a major speed upgrade, but when you add that incremental increase year by year, after three years it can be a pretty big boost.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Apple announced that they are dropping the full sized HomePod to focus on the HomePod mini. They will continue to support and produce software updates for the HomePod. I have a HomePod mini and like it. Right now, the only thing on the buy list is another HomePod mini so I can pair them.

I saw that on MacRumors, but I didn't read the article. I wonder if the full-size HomePod was just too expensive for the average buyer? Apple devices are always sold at a premium price. Amazon has offered more Echo devices over the years than you can shake a stick at, and quite a few of them have been discontinued. I think Amazon is more willing to try new models hoping to find a niche market than is Apple. If the device doesn't sell they discontinue it.

Originally Posted by pwalker8

One nice thing about holding on to an iPad for a few years is that when you replace it, the new one feels so fast. Typically, no one year is a major speed upgrade, but when you add that incremental increase year by year, after three years it can be a pretty big boost.

Definitely true. I had an iPad mini 2 and didn't upgrade it until many years later with an iPad mini 5. Big improvement in speed and design. My iPad Pro 9.7 was the first Pro model and I just now upgraded it to the iPad Air 2020. Again, a huge improvement in speed and design. The only downgrade was that the Pro has a quad speaker system that is way better than the new Air with only dual speakers.

I currently have two Macs, a 2012 Mac mini with i5 processor and 16GB RAM and a 2014 MacBook Pro with i7 processor and 16GB RAM. Pretty much any new Mac will make them look like stone age relics! I want to get a new M1 Mac someday, probably the Mac mini M1, but I know better than to buy the first generation. There aren't enough "native" apps written/modified for the M1 yet, and they will need time to improve the M1 platforms. At least they seem to be a bit more affordable right now than the Intel chip versions, but I suspect as more buyers switch to the M1 Macs Apple will probably start raising the prices. Right now they have to offer us an incentive to get one, but if they prove to be better than the Intel chip versions we will be more apt to buy them at higher prices. Currently it is too much of a gamble IMO, so I’ll wait until generation 2 or 3.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

The current one, the mini 5, has TouchID in the screen lock, but it's the same size as the mini4. It's been out for about two years. That's the one I've got. I would have thought that the next one would have face id rather than touch id.

I have mini 5 (corrected ^^) also. But I’m confused: it doesn’t have TouchID in the screen lock (like iPad Air), it still has Home button for that. I am more interested in having no Home button so the screen is bigger, don’t care whether it is FaceID or the iPad Air style lock button that enables this.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by tomsem

I have mini 5 (corrected ^^) also. But I’m confused: it doesn’t have TouchID in the screen lock (like iPad Air), it still has Home button for that. I am more interested in having no Home button so the screen is bigger, don’t care whether it is FaceID or the iPad Air style lock button that enables this.

I did not understanding what you mean by the screen lock. I thought you were referring to the home button.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by tomsem

I have mini 5 (corrected ^^) also. But I’m confused: it doesn’t have TouchID in the screen lock (like iPad Air), it still has Home button for that. I am more interested in having no Home button so the screen is bigger, don’t care whether it is FaceID or the iPad Air style lock button that enables this.

I’ve got both the iPad mini 5 and the iPad Air 4 (2020 model). Both work in a similar way for unlocking the device. Both require a thumb or finger to push down a button. The button for the iPad mini 5 is the Home button while the button for the iPad Air 2020 is the Top button. Both the Home button on the iPad mini 5 and the Top button on the iPad Air 2020 are touch ID sensors which read your finger print/thump print. But they operate slightly different as shown below:

To unlock the iPad mini 5:

1. Place thumb or finger on the Home button, press down on the button and wait until iPad mini 5 unlocks.
2. Once the iPad mini 5 unlocks, release pressure on the Home button.

To unlock the iPad Air 2020:

1. Place thumb or finger on the Top button, press down on the button momentarily, then release pressure on the Top button.
2. Lightly place thumb or finger on the Top button for a second time but do NOT depress it, wait until iPad Air 2020 unlocks.
3. Once the iPad Air 2020 unlocks, remove thumb or finger from the Top button.

For some reason Apple added another step to unlock the iPad Air 2020. I find that if I place my thumb on the iPad Air 2020 Top button then quickly depress and release it and move my thumb about a millimeter above the button to ensure it isn’t still depressed, then again depress gently rest my thumb on the Top button without depressing it hold it down a second or so it unlocks the iPad Air 2020. A bit clunky compared to the iPad mini 5, but with practice I’ve learned to do this smoothly and quickly.

ETA: Note that I made some corrections to my earlier statements. On depress the iPad Air 2020 Top button once, then after releasing it gently rest your thumb on it for a moment until it unlocks the device.