2018 has been an interesting year for Apple’s iPad.  Last year, Apple made a split between the iPad and iPad Pro lines.  The standard iPad lacked some of the speed of its Pro brothers, couldn’t use the Apple Pencil nor did it have a Smart Connector to use the Smart Keyboard Cover.  

This year, iPad released updates to both the iPad and iPad Pro that completely takes these devices to the next level.  

The Line-up

For the State of the iPad in 2018, the line-up is fairly strong.  Apple made good to great updates in the iPad and iPad Pro lines.  It still offers the iPad mini, which hasn’t been updated in years.  It’s not the best option or value, but for those that need a smaller iPad, it is still around.  Plus, there are rumors that the iPad mini might see an update sometime soon.

The range of the iPad is good.  Apple has a device for just about every need.

One thing lacking is color.  Apple has reduced the number of color options this year, riding the line entirely of Rose Gold and limiting the Pro variants to just Silver and Space Gray.

Apple also kept the last version of the iPad Pro 10.5-inch around to help hit a price point.  The iPad Pro 10.5 seems to bridge the gap between the iPad and the new iPad Pros and fits a price point Apple needed to hit.

Grade: A

Short of updating the iPad Mini, Apple has just about every need of the iPad covered.  I would expect to maybe see new bigger iPads Pros down the line, but I’m not sure it’s coming or if things have been figured out just yet.  An upgraded Mini could bump the grade up to an A+.

Design 

Most of the iPad line hasn’t seen much of a design change in years.  The Mini has never really been updated since it was first released, while the iPad continues to use the iPad Air style body.  

Both of the designs are good if not old at this point.  The aluminum backs and glass screen are still the best quality materials you can get in a tablet device these days, and it feels like a high-end device.

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The iPad Pro redesign this year has ushered in the new modern design that the iPad has needed.  Apple has shrunk the bezels and made them uniform. The edges are now flat like the original iPad, but the back doesn’t curve.  The design is striking and one of my favorite device designs since the iPhone 5.  

Grade: A/B/C

The design of the iPad Pro is the pinnacle of design.  This is probably the design of the iPad that will last for years until Apple can completely rid the device of Bezels or make the device a sheet of glass.  

The iPad design, while old, is still solid.  It’s not as flashy as the new design.  The bezel makes the device feel older than it really is.  Still, it would be nice to see Apple refine the design to get rid of more of the bezel, to maybe add FaceID and lose the home button.  

The Mini is stale though.  The design is fine, but really it hasn’t been updated since the first Mini came out.  It could use a fresh coat of paint. 

Internals

iPad

This year’s iPad has been updated with a new processor, the A10 Fusion chip.  The A10 is the same chip that was in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus and is very speedy.  It’s not the top of the line, but for most of the tasks that people will do on the iPad, it’s more than enough.  

Apple has also added support for the Apple Pencil, which had been a feature that had been locked away behind the iPad Pro.  When it was released, there wasn’t really much between the iPad and the iPad Pro.  The Pro was still faster, had a better screen, and had the smart connector to help it keep the Pro moniker.

With the TouchID sensor, everything was normal for the iPad line.

iPad Pro

Then came the new iPad Pro 11 and iPad Pro 12.9.  

These chips took over the world for a while, as the A12x overpowered many of the laptops that are Apple shipped.  Only the top of the line MacBook Pro bested the A12x in speed.  

Not only was the iPad Pro faster than most of the laptops out on the market, but Apple also added FaceID.  I’m still amazed at how much better FaceID is for me on the iPad.  I don’t have to be holding the iPad just right, it seems to scan my face at any angle.  It also increased the usability of the device.  I don’t have to stop what I’m doing to authenticate something. I can just keep using the device as I was; no more reaching up to the TouchID sensor and stopping what I was doing.

The Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard also got an upgrade which makes both more usable.  The Apple Pencil now snaps to the side of your iPad and charges.  This way, the Pencil is always with you and always charged.  I hardly ever even used the Pencil on my last iPad Pro because it was never with me, and when it was, it was out of battery.  Then you’d have to plug the Pencil into the lightning port and have it stick out while you used it.  

Apple also changed the port on the iPad Pro.  They replaced the lightning port with a USB-C port.  Apple said they made the changes for high-performance connectivity.  You can now plug in and display to a 4K monitor without a dongle, there are still some things lacking.  You can’t plug in a hard drive and have it work.

iPad Mini

And then, there’s the Mini.  It seems like the long forgotten device now that the Mac Mini has been updated.  The mini is still rocking the same chip it’s had for four years: the A8.  

Grade: B/A/C

The iPad saw some good upgrades and it made the device more usable all around.  It wasn’t anything Earth-shattering, but it did allow Apple to make a device that was capable and cheap.

The iPad Pros are revolutionary for the device.  These things are finally living up to their future.  The insides are some of the fastest and most efficient chips in a consumer device today, and those speeds will only improve.  FaceID makes the device even easier to use.

Meanwhile, the mini languishes.  It has old chips that I wouldn’t recommend to anyone.  

Price

Just like all the other categories, this one is going to be split between the three devices.

The fact that Apple is still selling the iPad Mini for the same price after four years is incredible.  Of course, you do get better storage than when it first came out, the fact that you will be paying $399 for a device that old still blows my mind.  Of course, you can still find deals on these guys, so if you find a good discount and you want the smaller device, get it.  

Buy the iPad here

The iPad is sitting at a great price point.  This iPad starts at $329 and is cheaper than an iPad of that size has ever been and it more powerful than ever.  You can still get it in gold and pick up an Apple Pencil for it as well.  You can actually find deals for it cheaper than the iPad Mini.  

The new iPad Pro is more expensive than an iPad has ever been.  While it starts at $799 it can run up to $1899 for the largest iPad, storage, and LTE.  For everything that you can get and all the things that Apple has done to improve cloud storage and intelligence when it comes to storage, you can probably get by with a smaller hard drive than ever before.  

For everything that you get for the price, it’s a good deal.  If you really want to take advantage of the iPad Pro though, you’ll want to add things in like the Smart Keyboard Folio (or another keyboard) and the Apple Pencil.

Grade: B+

I think the price for the iPad is a steal.  It is such a good device for under $400.  On the other end of the spectrum is the iPad Mini, which should have seen a price drop a long time ago.

The iPad Pro is more expensive, but the tech advances in the device are some of the best updates ever.  

Software

While I think the hardware has been some of the best hardware on a device ever, I don’t think the software has really kept up.  

As many in the tech world have made mention in the last few months, it seems like the iPad has been neglected more than any other of Apple’s devices when it comes to software.  Most of the biggest advancements to iOS are usually focused on the iPhone first.  

There have been a few times when the iPad has gotten some headlining features like multitasking, it seems like those jumps are years apart.  

Many are calling for a split of the iOS operating system into a phoneOS and a PadOS.  I don’t think it needs to go that far, but I would like to see more effort put into the iPad.  I think that with this year’s iPads, Apple might be finally ready to take the iPad into high gear.  

Right now there are many things lacking.  The multitasking is still awkward.  You can’t plug in an external hard drive to transfer files.  The iPad Pro doesn’t recognize all cameras that get plugged into it.

But iOS 12 is still a great operating system for the majority of things.  It just doesn’t take full advantage of the iPad hardware.  

Grade: B-

The software is great, but for the iPad, there are still things lacking.  I hope that Apple fills in the holes.  

App Store

The App Store on the iPad is vibrant.  There are apps of all kinds, and it is by far the busiest App Store for any tablet that I know of.  

That said, while you can find just about anything you need, the big name power apps are nowhere to be found.  For the iPad to really come into its own, it needs those apps.  

Apple needs to bring Final Cut and Logic to the table.  There needs to be a way to develop apps on the device.  Right now, there is enough power to do it, but not enough motivation.  

The Future

The hardware is the future right now, the software needs to catch up.  I think Apple does need to bring focus to the iPad software.  It can do that by focusing on iPad exclusive features with each new update and bringing power apps to the system.  

If they do that, and as apps like Photoshop start to pilfer down to the iPad, things should pick up.  

Many want trackpad or mouse support.  I don’t think that would really go a long way to fixing the problems that are out there.  Some things really just need a reimagining, but someone more important than me needs to be making that call.  

Wrap up

So what is the State of the iPad in 2018?

I see the iPad as the future of computing.  For me personally, and from the consensus after the last event when the MacBook Air and the iPad Pro were announced, the iPad seemed to be the more exciting product.  It’s newer and flashier.  It has more features that the Mac just doesn’t have yet.

But the software holds it back.  The iPad is lacking software from the input on the USB-C side of things to the lack of major apps on the platform.

I think that will change in the near future.  I think with this set of hardware, Apple is making a claim that they believe in the iPad.  

We will see what 2019 brings.

What do you think about the iPad this year? Do you see any problems that I didn’t mention here?

Thinking of buying an iPad? Use this handy buyers guide to help you decide.

Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.  There’s also a Facebook group you can go to and let your voice be heard.