iPad Air 4 or Wait for iPad Pro 2021 By Kevin Ross

All right so there's another Apple event coming, but should you wait to make a purchase or is the iPad Air still the best option, even with the next iPad pros on the horizon? Well, let's actually get into why. I think that the iPad Air 4, the one that was released in 2020, is still exciting and how this device is still competing in the space. I've got wings. So let's fly into this one. What is going on you beautiful humans, welcome back to the channel, and I hope that you're all well, and you've continued to keep rocking those faces now today. What I would actually like to do is touch base on a few of the rumors about the latest iPad pros, but I do really want to spend the lion's share of our time together, discussing the importance and the relevance of the iPad Air 4.

Now, of course, as some of us are aware, maybe all of us apple is set to release a new line of iPad pros and, of course, there are some options out there that we need to really discuss that are coming in the very near future. Now, of course, with the rumored- and you know the rumored chassis to be able to house that a14x chipset, this is more in line based on some benchmarks and just some rumors that this is really just a bend m1 chip and, of course, as we know, what these things can do, because, if you've been around the channel, you know what I've done with the m1 chips. But, however, the thing is like the a14 chipset, that's inside the iPad Air 4. This is what really helped me to better understand, uh, what the capability and the future of Apple Silicon really is, and with the iPad Air coming in at 64 gigs, the 64 gig version at and the 256 gig at 749. These are still at a lower price point than the current iPad pros and likely the new iPad pros to be released, because I don't think apple is going to be lowering those prices.

I think they'll, they'll be right around the same price point. So I also think that for those of you that might have that question the iPad Air 4, whether that will drop in price- and I don't think it will at least, if you're going to be purchasing it from apple. But I do think that there's some room to drop from third party sellers. Of course, I can link up a couple of options and of course no, I know here's like the big thing. The iPad Air 4 doesn't have the 120 hertz refresh rate, but it actually does have a really beautiful, true tone display with an anti-reflective coating and that wider color gamut CPI 3, which honestly, I think it's still stunning.

Now, of course, I am not sure about the rumored uh iPad Pro models, whether all of them when we say all because there's a rumored, maybe the mini- may also be a pro version. But will they all have many LEDs and there are some leaks that are actually pointing to this only being available on the 12.9 inch, but that obviously would likely still start at 9.99 us. However, this could potentially, as I would assume, give it an edge on as far as that display is concerned with the other pros that are coming out, but this is something that we'll have to kind of wait on as far as what the refresh rate looks like the mini led, I'm sure it's going to be stunning, it's going to continue to have an even more of a wider color gamut, but let's actually wait and obviously, if this is something that is important to you, then I think it's a good reason to wait, but for those that are interested in a very capable iPad right now, let's actually talk about the workflow, and I'll even share my workflow with you now, of course, you this don't have to always be the creator workflow, because, honestly, I think we're all creators, but this can actually be a similar setup to what you might have, but I will share several videos on what I've actually done. Podcasting certainly has it is capable on this device, both with and without an audio interface. I mentioned the audio interface if you have multiple hosts or guests and need more inputs.

Of course, it is a fantastic video, editing machine and by being able to edit 4k footage in suffusion, and I think suffusion is literally the best iPad version, or at least iPadOS uh video editing suite. I do think that it is very capable I highly recommend it. I really do love, however, the convenience of editing with photoshop and, of course, Lightroom- and I know that this is not the full suite of what creative cloud or Lightroom in Photoshop is on a desktop or laptop. But honestly, it's its plenty for my needs and of course you certainly don't have to be a creator, as I said really because I do think at heart. We are all creators to get the full benefit of iPadOS or really any of the tools that we're using, because it is very capable of typing up notes, which I do quite a bit of in my review videos to keep up with all that data that I organize.

You know pulling out the pencil here um it is my favorite device. Uh as far as that's concerned- and it is also my favorite device to be able to answer emails on, although the emails are piling up, please just share your thoughts, hit me up on Twitter or YouTube. That is really the best place to find me, and it is also very capable of being a gaming device, and I do think that apple really does want to compete in this space. Whether you agree or not, that's totally fine comment section: let's have it out now, of course, using it as a companion to your Mac to get that additional display through sidecar, that's a pretty cool feature, but let's say that you don't have a mac or another computer, and so on the flip side of it. You, maybe you have an old, monitor, lying around or something like that, which I can link up some hub options, but definitely look at the connections of your monitor but being able to connect your iPad to an external monitor, to give you more of that immersive workflow.

So that is a possibility, and it would even be better if Apple were again. I mentioned it in another. Video, please allow us to adjust the display settings and the aspect ratio, because we know the chipsets are capable of it. Just let us do it and, of course, for those of us and really you who like to write or scribble things down which for me, I'm more in the scribble category, because I don't write a lot but because of apple and Apple Pencil. I've actually started to write again, but my penmanship is terrible, going into the file system so being able to store information on the device, obviously, to recall that photos, video anything that you're working on spreadsheets word docs iPad, OS that file system- it's not the greatest, and honestly it's not great at all.

I mean yes, it stores everything, but that whole organization aspect of it in the status bar when you're trying to transfer stuff over it's a bit of a nightmare. So that's the one pet peeve that I have, or at least one of them, but being able to expand the internal storage so going in for the base model at 64, gigs and then getting yourself an USB SSD, an external device. It will allow you to expand that workflow and, of course, I'll link up a couple of options: I've researched them. I work off of them, they're, fantastic and, of course, while staying slim and portable all at the same time and of course, speaking of the Apple Pencil and a few of the other accessories that are really giving you more capability and more of an immersive experience, let's actually start with the smart keyboard. Now, of course, do I think that the smart keyboard is a bit pricey and yeah at the listed 299 us.

I do believe that this is quite a leap as far as the actual tech that is inside the keyboard. It's nice, I love the key travel. I do love the keyboard. However, you know in the last couple of months, we've noticed Amazon and a couple third-party sellers, uh listing and selling this for 199 us and, of course, if you've been around the channel, then you know when I actually think about making a purchase or an investment. It is really making that purchase based on time, specifically how it actually might save me time and although the actual build itself, as I was mentioning earlier, it feels nice, but as far as 299 dollars, nice, I do think being closer to 199 dollars.

This is more of a reasonable price point, because again it's a keyboard, and it does have the added trackpad so that added functionality so popping back over to some rumors and the questions I've had from the community. Let's actually talk about the pro apps potentially coming on the heels of these new iPad pros. Now, of course, we know- or at least the rumors are indicating that the a14x processor bump will be maintained or be housed in these new iPad pros, and they will also still come with the six gigs of ram, whereas, yes, the iPad Air, it does have the 4th gen does have the a14 very capable, but it does have 4 gigs of ram, but here's the thing it. I still think that the iPad Air 4 is closer to being pro than more of the base iPad option. It's just in my opinion, but also my workflow experience, but as far as anything to do with Final Cut Pro and it's hanging out on the iPad, which could also include Logic Pro.

It seems that apple has recently updated this interesting trademark in Europe with the nice classification of 42, and if you dig deeper into that classification, it appears that it is related to SAS or software as a service, which is a potential subscription model. Hope not. But the bigger question is: is that would this be possible, or even worth it to scale? This isn't as simple as like rewriting some program language, but rather literally jumping out of the sandbox of app kit and Xcode as just a beginning, and I can't even imagine what that undertaking would look like. I know we're talking about apple here, but it would be a massive undertaking in development, but we could see the thing is my prediction: we could actually see some of that sandbox in the cloud, and so let's actually talk about that. So, as an editor I'd, imagine a user experience that would allow a more fluid hand off between me, video, like cutting video on an iPad and then bringing that over and picking that back right back up on a Mac.

So where I can actually further cut, I can do grading or more complex tasks that need more of that thermal headroom. Although there is the m1 MacBook Air, I mean yes, it's a larger footprint, a larger device, but it actually does really well with pretty complex codecs, but as the best way that I can explain this. It's kind of like cloud gaming on a device that on your device where your GPU or your CPU, cannot keep up with the demands of the actual game itself. So then, what happens is that it defers that heavy lifting to a virtual system that'll actually make that experience as if you might have a custom-built PC right next to you, but honestly thinking about all the pro apps Final Cut Pro being on iPad, maybe even the subscription you know. Hopefully, it really was just kind of a lucid dream that I actually had the last several nights, but let's just hope that the subscription model doesn't really come to fruition.

Although having the pro level apps on these tablets, it would be a blessing, but it also would be a curse at the same time because, as capable as the iPad Air is, and really these tablets in general. For those of us and really those of you that are on the fence about purchasing an iPad or whether you should invest in a full operating system such as macOS or even in another windows based Ultrabook. I know that it can be challenging. I know that this is a very really hard decision, but it does come down to your use case. Your demands on your particular work as far as having this as a companion to a computer and even the MacBook Air as an example as it may seem redundant, and maybe your budget would allow it.

I still think if you had both, I have a pretty good feeling that you could still find quite a few use cases for this particular iPad. iPad. Os I mean it is continuing to improve and scale for my particular needs, and I run an entire company on this thing now. I am certainly intrigued and may in fact just bring one of these iPad pros here on the channel when they are launched, get a little of review and comparison so definitely stay tuned for that. But I honestly do want to know what are you on the fence about when it comes to the iPad Pro? What are you most excited about as far as these rumors are concerned, I really do want to know and as I always like to leave you because we need to get out here on this one I'd like for you to go out there and do those things go, be a good human keep rocking those faces.

So you go. Do those things because right here, I'm going to continue to provide that value for you here, keep researching and building the content and the library for you, so you go out there and do those things, and I'll catch you right back here on the next one, tell you I'm uh channeling a little of the daze and confused, although not so much the flat belt hat, but definitely the hair it'd be cooler. If you did, that is ridiculous. I know Matthew McConaughey, you.

Source : Kevin Ross