The iPad lineup is officially a mess, here’s how Apple can fix it

So… let’s see: during the last six weeks the new iPad Air and iPad Pro models for 2024 have been revealed, the old vanilla iPad has been discontinued and what consumers can expect from iPadOS 18 has been confirmed. There’s still no word about a new iPad Mini, but Apple has bigger fish to fry in 2024 – so there’s either not going to be any announcement regarding that model this year or it will be a simple press release highlighting a handful of modest, unexciting internal upgrades. All in all, since there are new iPhone, new MacBook Pro and Mac Mini models in the pipeline for Q3 and Q4 of this year – maybe even a new Apple TV model – chances are that the iPad line is pretty much wrapped up for 2024.

Here’s the thing, though. From a consumer perspective, the iPad category as a whole is still a confusing mess. It’s not the first time this has been brought up by reporters or members of the tech community – far from it – but the whole situation seems to have come to a head now that Apple’s intentions about any iPad model, even the “Pro”, have become clear: they are all supposed to be used as typical tablets only, apparently. Want to actually use them for work? Tough luck. Want to make the most out of them as complementary devices to Macs in some other way? More tough luck. Sorry, people: just buy more Apple devices. We’ve got shareholders to satisfy here, consumers are an afterthought (if that).

With that in mind, four different iPad lines, six different models and over forty (!) different configurations look more superfluous than ever now. That’s on top of all the other issues many people have pointed out many times before regarding the iPad category: a number of models are practically interchangeable at different price points, different models are compatible with different accessories, some models do not fit many popular use cases at all anymore, some others are comically overpowered for what they are allowed to offer, some are so close to the point of obsolescence that Apple should just put them out of their misery.

The iPad lineup as a whole is confusing for a number of different reasons and has been for a long while now.

It’s no wonder that it seems more difficult than ever to know which iPad model suits which kind of customer or even to decide which one does not suit most target groups. Which is, frankly, crazy. Here’s how Apple could clean up this mess, then: four different choices the company can make in order to solve the majority of issues currently present in its iPad lineup. Certain choices exclude other choices while others can be made at the same time, helping things along considerably. Let’s take a look at each one of them.

Option one: get rid of the iPad Mini

Yes, yes, yours truly gets why a lot of people just love the smallest iPad out there. At this size and weight it can be handy to have around the house for the simplest of tasks. It’s also close to the ideal tablet for young children to play games or watch videos on. But, in 2024 terms, it’s becoming harder and harder to justify getting one even for those specific use cases – and it will prove even harder to recommend in 2025.

As far as the Mini’s size is concerned, the new iPhone Pro Max model will come so close to that this year it’s kind of ridiculous: their screen size difference will come down to almost one (1) inch, while the iPhone will be a far more powerful and capable device. Most of the non-Apple flagship smartphones have been close to that size for some time. As for the Mini’s weight, Apple has already demonstrated that it can go very thin and very light with large iPads now: the new Pro models are unbelievably easy to hold for long periods of time and the next iPad Air or the next vanilla iPad will be just as easy or even easier to hold while sporting a larger, more useful and enjoyable screen than the Mini.

The iPad Mini was OK for a long time, but technology advancements have rendered it almost useless for most people. It’s small screen is only adequate for specific things nowadays and even younger kids love a larger, brighter screen (provided the device is comfortable enough to hold). Regardless of any other change Apple might want to bring to this category, the iPad Mini should go the way of the iPhone Mini… and it probably will. It’s just a question of when, really.

Option two: get rid of the vanilla iPad

This is a tricky one because it does make sense (for Apple and consumers alike) to always have “a default iPad” available no matter what else is going on in the company’s tablet lineup. There are so many people who “just want an iPad”, in the sense that they intend to make typical use of it, and a lot of people who have settled on getting an iPad – they are the best tablets after all – but need to spend as little money as possible on it.

These consumers most probably do not need or even want to know what “Air”, “Mini” or “Pro” mean in Apple’s lineup: it’s an iPad, it does not cost all that much and that is enough. What Apple could do at some point in time, though – as the manufacturing processes of its M line or processors mature – is settle on one iPad line for this mainstream target group. The iPad, the iPad Air and the iPad Mini are all used in almost the same way 90% of the time. The Air is obviously better at playing demanding games, but for everything else – Web browsing, social media, content streaming, simple games etc. – all three lines offer a similar user experience that’s not affected by screen size all that much.

Demanding games aside, the vanilla iPad, the iPad Air and the iPad Mini do not differ all that much in most use cases.

Why not kill three lines with one stone, then? Apple could replace the vanilla iPad, the iPad Air and the iPad Mini with a new mainstream iPad line, addressing all mainstream consumers with a 10-inch, thin and light, reasonably powerful iPad that would work better than the Mini, faster than the vanilla and almost as well as the Air in modern games. It would be called something else, “the iPad Something”, but when people would be looking to buy an iPad, it would either be this iPad or the premium one (the one now Apple calls the iPad “Pro”). So much simpler for everyone involved, no?

Option three: get rid of the iPad Air

This is by far the most often-discussed option on the Web for a reason: it makes sense both on its own as well as combined with other options. The iPad Air is in an uncomfortable place right now: it’s more powerful than the vanilla iPad or the iPad Mini without offering much more in terms of everyday use – demanding games excluded – while it’s not as large or capable as the iPad Pro models. It’s a high-quality device that’s not different enough to the vanilla or Mini models but not “Pro” enough (whatever that means) in Apple speak either.

It’s also not exactly cheap in modern tablet terms, so it’s easy to see why the iPad Air could just stop being available without anyone really missing it: people after affordable iPad models would get the vanilla model or the Mini, while people after the premium iPad models would get the current Pro ones. As mentioned earlier, in 2025 or 2026 the vanilla iPad could easily be as powerful and capable as the Air is now, so… maybe the latter’s days are numbered anyway?

Option four: get rid of the iPad Pro

This one seems like the most unlikely choice of the four Apple could make but, in light of recent events, it shouldn’t be easily dismissed. Since the company insists on not providing iPad Pro owners with access to the macOS operating system, which would transform these extremely capable tablets into true computers with the help of a proper wireless mouse and keyboard, then all that power is effectively wasted.

This, in turn, means that if a future iPad Air gets e.g. an M4 or M5 chip – as it certainly will if Apple follows its current approach and if the company does not decide to get rid of that model, as mentioned earlier – then it will get to the same place where the iPad Pro models are now: ridiculously, needlessly powerful for they typical, everyday iPad stuff, but limited to that, since the iPadOS will always be a mobile operating system at heart.

The iPad Pro is already a tough sell as a “professional tool” – since it’s not one, not really – so Apple might as well stop pretending there’s a reason for its existence, scrap the “Pro” moniker, create a new premium tablet line, call it iPad Something Else and move on.

So what should Apple actually do, long-term?

When all is said and done, it’s not hard to see how the company could make it much, much easier for everyone to choose the right iPad for their needs. It could simply focus on just two lines: one for mainstream consumers (who only want a high-quality Apple tablet to just do the usual iPad stuff comfortably) plus one for demanding users (who want the most capable Apple tablet and are willing to pay for it). That is all. They’d come in different configurations, yes – depending on storage space and 5G connectivity – but after some careful trimming those would be more like fifteen rather than the current forty. A huge improvement.

The iPad lineup needs to be simplified so consumers can make easier, better choices – whether Apple likes it or not.

Will Apple ever decide to simplify its iPad lineup to this extent? That depends on whether the company believes such a move would help the iPad sell more units or become a more efficient part of its business without leaving too much cash on the table. There’s little doubt internal research or focus groups would indicate that there’d be a sizable gap between the most expensive mainstream iPad models and the most affordable hi-end ones… but that’s precisely where consumers end up either spending more money than they actually need or choose a model incapable of meeting their needs long-term.

Is that keeping them from actually getting an iPad? Probably not. Countless articles on the Web point to the iPad being the absolute best tablet on the market, after all, and rightly so – so even confused consumers are somewhat safe in the knowledge that whichever iPad model they end up buying, it will do. Sure, there’s a number of people who get the most affordable iPad available, only to find out in less than a few months that they have outgrown it – but those can’t be that many. They are almost certainly fewer than the people who, after getting frustrated with the current iPad mess, just end up buying a simple Android tablet instead.

One can imagine a world where a vanilla, thin and light, 10-inch iPad as powerful and capable as Apple’s enviable margins allow starts at $499 and a much more capable, premium 11-inch iPad starts at $899. The difference would be clear, the target groups of each would be clear and there’d still be a number of more expensive models between the two (the vanilla iPad equipped with more storage and/or 5G connectivity).

For people who need a cheap tablet for basic use there are countless other Android tablets out there in the $199-$399 range, same for the people who actually need a smaller tablet. But when it comes to the iPad? Just two lines for Apple to manage, just two lines for consumers to choose between. Maybe Steve Jobs would have followed that line of thinking and maybe, just maybe, Tim Cook would do well to ponder on that.