New iPad Pro prices in Taiwan (2021 model)

 

A few days ago Apple released the newest iPad Pro 11" and 12.9" models that almost look the same as the previous generation, however the processor was upgraded to the M1 which is found in the latest MacBook Pros and iMacs, the screen has Micro LEDs and much bigger brightness (only the 12.9" version), the RAM is now 8 GB in the under 1 TB versions and 16 GB in the 1 TB and 2 TB versions, there's a Thunderbolt 3 slot, and a new white color Magic Keyboard with trackpad was also added to the previously available black one. This isn't really a huge jump in terms of design, but spec wise it's a decent bump. Let us first look at the prices in Taiwan (in NTD), then the same Taiwan prices converted to USD (at an exchange rate of 1 USD = 28.0 NTD), and then lastly the same prices as listed on Apple's US website.

New iPad Air prices in Taiwan (2020 model)

 

Apple just launched the new 2020 iPad Air. It's basically like the smaller iPad Pro, but doesn't have Face ID (it has Touch ID on the off-on button) and it doesn't have ProMotion (a 120 Hz refresh rate). What is better is the A14 processor (the current iPad Pro has the older A12Z). It also has a bit of a thicker bezel. Anyway, here are the new 2020 iPad Air prices in Taiwan:

New iPad Pro prices in Taiwan (2020 model)

Today Apple released the newest iPad Pro 11" and 12.9" models that almost look the same as the previous generation, however the processor was upgraded, the cameras are now two instead of one, and a new Magic Keyboard with trackpad was developed that has to be purchased separately (and will only be available in May 2020). This isn't really a huge jump in terms of design, the casing aside for the camera bump is basically the same. Let us first look at the prices in Taiwan (in NTD), then the same Taiwan prices converted to USD (at an exchange rate of 1 USD = 30.3 NTD), and then lastly the same prices as listed on Apple's US website.

iPad Pro prices in Taiwan (2018 model)

Yesterday Apple revealed the new iPad Pro 11" and 12.9", with ultra thin bezels, a new more powerful processor, Face ID, and USB-C. As a big iPad fan for years, I'm naturally very stoked to see this product come out, but when I saw the price tags, I almost got a stroke. I started to compile a price list, because it's so difficult to get a real overview on Apple's website. Let us first look at the prices in Taiwan (in NTD), then the same Taiwan prices converted to USD (at an exchange rate of 1 USD = 31 NTD), and then lastly the same prices as listed on Apple's US website.

iOS 5 on iPad nostalgia

When I was going through my old photos of 2012, I found these iOS 5 on iPad screen grabs. It's amazing how much iOS has changed since the iOS 7 redesign. Looking back, I feel I miss these icons a little bit. They actually didn't look that bad. I hope iOS 10 and the ones after that will bring back a little bit more contour and depth. While I'm not a fan of skeuomorphism, the flatness and blank spaces of iOS 7/8/9 are in my opinion another extreme that has to be improved. I want more functionality, I want to trump pure visual simplicity. I hope iOS 10 will fix some of that.

Meanwhile, enjoy some iOS 5 nostalgia:


I really loved Apple's Pages and FaceTime icons here.

New iPad Pro 9.7" had scratches, so I returned it

I was so excited to finally get my new iPad Pro 9.7" yesterday. I arrived home late from work, and the package was waiting for me already. I ordered it online two days ago and it was here. Those who read this blog know, that it was a month long anticipation. But since it was late, I decided to unbox it the next day. So today in the morning was the time to do it. This is my third iPad, and arguably the best ever made, so I was pretty excited. I set everything up for a little unboxing video in my room, and started to unwrap the box. I've unboxed like 7 iOs devices in the past, and it was always a pleasure to see how they slowly slip out of the box, but this one just would not go out. It was odd. I had to really tug on it to get the top part of the box off. Something didn't feel right. When I finally unwrapped the iPad and checked the front and the back, I spotted scratches! In total it was 6 of them! I was very disappointed, especially because of the recent problems of aluminium chipping on my iPhone 6s Plus. Seriously, am I just unlucky, or did Apple's quality drop? As a big Apple fan, I'm very disappointed. This was the most expensive tablet I've ever bought, I got the 256 GB version, that costs nearly 1000 USD!

iPad Pro photographer in Taipei

I've spotted this iPad Pro photographer in Taipei a few days ago, and it's the first time that I've seen someone taking photos with the larger 12.9" device. He was photographing a mockup Batmobile, that was on display at a public square close to Taipei 101. I have totally nothing against iPad photography, but the 8 mpxl camera on this device is arguably not as good as the camera of the recently launched 9.7" version, that comes with a 12 mpxl camera. Unfortunately, that one is not yet available in Taiwan. If you want to know more about the iPad Pro versions, read my post that compares specs and prices, and highlights my own purchase considerations.

iPad Pro prices in Taiwan and a dilemma

So I'm planning to buy a new iPad, but I'm not sure whether I should choose the iPad Pro 12.9" or 9.7", or perhaps just get the iPad Air 2, the price for the 64GB version is really attractive right now. However as a tech geek, I'm just magically drawn to the iPad Pro because of all the advanced features, and the very capable processor. But all that comes at a price at around 1000 USD, and that's definitely not cheap for a tablet, and makes me question whether I really need to pay that much for additional storage. Because right now I would probably choose the iPad Pro 9.7" with 256 GB, but before I press that preorder button, I want to analyse and see whether I'm really sure that this is the right way to go for me. Perhaps the analysis would be of use to you, too.