The Apple iPad (2020) is the tablet you buy to use like a computer.

 

 INTRODIUCTION

 

“iPad” is as general a term in the technological industry as “Kleenex.” Apple has kept a base iPad to serve as the group’s focal point even as its iPad selection has grown to include the Air and Pro versions. The iPad 8th Generation   is all that it is. No generation, year, or designation. It’s for those who say, “I’d like to buy an iPad today,” whether they do it in person or online. They only need $329 to purchase one.

 

components, visuals, and design

 

With the iPad Pro line, Apple revealed a brand-new design, and it has just added that style to the new iPad Air along with a gorgeous new colour scheme. Though it still resembles and feels like the previous iPads, it hasn’t yet reached the economies of scale to be incorporated into Apple’s budget iPad. What is there to say that hasn’t already been said countless times? This design has been refined by Apple.

 

The aluminium slab features a back that is precisely flat, sides that are pleasingly curved, and a little chamfer that neatly abuts the front glass. Nothing flourishes. It’s only a gateway to iPadOS 14. It is an appliance, just like your Keurig or toaster.

 

The 10.2-inch display is smaller than the iPad Air, but not in terms of resolution (2160 x 1620), which yields the same density as the Air. You’ll see that this display isn’t laminated, though. The screen and the glass that covers it have a noticeable gap, unlike the iPad Air, iPad Pro, and every current smartphone.

 

Despite this flaw, the screen has excellent colours and clarity, and you can only notice the gap from specific viewing angles. Although I always have the brightness set to 100% outside, the peak brightness of 500 nits is more than enough. Outside, the absence of lamination can be problematic because it reflects more light than most tablets do.

 

In terms of functionality, I actually don’t mind the iPad’s dated circular Touch ID sensor, but it clearly feels dated in comparison to other options like an in-display fingerprint sensor or the iPad Air’s side-mounted sensor built into the power button. This is likely the final iPad to have a Touch ID button.

 

I also hope that the screen bezels will get smaller when the swap is made because they appear absurd now. Although they don’t need to be as large, bezels are useful for gripping the tablet without touching the screen.

 

With a weight of 1.08 pounds, the iPad is easy to carry and evenly divided. Although it is heavier than the iPad Air and iPad Pro, both of which have significantly greater capability and larger displays, you are once again reminded of how dated its design is. Whatever the case, holding the tablet upright with one hand in portrait mode or two hands while watching a lengthy video is simple.

 

Audio quality on video is lacking, though. There is only one speaker, which is on one side and is fairly tinny and easily concealed by your hand. The back is also slick, so you’ll need Apple’s tri-fold Smart Cover, which costs a cool $50, to prop it up for prolonged viewing or typing.

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Battery life, features, and software

 

The largest software update for the iPhone in years comes in iOS 14, but not in iPadOS 14. The iOS 14 change to make notifications and alerts not take up your entire screen and the new Spotlight search interface both benefit the iPad the most. The rest of the time, it functions as iPadOS 13.

 

The most notable addition is probably “Scribble,” which allows you to utilise the Apple Pencil for handwriting-to-text recognition throughout the interface. Of course, this feature requires a $99 attachment, so that is a whole other topic.

 

You’re stuck manually managing pages of apps and directories, which appears antiquated in light of iOS 14’s App Library’s absence. Although you may pin the widget pane to the left third of the main home screen in landscape orientation, you can’t move widgets elsewhere on the home screen, which I think is a major omission.

 

Although there is a lot of power in multitasking, it is nevertheless difficult to learn and appears to be impossible to master. To open programs, use split-screen, and activate floating windows, there is a strange dance of movements that you must learn on your own because there are no discoverability cues.

 

Although iPadOS 14 appears straightforward, multitasking requires a steep learning curve.

 

Apple probably knows that the average base-model iPad buyer uses their device for much less multitasking than those who purchase an Air or Pro, but don’t let that deter you from making the most of it.

 Once you get into the depths of gesture controls for multitasking, you can accomplish a lot with the A12 Bionic chipset and a big screen on a smartphone. The iPad also never misses a beat when running two or three apps simultaneously, even when other apps are running in the background. The specifications of the iPad are clearly designed to support the ambitious features and capabilities of an upcoming iPadOS 17, not 14.

 Storage is the only area that isn’t prepared for the future. Simply put, 32GB is insufficient. I had already used up 23GB within a few days, but happily I had ordered a 128GB model. I advise everyone to follow suit. Just a shame Apple overcharges you by an additional $100, or 30%, to obtain it.

 Excellent battery life is to be expected. The 32 watt-hour cell has a lifespan of “never think about it.” It’s obvious that Apple’s customary claim of “10 hours of web browsing or video watching” isn’t at all indicative of how people actually use their iPads. I used it for a whole workweek, using it for a variety of light-duty social media tasks, email and messaging, as well as keeping up with YouTube and podcasts, and I never had to charge it. The iPad excels at being completely idle for long periods of time (even days) without drawing much power. The iPad does not deplete when you are not using it.

 Unfortunately, the iPad still needs Lightning to charge, in addition to the Touch ID sensor and other design remnants. Let’s hope that this is the final iPad to utilise the old connector and that it switches to USB-C to join every other iPad, MacBook, and Android phone. It’s just plainly superior. The box’s charger at least now has USB-C on the wall side.

 Although the iPad has a camera on the back, it may as well not have one. The 8-megapixel sensor can be used to take pictures of receipts or to send them along with explanations to friends, but that’s about it. The 1.2MP front-facing camera can record video calls in 720p on your preferred app with quality that is comparable to a laptop but less advanced than a modern phone. In many respects, the simplicity of placing a FaceTime chat with friends and family is more significant than the camera’s actual quality.

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Our view

 Although the 8th generation iPad isn’t particularly interesting, it is a fantastic tablet for $329. If you take the time to learn how to use it, iPadOS 14 is simple to pick up and use and has a lot of potential for multitasking and light productivity work. The display is excellent for the price and the battery life is outstanding. The hardware may feel and look dated, but it is tremendously powerful and, most importantly, it is constructed with durability in mind, both externally and internally.