How the F#&% Will I Pick An iPad In 2024?

Jonathan Kim
Mac O’Clock
Published in
11 min readJan 23, 2024

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I used to think the iPad lineup wasn’t confusing

The iPad lineup as of January 2024 (image: Apple)

After five years with my 3rd-generation iPad Air, I’ve decided to get a new iPad this year! And since Apple didn’t release a single new iPad in 2023 and there are rumors that every iPad model is going to get a big upgrade, 2024 is turning out to be an unusually good year to buy one. But with all those upgrades, choices, and prices, it’s going to be hard figuring out which is the best iPad for me. Check that — it’s turning out to be really hard.

My 3rd-generation iPad Air (2019) was the first iPad I ever bought. At the time, I wasn’t quite sure if there was space for an iPad in my life since I already had an iPhone, MacBook, and even a 5K iMac. After five years, I’ve found that not only does an iPad have a place in my life, but it’s a bigger place than my MacBook and iMac inhabit since I use my iPad multiple times a day, every day, and always take it with me when traveling. I’m sure I could get by on my iPad Air for another year even though the screen has a few random bright spots and is sometimes a little slow to respond, but I’ve decided to hand it down to my four-year-old daughter since, to be honest, I’m tired of sharing it with her when she wants to play games or watch something. It’ll be a great first iPad for her (I’ll of course continue limiting her access to it), and an even better excuse…

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Jonathan Kim
Mac O’Clock

Used to be a film critic, now writes about tech (mostly Apple), and sometimes woodworking