This time last year, Apple introduced the sixth generation of the 9.7" iPad, a device which remains on sale today. It isn't nearly as powerful as the iPad Pro and its screen isn't nearly as nice as the iPad Pro, but it has two things going for it: it supports the first-generation Apple Pencil, and it is cheap. I think that the $329 version with only 32 GB is too small for most attorneys, but the $429 version with 128 GB is a way to get support for the incredibly useful Apple Pencil while spending far less than an iPad Pro.
Recognizing that there was a large gap in features and price between the iPad and the iPad Pro, yesterday Apple introduced two new mid-range iPads. The names of these new devices are the iPad Air and the iPad mini, which are familiar names; the original iPad mini came out in 2012, and the original iPad Air came out in 2013. But the names are just being recycled; these devices are really improved versions of the 10.5" iPad Pro which came out in 2017. Indeed, this new third generation 10.5" iPad Air even works with the same accessories as the 10.5" iPad Pro, such as the Apple Smart Cover and the Apple Smart Keyboard. The new fifth generation iPad mini is just a smaller version of the same thing.
The new iPads are $100 apart — $399 for the iPad mini or $499 for the iPad Air, both with 64 GB; for an additional $150 you can jump from 64 GB to 256 GB, giving you much more space for all of your documents, photos, and videos. These prices — $399/$549 for the iPad mini and $499/$649 for the iPad Air — are more expensive than the $329/$429 9.7" iPad but cheaper than the iPad Pro, which ranges from $799 to $1549 for the 11" iPad Pro and $999 to $1749 for the 12.9" iPad Pro. So just from a price standpoint, these are mid-range iPads.
From a feature standpoint, these are also mid-range iPads. Like the inexpensive 9.7" iPad, you only get support for the first generation Apple Pencil, and you get a button with Touch ID instead of super-thin bezels with Face ID. But you also get a screen that is much better than the 9.7" iPad, although not quite as nice as the iPad Pro, and you get an A12 bionic chip, the same super-fast chip used in the iPhone XS albeit not the A12X used in the latest versions of the iPad Pro.
If you use an older iPad and it is time to upgrade, spending $649 for the 256 GB version of the 10.5" iPad Air is going to be very compelling to many attorneys as an alternative to spending $949 for the 256 GB version of the 11" iPad Pro. Both devices are almost exactly the same size and weight; the larger screen on the iPad Pro is a result of the smaller bezels. The second generation of the Apple Pencil is only available with the iPad Pro and it is much better than the first generation Pencil for the reasons I explained in this post. But the older version of the Pencil is still a very nice stylus, especially if this will be the first time you have used an iPad that can support an Apple Pencil. (John Gruber of Daring Fireball explains in this post the likely reasons that Apple didn't support the second generation version of the Apple Pencil.)
As for me, I wouldn't want to give up the fantastic large screen of my 12.9" iPad Pro. Yes, it is hundreds of dollars more than these new mid-range iPads, but that larger screen is fantastic for reviewing and annotating documents, surfing the web, looking at pictures and videos, etc. But if you want something closer to the size of a traditional iPad, now you have a choice to make.
As for the new iPad mini, I find that size far too small for most folks trying to get work done. Documents, exhibits, etc. are going to be tiny. But I used to own an iPad mini many years ago, and there is something compelling about a small iPad which feels like you are holding a book in your hands. It is still larger than an iPhone for reading emails, reading text, jotting down notes, etc. If you are looking for an electronic version of a smaller notebook, the new iPad mini with Apple Pencil support could be just what you need.
