In 1974, soda prices spiked with a sugar shortage.

- They never came back down.

- Diet soda and seltzer prices spiked too.

> I don’t want these prices to be considered the new normal

“Oh, ho, ho… you sweet summer child.” —Capitalism

Ones made by Apple? Definitely. There are other cheaper options.

In what world is the latest and greatest Apple product NOT a luxury good?

Yes, Apple iPad minis are luxury goods

If we remove the last year of AI-related storage/RAM cost increases, the rate of inflation is way lower if not flat.

The iPad is not the only device that has had price increases in the last year.

The US is one of the wealthiest countries on earth, there’s nothing surprising about 50% of the population being able to afford luxury items.

You're right, the self-service repair program exists. It doesn't clear neither the pairing issue nor parent's hurdles though, as Apple parts are still required , you can't get any similar enough screen you'd want, and they'll be priced the same as in Apple Stores.

As far as I remember, the self-repair kits only make sense in very niche cases (I think repair shop get a different contract ?) and won't work around any limitations Apple puts on parts or repairs.

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Yeah it was my cat. One bite and the screen turned black. He was a kitten at the time. Kittens chew on everything.

There is an entire field of study dedicated to this sort of thing called Psychophysics. It’s hardly trivial. Perception isn’t an absolute measure of sensory input as it’s influenced by context, comparison, as well as prior experience. Improvements in one experience can change the standards by which we judge subsequent ones. These principles have had profound implications across entire industries. A good primer is the book Priceless: the hidden psychology of value by Poundstone.

It's not a trivial feature. The Class A surface on an iPad is the screen.

If you plan to look at moving things, like scrolling, which is a central part of using the device, 120fps makes the scrolling less blurry and therefore more pleasant to look at.

This is like asking why people have a hardon for cars with nicer materials for seats and interiors if a normal cheap plastic interior could pass all the same crash tests.

Im usually big on refresh rates but this one doesn’t bother me. I move between 60hz iPads and iPhone to 120hz iPad Pros and my mind doesn’t register a difference between them.

I can see the 120hz nice scroll when I’m paying attention but I’m normal use on these devices I forget about it. Basically it wouldn’t be a dealbreaker for me but I agree it should probably be the standard

I don't know about for phones/tablets.

The only genuine performance increase I could see is if you're using it for drawing/notes because the Apple Pencil samples at 240/s so you would see a difference in drawing smoothness between 60/120/240hz screens. This would mirror the use case in fast-paced and high action games - more info for your eyes sooner allowing better reaction times.

Also, isn't ProMotion just branded VRR? Allowing for lower battery use in static/low change applications?

It's not just the maximum refresh rate, the variable refresh rate allows for power saving.

I agree. I have an iPhone 18 Pro. I don’t notice the difference between it and my older, non-ProMotion iPad that I use side by side.

It’s a penis measuring contest for display enthusiasts, much like gold connectors are for audio enthusiasts.

It's probably very subjective, but I actually feel dizzy using my phone in 60 Hz mode.

It is a real thing. If you experienced the shift from CRT to the first generation of LCD screens and the CRT bros are not moving to the new technology because it gives them headaches and the majority of people are OK with the refresh rates. The 60fps to 120fps perception is hard to explain.

120hz is nice for movies because you get non fractional frame pull down for 24, 30, and 60 fps which the more common video frame rates.

Especially when you have Apple money.