https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/10/mini-review-the-2019-ipad-has-a-new-skin-but-its-mostly-the-same-tablet/

The past year has seen Apple blazing a new trail for its iPad line of products, further distinguishing the tablets from their iPhone roots and seeking to establish them as real productivity and creativity devices.

iPadOS and the features and performance found in the latest iPad Air, iPad, and iPad Pro models have made the best case yet for the iPad as a device for content creating—not just consumption. But the base iPad, priced at under $400, was until recently very much stuck in the old mode.