Apple’s embargo on iPad Air reviews lifted late last night, and most of the leading tech websites have already posted their thoughts on the device. Most reviews follow along a similar theme of writers marveling at how the device is now thinner and lighter, making the iPad easier to carry. The whole point of using an iPad Mini was its increased portability, but asClayton Morris of FOX reports, the new iPad Air is so light and thin that traveling with the device is noticeably easier that previous versions.
iPad Air reviewers were also disappointed by the lack of Touch ID. The fingerprint-scanning technology was a shaky but successful hit on the iPhone 5S, and several wished that the same feature could have been included to unlock a device just by placing a finger on a sensor rather than entering the code. Perhaps that’s a feature that will appear in next year’s version of the iPad.
The iPad Air goes on sale this Friday at Apple Stores, carriers in many countries, and several retail partners like Best Buy and Walmart. Here’s a round-up of what other reviews had to say about the new tablet.
For the new generation, Apple seemingly decided that [two cores] was enough, and so what we have here is the same dual-core, 64-bit A7 CPU found in the iPhone 5S. Disappointed? Don’t be. The iPad Air is ridiculously fast. Interestingly, it’s slightly faster even than the latest iPhone, which also has the same amount of RAM (1GB). Apple seemingly turned the wick up a bit here, with Geekbench indicating a processor speed of 1.39GHz, versus the 1.29GHz on the iPhone 5S.
Apple iOS 7 is great, but more exciting still is that you get a bundle of new apps with the iPad Air, including GarageBand, iPhoto, and iMovie, as well as Keynote, Pages, and Numbers. A huge advance over what iPad users have had previously - and without paying any extra - these apps add loads of functionality to the tablet straight out of the box. Edit photos, make movies, record a song, write about it, manage your costs in a spreadsheet, and then present it to people ready to lap it all up. It's a creative hub, more so than any iPad before it.
Yes, as strange as it may sound, the latest iPad is actually just a larger version of the 7.9-inch mini. It's as if the smaller device -which launched at the same time as the fourth-gen iPad - was a pilot test for Jony Ive's new design language. Calling it the "Air" was fitting indeed, since it's ridiculously small and light compared to previous models.
While I suspect there are still going to be a lot of users who prefer the smaller form factor of the iPad mini with Retina Display, I do feel like there are those users who will continue to appreciate all of the benefits that go along with having a larger display. Text is easier to read, particularly on desktop versions of websites. Photos and videos are larger and thus more engaging as well. In the past there was this complex matrix of tradeoffs that you had to make between iPad and iPad mini. This generation, Apple does away with all of that.
This new iPad isn’t a radical rethinking of what a tablet can be, but it’s a major improvement on a successful product. It is the best tablet I’ve ever reviewed. That isn’t just because of its slimmer, lighter design, but because Apple boasts 475,000 apps optimized for tablet use — far more than any other tablet platform. (The iPad also can run all of the million or so apps available for the iPhone.) By contrast, the vast majority of apps available for rival Android tablets are just stretched versions of phone apps.
Compared with the other tablets on the market, Apple still holds the edge. It might be a tougher call if the competition were significantly cheaper. But the Surface 2 at $450 and the Galaxy Note at $550 aren’t bargains. And they are heavier and lack the wide variety of apps. Also, their core software isn’t updated as frequently or as thoroughly as that from Apple, which has made it a practice to regularly update its operating system for nearly all its customers so it feels as if you are getting a new tablet or phone when you update.
The bottom line, though, is that for anyone who sees an iPad as a supplemental device, the iPad Air is a very compelling alternative to the iPad Mini. It’s so much lighter than the iPad 3/4, both as something to carry when traveling and to hold while using, that it significantly diminishes the iPad Mini’s primary distinguishing feature.
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