Hands on: iPad Air review
The arrival of its mini brother has meant that the iPad ‘maxi’ lost some of its headline billing – but Apple has taken the bigger tablet back to the drawing board, given it a fresh new name – iPad Air – and is hoping to prove that not everyone wants to give up on a bigger screen.
As well as improvements to its innards, in a new A7 chip and camera upgrades, the decrease in thickness and weight in the new iPad Air is very welcome, making what could have been an incremental upgrade hugely significant.
The iPad Air weighs in at just 1lb (or 453g) and 7.5mm thick – a significant step up from its predecessor, and in the hand that difference is genuinely startling.
Think the difference between a thick A4 pad and a smaller reporter’s notebook, and you’re getting somewhere near. This is a real step up, and not one to be sniffed at when you’re thinking about buying a new tablet.
The fourth incarnation of the iPad came quickly after the third – both announced last year, which may well have lessened the impact (especially given the rowdy newcomer it was announced alongside).
This time around, the iPad Air is looking to make a splash and to that end we get refreshed innards that take this a big step towards being a fully-functioning PC with the integration of Apple’s latest physical technology.
Chipping it in
Under the hood, the iPad 5 has the 64-bit architecture of the A7 chip that debuted in the flagship iPhone 5S, but as a bigger device that power is even more important here, described by Phil Schiller on stage as ‘screamingly fast’
The gap between tablets and laptops has not just narrowed but all but disappeared, and the advancements made by Apple in this area are key to its success.
Also improved are the cameras – bringing a HD Facetime camera (ie the front one) and a 5MP, 1080p rear camera. Don’t use the rear one, though. Seriously. Don’t be that person.
The cameras appeared to function pretty well in the low light of the hands-on room, but we need to get it out into the wild to give you a proper opinion.
They are certainly an improvement on the iPad 4, but beyond that it’s really too early to say. Although it doesn’t matter as you shouldn’t use the rear one. Have we mentioned that?
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Past wins
Sometimes in the wash of new technology it’s easy to forget what the iPad already brings so it’s important to note that the arrival of iOS 7 just a few weeks ago have made significant improvements to the iPad universe already, bringing a welcome step away from skeuomorphism and a more modern and fresh design.
And that Retina screen that has been wowing us from last year is still present and correct – and, as you would expect from a tablet – central to everything that is great about the iPad.
The display is crisp and colourful, meaning that photographs are vibrant and sharp, web surfing is clear and easy and watching films is a joy.
There’s no Touch ID – which is a surprise given that it’s quickly become a nice feature of the iPhone 5S and the A7 chip can handle it – but it’s not by any means critical, and we’ll merrily take the reduction in size and weight.
As you would expect with this level of power, the apps run superbly and we were flicking in and out of things like the App Store and iWorks apps without any sign of slowdown or hesitance.
For many 64-bit architecture on an iPhone was unnecessary but, when it comes to the iPad, the extra oomph is a real joy, and we’re hoping that developers can take real advantage of the step up.
It’s interesting to note that a number of the camera features offered on the iPhone 5S aren’t available for the iPad Air, despite running the same processor and, presumably, the same amount of RAM.
This means that even with the 64-bit chip, there’s no 8MP sensor with decent dark scene reproduction, nor the ability to make slow-motion video.
We’re staunch advocates of there being no rear cameras on tablets at all – buy a phone or an actual camera if you’re that bothered, and keep the front facing option for video chatting – but it still will annoy those that like having such a function that the obvious power isn’t being tapped into.
There’s a case to be made for the physically larger sensor ruining the aesthetic here, and Apple was clear it had to shave every element it could, but it still feels like the consumer is being short changed.
More than a name
The iPad Air is much, much more than just a name change – the reduction in the size and weight of the device improve it on a fundamental level.
The biggest criticism you could level at the iPad 4 was its size and weight, and the Air’s biggest difference is that it’s simply more of a pleasure to hold.
It’s now down to less than the Sony Xperia Tablet Z, and we were amazed at how easy that was to hold – but Apple has taken things to another level now.
The innards and the other improvements are nice, incremental of course, but all make for a fine device.
The iPad Air release date is imminent – we’re going to see the new device on November 1, so expect queues spilling out of every Apple store as the public gets overly excited about this new option from the Cupertino lot.
And a special shout out should go to the price: once again, this premium, flagship product from Apple doesn’t break the bank compared to its competition.
The iPad Air can be picked up for £399 for the 16GB version, which is the same as the impressive Sony Xperia Tablet Z. Admittedly the latter allows for expandable storage, but still, we rarely see an Apple device costing the same as its counterpart at launch.
Given it has a richer apps ecosystem and an arguably better design, there are a lot of reasons to get excited about the new iPad.
Early verdict
It’s hard to put into words how much Apple has improved the iPad, offering a stunning level of detail and power with a build quality that’s unrivalled.
But the reduction in thickness, and especially weight could well ensure that the iPad Air is the finest tablet on the market.
It will always have its detractors, but in the tablet market at least Apple is making no compromises – it’s level on price for the most part, and if it had a microSD card slot, then the critics would probably have nothing to say at all.
We can’t wait to get our hands on one for longer and really put it through its paces – stick around for our in-depth review, which we’ll bring you in the very near future,
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