

iPad Air Review - wittyphrasehere
http://anandtech.com/show/7460/apple-ipad-air-review

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Segmentation
I wasn't planning on buying an iPad Air, as I'm still happy with my iPad 2,
but that comparison chart on the first page really sold me that the iPad Air
is the first real upgrade to the iPad 2.

My only complaint is I want high capacity, and I find it so ridiculous that to
go from 16GB to 64GB I have to pay $200 extra. Two hundred dollars for 48GB. I
think the last time I paid that much for 48GB was ten years ago.

Edit:

I wish Apple would put a microSD reader on the iPad. Purely for storage
expansion. I realize they don't do this because it would basically kill their
storage upgrade options and they'd probably lose money. No one would feel
compelled to upgrade beyond 16GB.

microSD readers exist on the smallest devices nowadays, so form factor or
weight is certainly no excuse.

~~~
qq66
I think the main reason that Apple doesn't include MicroSD is that they want
to control the entire product experience, including data ingress and egress.
Not only to protect lucrative margins, but also because they know that if the
user screws something up by deleting files off the SD card etc, they'll blame
Apple whether that's fair or not.

That assertion of control makes iOS unsuitable for many users, but Apple has
consciously chosen a market segment and its proven itself a large one.

~~~
Glide
I wonder what the genius bar lines would be like if Apple products were a lot
more open and allowed for that kind of customizability.

There's probably some correlation between simple(r) products and good customer
service.

------
blinkingled
Another great review as usual from Anandtech.

Wow, Apple is still skimping on RAM at the expense of user experience. It
would've been a great time to bump the RAM up to 2GB given the switch to
64-bit iOS 7 seems to be causing 20-30% higher memory consumption. It was
already kind of bad on previous gen 32-bit iPads.

It's still tempting to upgrade from the brick that the iPad 3 now feels but
I'll live with it until the one with finger print reader, more RAM and fully
baked iOS 7.1.x are out.

~~~
tedunangst
If they ship an ipad with 2GB, developers will start to use 2GB and then apps
will run like crap on older models. Then people will complain about forced
obsolescence. (Source: the dozens of comments I've read from people
complaining their 512MB iOS device has been rendered useless.)

~~~
blinkingled
Something's gotta give - after sticking to 1GB on 4 generations users would
hardly complain about the newer one having more RAM - that's just
technological progress. Macs no longer have 2GB RAM for example. Secondly
developers would be stupid to use more RAM just because they can - if their
app only runs on the latest iPad, I'd say that would be a big issue.

~~~
Tyrannosaurs
Particularly when the iPad 2 is still a current model. I suspect that's the
thing holding them back.

------
davidmr
> It seemed like a foregone conclusion that the 10-inch tablet market was done
> for, with all interest and excitement shifting to smaller, but equally
> capable 7 or 8-inch tablets instead.

Did I miss something? I've been happy with my 10" ipad for years and,
especially with the 2048x1536 display, have never felt the need to go smaller.
I know most of the android tablets are smaller, but I've been completely
satisfied. I suppose I've never used the ipad mini, so it might be all that
and a bag of chips.

Is this really the trend? It wouldn't be the first to pass me by, but I'm
still surprised.

~~~
mcculley
I completely agree. I love my current iPad and don't want a smaller form
factor for what I use it for (e.g., reading and small amounts of typing,
Duolingo every morning). I already have a smaller form factor device that is
wearable but painful to read or type on for bigger jobs (my phone) and a
larger device with a full size keyboard for doing lots of typing and serious
work (laptop). I welcome the iPad Air because it is the device I enjoy the
most but faster and lighter.

------
mirsadm
As usual Anandtech has one of the best reviews. My only complaint is the CPU
benchmarks are more or less useless. I understand there aren't any good cross
platform benchmarks right now but using JS benchmarks is completely
inaccurate. Not only are there major variations between scores on the same
device (across different browsers and versions) but the same browser isn't
even available on both platforms.

I'd love to see how the A7 really stacks up against the Snapdragon/Tegra but
it doesn't seem like we'll be seeing that any time soon.

~~~
calinet6
> As usual Anandtech has one of the best reviews.

No one does reviews like Anand—even other reviewers at Anandtech. When I see
him as the author, I know I'm in for a treat. I mean, down to the metal, and a
full understanding and clear explanation of what it means! Just top quality,
every single time, even going back ten or fifteen years to the Pentium and
Athlon era. I learned so much from his clear and passionate explanations of
CPU structure and design decisions.

I still love that the author name link goes straight to his e-mail address. I
think I'll thank him directly.

~~~
acchow
Brian Klug is really good too. Check out the HTC One Review:
[http://www.anandtech.com/show/6747/](http://www.anandtech.com/show/6747/)

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ohwp
I liked to know more about the weight per size, so here a small list:

    
    
      iPad    : 680 g / 6186 cm3 = 0.1099 g / cm3
      iPad 2  : 601 g / 3944 cm3 = 0.1523 g / cm3
      iPad Air: 469 g / 3060 cm3 = 0.1532 g / cm3
      iPad 3  : 650 g / 4213 cm3 = 0.1542 g / cm3
      iPad 4  : 650 g / 4213 cm3 = 0.1542 g / cm3

~~~
ScottWhigham
I'm trying to understand how you would use that information. Other than
"product dimensions" and "product weight", why do you need to calculate/know
more? It's interesting and all - I just don't guess I see what the value of
knowing the g/cm3 is.

~~~
ohwp
_" It's interesting and all"_

Well it's just that. Apple is promoting their size/weight ratio so I just
wanted to know there progress. Nothing more nothing less ;)

~~~
jasonpbecker
No, they are not advertising the ratio. They are advertising reducing both. By
your size/weight ratio, the original iPad would be the "ideal", but any one
who has used any of these devices knows that's absurd.

Density is far less important than the actual size and weight. High density is
a demonstration that they've utilized all the available space (since the
density of the components themselves are not changing) for components and need
less room for heat. Alternatively, it could be a sign that the internal
structure matters less than less and only the exterior components (aluminum
and glass) are meaningfully different from one version to another.

What makes the iPad Air attractive is not density, it's that there's less of
it all around.

------
Zak
One thing that I think gives the iPad a considerable advantage is its 4:3
aspect ratio. Despite having larger bezels on the ends than the sides, it's an
inch shorter than a Nexus 10 in its largest dimension.

The article mentioned 10" tablets and 15" laptops seeming to be on the way
out. The difference in largest dimension is even more pronounced with laptops.
The last 15" 4:3 Thinkpad was 13.2" wide. The current 15" 16:9 models are
14.7" wide. It's about the same thickness and weight with less depth, but it
seems like a much bigger machine because its largest dimension is bigger.

------
yalogin
Looks like Apple hit home runs with all of their updates this cycle.
Interestingly I haven't seen this universal praise for any other Apple update
cycle before. Unfortunately I am not in the market for any device right now.

~~~
ScottWhigham
I would disagree that they hit homeruns on everything. The most obvious
"single" would be the iPhone 5C which, by all accounts, is underselling
expectations significantly. As a consumer, Apple "lost the game" by not
introducing an iPhone with a larger screen size. Why are HTC and Samsung doing
so well in the phone market? Because they offer what clearly millions of
people want: a 5" screen. If Apple had introduced a 5" screen iPhone this
cycle, how many would they have sold? I can't tell you how many people who
have, this year, switched from long time iPhones to Samsung/HTC for this
reason (my family included).

That said, I'm buying the iPad Air as an upgrade to my iPad 2 and I'll be
updating my 2011 MBP as well because I think they've really hit homeruns for
those two.

~~~
rsynnott
> The most obvious "single" would be the iPhone 5C which, by all accounts, is
> underselling expectations significantly.

Hrm? Apple's first-week iPhone sales significantly beat analyst estimates and
their own records. It doesn't seem plausible that those were all 5Ses.

> Why are HTC and Samsung doing so well in the phone market? Because they
> offer what clearly millions of people want: a 5" screen.

HTC are not doing well in the phone market. As for Samsung, the Note 3 managed
5 million channel sales in one month, with total sales of the series over a
couple of years of only 40 million. 40 million sales over two years is a drop
in the bucket for Samsung's sales; the bulk of their sales are of low-end
devices (with small screens).

> If Apple had introduced a 5" screen iPhone this cycle, how many would they
> have sold?

Well, I know I wouldn't have bought one, whereas I did buy a 5S. Not everyone
wants giant phones.

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jason_wang
The device I really wish exists is an iPad Air minus the computing power. Just
a screen to stream videos to from a iPhone, a laptop or a cable box. A
portable screen that's a lot less powerful than an iPad but a bit more
powerful than a digital picture frame.

Surprisingly this is for my parents. They watch videos all the time and
watching videos on an iPhone is too small, on a laptop is too bulky and on an
iPad is too expensive.

~~~
ricardobeat
You're out of luck, the processor costs something like $10, taking it it out
would hardly nudge the price. Get a cheap android tablet or a mini LED
projector instead.

~~~
Recoil42
The processor alone would barely nudge the price, but removing the NAND, RAM,
and camera modules along with it definitely would make huge difference. Even
more if you can kill the touchscreen.

Unfortunately, the resulting product is also an incredibly limited niche.

------
qq66
It's always a pleasure to read something truly well written; a rare luxury in
the world of iPad reviews.

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programminggeek
"The iPad Air is the most significant upgrade to the 9.7-inch iPad in its
history." I would actually say the iPad to iPad 2 transition was a bigger
jump, but maybe just because it's so easy to forget how much bigger and
bulkier the original iPad was.

The iPad came out what 3 and a half years ago and it's faster, lighter, better
resolution, and has gone from a "who would ever buy that" to one of the most
popular computers in the world. It has completely upended PC sales and forced
a radically different Windows experience on millions of users (for better or
worse).

In all honesty, what is most remarkable about Apple is that they can take a
industry leading (or defining) product like the iPad and make pretty
significant improvements every year or two like clockwork and have those
changes not just be superficial, but meaningful changes that make a difference
to the end user.

~~~
wozniacki
_I would actually say the iPad to iPad 2 transition was a bigger jump, but
maybe just because it 's so easy to forget how much bigger and bulkier the
original iPad was._

Are you trolling or are you simply a moron?

The dimensions and weight comparison table ( right smack on the first page [1]
) shows the iPad Air is a good 181 grams lighter than the previous version,
the iPad 4.

The second generation iPad at 601 grams is only lighter by 79 grams over the
first generation, which stood at 680 grams.

[1] [http://i.imgur.com/J0XIVAX.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/J0XIVAX.jpg)

~~~
Alterlife
The perceived 'bulkiness' is more than just weight. Drawing from your own
link, the original iPad is 13.4 mm thich, the iPad 2 is 8.8 mm.

If I remember right the original iPad 1 had no front camera (or was it no
cameras at all?).

To me that's a huge upgrade.

~~~
wozniacki
Wrong again.

Considering only the dimensions, the second generation iPad managed a meager
trimmings of 4 mm, 2 mm and 4.6 mm in length, width and thickness for a total
of 10.6 mm.

That pales in comparison to a total of 18.9 mm in combined length + width +
thickness savings, in the current iPad Air.

So your elusive measure of "perceived bulkiness" falls short of explaining how
iPad Air is not the greatest leap in terms of portability over its previous
version, over all of the other deltas of iPad generations.

~~~
dmgd
both manners and the concept of "volume" seem to have escaped you.

using figured from ohwp's response above:

    
    
      iPad    : 6186 cm3
      iPad 2  : 3944 cm3 = saving of 2242cm3
      iPad 3  : 4213 cm3
      iPad 4  : 4213 cm3
      iPad Air: 3060 cm3 = saving of 884cm3 (vs smallest other iPad, the iPad 2)

~~~
pygy_
In both cases a diminution of ~30% (35 and 27, respectively).

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psbp
I'm waiting for the iPad Pro. Assuming "Air" and "Mini" are hints of a mac to
tablet replacement (coalescence?) strategy, an iPad that challenges the
Microsoft Surface's role as a hybrid device would be spectacular.

~~~
rsynnott
With MacOS 10.9? That sounds pretty awful, really. Apple has shown little
indication of going remotely as far as Microsoft on trying to merge desktop
and tablet interfaces.

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skc
So I guess next iPad revision will be the TouchID version. So we know Apple
will still be printing money for the next 24 months at least

