iPad Air initial impressions

January 3, 2014 10:39 AM

20131225-083834.jpgFrom the very first moment you hold the iPad Air, you notice it is a lot lighter and thinner than the previous models; it is quite a joy to hold and can be carried in one hand for a prolonged period with no issue.

But in truth if you have an iPad with retina display it may be quite a fight to really justify the upgrade, but that said, the iPad Air is a very nice device, it’s fast and is a top end tablet and lives up to everything that you’ve come to expect from Apple.

However, the rear camera hasn’t been upgraded so you don’t really get the same features as the iPhone 5S which I do find surprising. With the smaller bezel sometimes sticking, it makes it harder to use if you’re scrolling or browsing the net. This isn’t a big problem as it only happens occasionally although it might be that I just have clumsy fingers!

Another thing that wasn’t added was touch ID which in itself is rather curious as again, the IPhone 5S has it. And with the Air looking to be Apple’s flagship Tablet, and considering Touch ID was one of the main selling points of the 5S, leaving it out is rather strange. I suspect the Air 2 (if that is what they will call it) will most likely have Touch ID.

A subject which you have probably already heard people complaining about is Apple’s amnesia when it comes to expandable memory. It is something that has always dogged Apple’s IPad and IPhone releases. With the wealth of media available to us through apps, music and/or videos it is annoying and very difficult to decide what to cull from your storage: ‘No I don’t want to delete Angry Birds or Temple Run, I want to keep it all!’ A 16GB tablet just is not enough for the avid Tablet user. This is unfortunately where Apple lacks behind Samsung which does have noticeably better expandable memory options.

20131225-083914.jpgThe iOS 7 looks a bit child like in its appearance but I like it as it is not as boring as previous incantations. It is like Marmite, as you either love it or hate it, I myself am of the opinion that it is a step in the right direction, although you can never please everyone and there have been a lot of complaints on this system and Apple will need to work on this and on the future iOS8.

Even the sound on the new Air has been upgraded, I find it to be better than the previous versions. It looks different without actually being a complete re-working of the Apple Tablet. The bezel is sleeker and is much easier to hold for a prolonged period of time. The speaker is held between the lightning port and the sound is more stereo, it reminds me a bit of the Kindle fire HD’s sound. Though the screen is very much a fingerprint magnet, the battery life seems to be the same as the old Ipad with retina display.  I have had the Ipad air for a few days now, which I deem enough time to play with it to know that Apple have once again released a brilliant tablet.

The iPad air is a classy bit of kit, will it win over apple haters? I don’t think apple have done enough with iOS7 to win over android users. I prefer Apple’s OS over Androids which is not to say I think the iPad Air is the best and all other tablets are just rubbish but we all know when it comes to buying a tablet, it’s down to your own preference as well as bank balance. Apple’s main problem at the moment is that there are quite a few cheaper options with just as good specs on the market, though Tesco’s Huddle has had a few teething problems.

It remains to be seen if Apple will re-assess the pricing or even give the option to add more memory, these are two things that hold the Ipad down and allow the Andriod’s version two unique selling points in the market.

Thanks for reading and I shall be continuing with my reports on the new Ipad Air.

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