Apple - iPad® Air with Wi-Fi - 16GB - Space Gray

The battle is ongoing. First it was the Galaxy product and now the battle ensues between Microsoft's Surface and the iPad. What I like about it: This iteration offers speed, portability, crisp screen resolution, great sound. The edge goes to Apple with its extensive iTunes and App Store. It's about the apps. Seriously, what good is a tablet if you have nothing to do with it. There are so many powerful apps available exclusively to iPad that make it worth the investment. No other brand comes close. There is as of yet, no viable iPad killer. Why this model? For me, as one who has a laptop and desktop, this 16gb is the perfect size for me. I'm not storing any videos as I stream most of my videos from Comcast Xfinity On Demand (there's an app for that) and Amazon Prime (there's an app for that). There is also an app for Netflix and Hulu streaming. Moving on to music, iTunes allows you to listen to your music in the iTunes cloud without storing the music and taking up valuable storage space on your device. As a student, I downloaded productivity apps, education apps, magazines, books, games, word processing apps, spreadsheet apps, presentation apps. Pages, Keynote, and Numbers can read and be saved as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel and they are available free with the device. If you save documents in iCloud, then you don't waste storage space on documents. While 16gb can fill up fast, if you're using this to replace your laptop, you may get discouraged at the limited memory size. That being said, the memory goes far. This model has less memory per dollar than its counterparts, but unless you're using it to download and store lots of video and music, this should not be a problem. I maxed out every slot with apps and still had room to spare. Honestly, I don't use half of the apps that I download regularly, so if I need space I can remove apps temporarily for space and redownload when ready. Who would need more space? The user who plans to use iPhoto in a high capacity RAW images. If you're planning on saving large amounts of video, photos, spreadsheets exclusively to the iPad, then you definitely need more storage. What I love about iCloud is that you don't have to download your video, photos, spreadsheets to the device to be able to work on them, and you can remove items from the device without permanent deletion. At one point, I would insist upon the 32 or 64 but with the iCloud technology it is no longer a pressing issue. Siri, the voice-activated personal assistant is also included. Siri has proven more useful than times past. I like the ability to speak to my iPad and have reminders set, music or video played, or applications opened. The biggest competition will be the iPad mini with Retina display, but size is personal preference.

Apple has done some impressive things in the days since the iPod first came out. With the advent of the iPhone and the iOS operating system, things changed. Then came the iPad. A revolutionary new device, a vision from Jobs himself. The third and fourth iterations of the iPad were major improvements, with the Retina display, and an upgraded processor with each subsequent release. The fifth iteration, this new iPad Air, is the biggest improvement yet. While the Retina Display hasn't really changed in the three generations it's existed, it does of course continue to be a sharp, beautiful, high quality display. The hardware is a welcome improvement. Unfortunately, the memory has not been upgraded yet, but it's negligible. The processor has been upgraded to the new A7 processor, the first mobile processor built on 64-bit architecture, and the new M7 co-processor, for motion. The iPhone 5S was probably the main intent for this feature, but the motion processor still allows for some interesting innovation too come. Beyond that, I'm not exactly sure what else it's for at this point, but it's impressive nonetheless. The A7 on the other-hand, you really can feel and see the difference on many tasks. Unfortunately, iOS 7.1 is still a little buggy, and this potentially takes away some of the awesomeness you might otherwise see in the new processor, but that will improve with later iterations of iOS 7. Overall, it's still great software, and by far the greatest looking mobile operating system there it. Not clunky at all like android or windows, but fluid, dynamic, with depth. It's beautiful. Overall, the iPad Air is a fantastic piece of technology. The software is great despite its flaws, and it's gorgeous, the device itself is powerful and fast. The body is now tanner and lighter than any previous model, and with a thinner bezel, while keeping the same great screen size. The App Store is the largest of any mobile system. And since Apple requires a $99/year developer license to release apps in the App Store, the vast majority of iOS apps are made by people who are dedicated and care about what they create. They follow quality design standards and are well-built. A tablet is a vastly more intimate experience than a computer. The iPad, probably more so than any. If you want a fast, efficient, beautiful, tablet experience, this is for you. Whether you want it for content consumption, like mail, browsing the web, Facebook, YouTube, Netflix, etc, or for content creation such as writing, school, or business, I highly recommend this device. I hardly use my laptop. Well, I do use it, but this is my daily driver now. The iPad began my Apple conversion, after spending 25 years - basically my whole life - as a PC guy.

I wanted an ASUS tablet, but I was going on price, what some coworkers have, my prior experience with ASUS products, and my reluctance to join the legions of Apple followers. My daughter bought an iPad mini with her birthday/inheritance money and wouldn't stay off of it. Within two weeks of her purchase, she talked me into getting an iPad so that we could face time. Plus, she convinced me that as a designer, my customers would be more impressed that I was using an Apple product rather than a competitor copy. Believe it or not, that's what sealed the deal. I bought the iPad Air because it is the latest and greatest in the lineup and therefore is less likely to go out of date sooner like the iPad 2 and others will. I also liked it's thinness and narrower frame along the two long sides. Using the iPad took some getting use to, as I have only ever had Windows and Android products. My daughter had to show me many shortcuts and maneuvers. I still get frustrated with the way Apple products work sometimes and there are many things that Windows and Android does better and more intuitively. But, I have fallen in love with my iPad Air and it goes with me everywhere. When I'm away from home, I tether it to my Galaxy S4 and the internet speed from Verizon is great. There is no need to buy a costly separate data plan. And don't listen to the naysayer mobile phone salespeople trying to sell you a data plan only for your iPad. With 4GLTE you'll be surfing along just fine, although there is some buffering, but nothing near like what you get with 4G. I love the easy portability of my iPad. I have the Logitech Bluetooth keyboard case which doubles as a cover. I hardly ever charge my keyboard. The battery lasts forever. Speaking of batteries, the iPad is very good on battery power. The usual power munchers will eat up the battery life, but not that quickly. I charge my iPad every two or three days and my keyboard maybe once a week. I am writing this review on said keyboard with the iPad propped up and held in place by the magnetic strip. My android phone has a more sensitive touch screen, though. That's one of my biggest peeves with this iPad. You have to touch the screen and hold your finger in place longer than with a product like my Galaxy S4. It's annoying that Apple didn't include a more sensitive touch screen. My daughter and I went out and bought ourselves some 97 cent stylus pens from Target. They work so much better than a finger and are more accurate. BTW, on that keyboard? It's smallish for large hands. I miss keys all the time, because I am use to a full size keyboard, so I have to backspace frequently to retype, unlike on a regular size keyboard. Final words: I have forgotten that I have a laptop.

The new iPad Air is Apple's latest, slimmest, lightest release of their hand-held computer. Oddly enough, it's so beautifully easy to use, it's almost doesn't feel like a computer at all. A word of warning - this review is written for people who've never owned an iPad before - and are wondering what all the fuss is about. If you're thinking of upgrading skip down to the "What's great about the Air" section below, or just buy it - it's amazing. Just what's all the fuss about? -------------------------------------- I used to own a laptop for work, and (very occasionally), it'd sit on my lap on the sofa, and I'd use it for pleasure (eMail, watching films or playing the odd game). Then I bought my first iPad, and the laptop became redundant, a boring "work device". Hard to explain, but the fact the iPad is so small and light, and you navigate around with your finger by pointing and gently swiping the screen makes the whole experience a lot easier - a lot more fun. Even my most "luddite" of friends have been won over. It's incredibly simple and easy to use (it only has one main button), and everyone have taken to without problems. It's size and shape also support using it like a book (literally to read a book or web page), but you can also watch TV and films. Personally I'm also paranoid about my password getting "hacked", and someone running up a huge Amazon bill or buying stuff with my credit card on eBay. Well one of the benefits of the iPad (and iPhone) is it's "almost impossible" to get a virus - one of the most common ways to get hacked. This doesn't mean you shouldn't use strong passwords, (both Sony and Adobe got hacked), but it's reassuring to leave the Windows world behind. Finally, I love the way these devices (iPad, iPhone, Apple TV, Apple Mac), increasingly work together. The fact you can start a Pages document on your Mac and edit it on your iPad, or take photos on the iPhone, and in seconds see them on the iPad or Mac and display them on the Apple TV. The thing is, "it just works". What would you use if for?

This was my third tablet purchase in the past month. I started with a Nexus 7, which was really an excellent tablet but as I was tied into the Apple ecosystem with an iPhone and Apple TV, I found myself missing the connectivity I would have with an Apple product. I returned the Nexus 7 and went with the iPad mini (non-retina) since I liked the smaller form factor. I thought the lower resolution display would not be an issue, but it was. It was difficult to read text and pictures were not as crisp as I came to expect with the Nexus 7 as well as my iPhone 5. I returned the mini and purchased the iPad Air on the first day it was available. I have only had it for two days, but this is clearly the best tablet for me. It is not much heavier than the smaller tablets and the larger display is great for websites and games. I have no problem holding it in one hand, though the mini may be better for people smaller hands or if you want to stick it in a coat pocket or purse. The cost was obviously significantly more than the other tablets I tried, but I feel it is worth it. The Air is fast, light, works without a hitch, and has a crisp, beautiful display. I imagine the new Retina Mini will look great as well, but I didn't want to wait another three weeks for it! The Air does everything I need and does it well.

I guess you can blame ASUS for having me turn my back on Android devices (after almost 4 years straight with them). I had a Google Nexus 10 which is probably the best Android tablet you could get that's not a Galaxy Note/Tab device. I wanted to go compact so I got a Google Nexus 7 (ASUS) and what a horrible customer experience when dealing with defective hardware. I guess being exposed to Android and their non-optimized for tablet apps for so long got me used to the quirks. But after tinkering with my iPad Air, all the 'lag' and actually tinkering with apps that are built for a TABLET (unlike Android where the mobile apps are basically the same ones you access on Google Play Store and they look awful on a tablet with a 10+ inch screen). For the record, iOS 7 and Android are very similar. In fact, aside from multiple users, customization, etc. there's almost nothing you can't do in an Android where you can do on an iOS device better. They're both really good operating systems. I don't think I'll ever look back to Android until they get their act together in regards to implementing their apps and software to match their tablets. After 4 years with Android mediocre tablets, going to the iPad Air was a huge refreshing experience. Apple's customer service beats all the other competition in regards to tablet manufacturers (especially ASUS, who unfortunately is the designated manufacturer of Google's awesome Nexus 7). The iPad Air is however PRICEY. After you get the accessories and the $99 Apple Care (trust me, it's worth it to cover your investment for 2yrs), I really didn't have enough money to justify another 16gb of space. You will need it. 4gb is already used up by the iPad Air so you're technically only free to use 12+ gb. It's a shame too. I could have used that extra 4gb for more music, videos, etc.

This tablet is amazing. I traded in my Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 for this. I loved the note and all that it could do, but after getting this, I don't even know why I didn't buy an IPad in the first place. Everything, and I mean everything, just works flawlessly on it. It is super fast especially surfing the web, the screen is excellent, the apps for the tablet are just awesome. It is nice and light so holding it never gets tiring. The sound is great, the battery life is really really good. I have been using it heavily for 2 days now watching videos and Netflix, surfing the web, emails, playing games. I haven't charged it yet . It was at 93% when I got it and it is at 24% as I type this. I really recommend this to anyone who wants a first Ike tablet to people looking to upgrade their existing one. If you really love apple products, you won't be disappointed in this, and if you are an android fan looking to switch, I can tell you from experience, everything just works so much better.

I upgraded from an iPad 2 to the iPad Air. Let me just tell you how much better the screen resolution is compared to the iPad 2. Crisp pictures and the blacks are nice and black. I knew when I bought it that the picture and features would be improved, but what surprised me even more was that the sound was better. I used to have issues watching movies with my friend using the iPad 2 because of sound. We were always straining to hear the audio clearly, and a couple of times had to set up small speakers. The iPad Air must have improved speakers or the volume is able to be turned up more, or both. You can also notice a huge difference in the responsiveness of the tablet. The A7 processor is quite apparent and a very big upgrade from the iPad 2. The one thing I do not like about the iPad Air is that the smart cases run a $79.99 (case, not cover, because who wants to only protect the screen?) which I find overly expensive. And Apple should really think about branching out in color choices. Apple pink is really ugly. Anyway, 10/10 on the iPad Air itself. At least, until a new and improved version comes out... which will make me want a new one!