Mobile Technology

iPad Air: Apple's full-sized tablet now infused with iPad mini's design

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Today Apple pulled back the curtain on the iPad Air, the new full-sized (9.7-in.) entry in Apple's tablet lineup
The iPad Air is 30 percent lighter than 2012's 4th-gen iPad with Retina Display
The iPad Air is available in silver/white and black/space gray
Today Apple pulled back the curtain on the iPad Air, the new full-sized (9.7-in.) entry in Apple's tablet lineup
View gallery - 3 images

It seems like just yesterday that Steve Jobs stood on the stage and revealed the iPad to an uncertain but eager audience. More than three and a half years later, the iPad is a household name all the world over, with a popularity that rivals the iPhone. Today Apple revealed the fifth iteration of the full-sized iPad, and it's the first to carry a major physical redesign ... and a new name.

Meet the iPad Air. If its design looks familiar, that's because its casing looks like a larger version of its smaller sibling, the iPad mini. It's the mini's narrower bezels and thinner build married to the larger model's 9.7-in. Retina Display. The iPad Air measures at just 7.5 mm (0.3 in.) thick, and weighs a mere 454 g (1 lb), 30 percent lighter than the previous iPad.

The iPad Air is 30 percent lighter than 2012's 4th-gen iPad with Retina Display

On the inside, the new iPad should be much faster than last year's 4th-gen iPad (Apple advertises 2x faster processing and graphics). The new model is powered by the new A7 system-on-a-chip, found in the iPhone 5s. It also adds the iPhone 5s' M7 motion coprocessor.

Despite slimming down, Apple advertises the same ten hour battery life from the previous full-sized iPad. The tablet also adds faster Wi-Fi (with support for multiple antennas), and more LTE bands in the cellular-data enabled model. It ships in silver/white and space gray/black color options.

The iPad Air launches next Friday, November 1, for the same price points as its predecessors: starting at US$500 for the 16 GB Wi-Fi only model, and moving up from there.

View gallery - 3 images
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7 comments
Andrew Cox
Yay, smaller, lighter, faster...
Lou Nisbet
Nay, no SD card memory expansion
Rocky Stefano
How someone could spend 800 bucks on a tablet that does nothing but browse and maybe play some games from the App store is beyond me. When for the same money you can get a complete hybrid like the Yoga 2 from Lenovo
DaveWesely
Yeah, smaller, lighter isn't much of an issue when most people add a case/keyboard that weighs as much as the device. If you want an SD card get the the camera kit. If you want to use it as a point of sale, get a card reader. The possibilities are amazing. But not limited to iOS. Android has an excellent app base. Can't say the same for MS. Sorry Rocky.
Atul Malhotra
Can't believe u call yourself Shiksha bugs ...
Rocky is absolutely right in that if there is a tablet worth considering, it has to be Win 8
I am not too sold on the Lenovo Yoga though. The form factor is not very useful and they cost a bomb
My heart is set on the Dell Venue Pro 11. I also liked the HP OMNI 10 and the Asus T100 ( T300 is 13 inch version of the same), but there have been very intriguing thoughts from some very learned people here as to why Surface was made 10.6 inches and not 10.1 inches as is the norm with 10 inch tabs. I learnt that for an ideal mix between usability and design, the Win 8 tab is ideal at anything between 10.6 and 11.1 inches. Now since Surface 2 Pro and Sony Vaio Tap 11 are way too expensive for me, I decided on the Dell Venue Pro 11
Cant wait for my baby !
Michael Ronneseth
Wow, look how revolutionary, lol, still no SD reader and double the price of the competitors ??? Pathetic.. Go CRAPPLE!
Paul McGann
It's always amusing it hear the folks who take the time to post a comment solely to criticize Apple.
If the device is to be used for productivity, the 128 GB version makes the most sense or an SD card can be utilized via the camera connection kit accessory. Logitech makes a keyboard accessory that's very similar to Microsoft's Type Cover accessory to ensure additional "productivity" ease of use.
Microsoft's Surface Pro 2 costs $70.00 more for the same capacity device but the OS continues to utilize a disproportionate amount of the available storage. And this is without the LTE connectivity in Apple's iPad Air. Aso, the absolutely necessary a Type Cover 2 will set you back an additional $130.00. Add the Surface Pro 2's thickness ans weight and suddenly the device seems or be more of a laptop than a tablet.
At the end of the day, people purchase the device that they find most compelling to use, be it for leisure or productivity. If Apple's iPad was truly such a bad product, why do people continue to purchase it en masse?