If you’re already an iPad owner, there hasn’t been an overwhelmingly compelling reason to upgrade for some time – until now. The new, fifth generation iPad Air is a quantum leap ahead of anything that’s gone before it – a tablet that redefines the category of device Apple put on the map in the first place.
Evolution
The first iPad was launched in October 2010 and was followed by the iPad 2. By then the concept was proven and consumers snapped them up in droves. Generations 3 and 4 have come along since then with various refinements, but it’s only with the introduction of the Air in South Africa this week that there are advances significant enough to warrant an upgrade. If the Air is going to be your first tablet, you’re buying at an excellent point on the technology curve.
Pictures are detailed and colours are vibrant.
The iPad Air is overall about 25 percent thinner and lighter than its predecessor and sports a 9.7-inch high-res Retina screen. Pictures are detailed, colours are vibrant and text is crisp – all in a device that weighs less than 500 grams. Despite being light, the Air retains its premium feel. Samsung’s tablets tend to feel a little plasticky and while Sony’s Xperia Tab is solid (like the iPad Air), it’s heavier.
That said, however, both the Sony and the Samsung offer expandable storage. With the iPad Air you’re locked into 16, 32, 64 and 128GB storage configurations, but cloud storage means you’re unlikely to run out of space on the higher specced models.
Charging and docking is through Apple’s Lightning connector which is a bit of a bother if you have older peripherals, but most new devices, like sound docks for example, have Bluetooth wireless connections.
Power
The iPad Air is powered by Apple’s A7 processor which makes it fast and responsive. You may not notice that immediately, but if you’ve used an older iPad before, the difference is quite marked. In terms of getting things done, the Air runs the iOS7 mobile operating system. This is a design overhaul that was long overdue and that is used to good effect on the new iPad.
The A7 processor uses 64-bit architecture which means it’s ready for a new generation of apps that will make use of the technology to run faster and more smoothly, while using less battery power. For existing apps, you’ll notice a performance boost in that there’s little or no lag in responses and screen refresh rates.
Like its predecessors, the Air comes as a Wi-Fi only model or Wi-Fi plus LTE cellular. If your budget can accommodate it, the cellular models are a must-have – the whole point of an iPad is to be able to get online wherever you are, whenever you want.
Content
While having an iPad is great for watching movies, listening to music or reading ebooks, South African users were denied one of its key features for years: access to the iTunes music and movie store. Happily that’s changed and you can use the iPad to buy millions of music tracks, thousands of movies, games and books directly from Apple and there are close to 500 000 iPad apps to choose from.
