Apple iPad Air 1st Gen. Wi-Fi 16GB Space Gray. Apple iPad air 16gb • ROYAN-GLISSE.COM

Apple iPad Air 1st Gen. Wi-Fi 16GB Space Gray

Our products come with a 12 month return-to-base warranty unless stated otherwise. We offer extended warranty options on our laptops and desktops for an additional 95 Click here for more information.

RA Warranty Return Policy

We require a return authorisation (RA) number for all returns. You may initiate a return and request your RA number by completing the warranty form. Click here for more information.

Change of Mind

We offer a 30 day cooling off/change of mind period for all purchases. If you aren’t satisfied with your purchase, simply contact our support team on 1300 727 519 to arrange the return of your order to either our retail store (East Brisbane) or our distribution warehouse (Murarrie) for refund.

Free Shipping

We offer free shipping Australia wide for most products on our website. In some instances, we may need to charge a delivery fee when the parcel is heavy, large, or bulky. We use both Australia Post TNT Road Express couriers. Visit our Shipping Pickup FAQ for more information.

Local Pickup

Local pickup options are available at checkout for those local to the Brisbane area. Orders can be collected from our distribution centre located in Murarrie. Visit our Shipping Pickup FAQ for more information.

Shipping Time Estimates

Most orders are dispatched from our warehouse within 1 to 2 business days.

Brisbane, Sydney, ACT, Melbourne (2-3 business days)
Adelaide, Darwin, Hobart (3-5 business days)
Perth (7-10 business days)

Delivery may take longer to regional areas. Please login to your account to track the order and its delivery progress.

For information regarding International Shipping, please visit our Shipping Pickup FAQ.

Notify me when back in stock

The original iPad Air models have the same 9.7″ Retina display as the earlier iPad 3rd Gen and iPad 4th Gen lines, but are “20 percent thinner and 28% lighter” and have a much narrower “bezel” around the display, which makes the iPad Air “feel” quite a bit smaller than its predecessors.

All iPad Air devices.- including this Wi-Fi only model (A1474).- are packed in thin white and silver or black and medium colored gunmetal “Space Gray” cases and feature a 9.7″ 2048×1536 (264 ppi) LED-backlit IPS touch-sensitive display, a dual core 1.4 GHz Apple A7 processor, 1 GB of RAM, and 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB, or 128 GB of flash memory storage (64 GB and 128 GB options discontinued October 16, 2014).

Other notable features include dual cameras.- a rear-mounted 5 megapixel “iSight” camera capable of shooting stills and 1080p video and a front-mounted 1.2 megapixel “FaceTime HD” camera capable of shooting stills and 720p video.- dual-Band 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi with MIMO capability, and Bluetooth 4.0 as well as dual microphones and speakers. Connectivity to computers, if desired, and power is provided by the Lightning port.

Whats Included

Brand	Apple
Model	Apple iPad Air 1st Gen.
Form Factor	Tablet
Processor	Apple A7 (28 nm)
Storage	16Gb
Storage Type	eMMC
Display	9.7 inches, 1536 x 2048 pixels
Memory	1Gb
Max Memory	1Gb
Graphics	PowerVR G6430 (quad-core graphics)
Webcam	Yes
Connectivity	Wi-Fi
I/o Ports	Lightning; USB 2.0; 3.5mm jack
Operating System	iOS 7, upgradable to iPadOS 12.5.6
Dimensions	240 x 169.5 x 7.5 mm (9.45 x 6.67 x 0.30 in)
Weight	469 g
Other Features

SKU	iPadair116GbWifiSG-R
Barcode #	888462098915
Brand	Apple
Brand	Apple
Type	Tablet
series	Apple iPad
Screen Size	9.7 in
Operating System	iOS
Storage Capacity	16 GB
Release Year	2013
Colour	Space Grey
Internet Connectivity	Wi-Fi
Model	Apple iPad Air 1st
Unit Of Measure	ea

Be The First To Review This Product!

Help other Australian Computer Traders users shop smarter by writing reviews for products you have purchased.

From This Category

Buying refurbished laptops not only gives you savings it helps reduce the environmental impact of e-waste

QUALITY TESTED

Comprehensive testing by qualified professionals

Fast Free Shipping

Most orders dispatched within 1-2 business days

FRIENDLY SUPPORT

Dedicated team providing world class support

12 MONTH WARRANTY

Industry leading 12 month (RTB) warranty

Need Help?

Contact Our Friendly Customer Service Team on 1300 727 516

Welcome to our website. If you continue to browse and use this website, you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following terms and conditions of use, which together with our privacy policy govern Australian Computer Traders’s relationship with you in relation to this website. If you disagree with any part of these terms and conditions, please do not use our website.

The term ‘Australian Computer Traders’ or ‘us’ or ‘we’ refers to the owner of the website whose registered office is 30 Miller Street Murarrie QLD 4172. Our ABN is 75 063 483 474. The term ‘you’ refers to the user or viewer of our website.

The use of this website is subject to the following terms of use:

The content of the pages of this website is for your general information and use only. It is subject to change without notice.
Neither we nor any third parties provide any warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness or suitability of the information and materials found or offered on this website for any particular purpose. You acknowledge that such information and materials may contain inaccuracies or errors and we expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Your use of any information or materials on this website is entirely at your own risk, for which we shall not be liable. It shall be your own responsibility to ensure that any products, services or information available through this website meet your specific requirements.
This website contains material which is owned by or licensed to us. This material includes, but is not limited to, the design, layout, look, appearance and graphics. Reproduction is prohibited other than in accordance with the copyright notice, which forms part of these terms and conditions.
All trademarks reproduced in this website, which are not the property of, or licensed to the operator, are acknowledged on the website.
Unauthorised use of this website may give rise to a claim for damages and/or be a criminal offence.
From time to time, this website may also include links to other websites. These links are provided for your convenience to provide further information. They do not signify that we endorse the website(s). We have no responsibility for the content of the linked website(s).
Your use of this website and any dispute arising out of such use of the website is subject to the laws of Australia.
We collect information from you when you register on the site, place an order, enter a contest or sweepstakes, respond to a survey or communication such as e-mail, or participate in another site feature.
When ordering or registering, we may ask you for your name, e-mail address, mailing address, phone number, credit card information or other information. You may, however, visit our site anonymously.
We also collect information about gift recipients so that we can fulfill the gift purchase. The information we collect about gift recipients is not used for marketing purposes.
Like many websites, we use “cookies” to enhance your experience and gather information about visitors and visits to our websites. Please refer to the “Do we use ‘cookies’?” section below for information about cookies and how we use them.
To personalize your site experience and to allow us to deliver the type of content and product offerings in which you are most interested.
To allow us to better service you in responding to your customer service requests.
To quickly process your transactions.
To administer a contest, promotion, survey or other site feature.
If you have opted-in to receive our e-mail newsletter, we may send you periodic e-mails. If you would no longer like to receive promotional e-mail from us, please refer to the “How can you opt-out, remove or modify information you have provided to us?” section below. If you have not opted-in to receive e-mail newsletters, you will not receive these e-mails. Visitors who register or participate in other site features such as marketing programs and ‘members-only’ content will be given a choice whether they would like to be on our e-mail list and receive e-mail communications from us.

How do we protect visitor information?

We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information. Your personal information is contained behind secured networks and is only accessible by a limited number of persons who have special access rights to such systems, and are required to keep the information confidential. When you place orders or access your personal information, we offer the use of a secure server. All sensitive/credit information you supply is transmitted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology and then encrypted into our databases to be only accessed as stated above.

Do we use “cookies”?

Yes. Cookies are small files that a site or its service provider transfers to your computer’s hard drive through your Web browser (if you allow) that enables the site’s or service provider’s systems to recognize your browser and capture and remember certain information. For instance, we use cookies to help us remember and process the items in your shopping cart. They are also used to help us understand your preferences based on previous or current site activity, which enables us to provide you with improved services. We also use cookies to help us compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can offer better site experiences and tools in the future.

We may contract with third-party service providers to assist us in better understanding our site visitors. These service providers are not permitted to use the information collected on our behalf except to help us conduct and improve our business.

You can choose to have your computer warn you each time a cookie is being sent, or you can choose to turn off all cookies. You do this through your browser (like Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer) settings. Each browser is a little different, so look at your browser Help menu to learn the correct way to modify your cookies. If you turn cookies off, you won’t have access to many features that make your site experience more efficient and some of our services will not function properly. However, you can still place orders over the telephone by contacting customer service.

Do we disclose the information we collect to outside parties?

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your personally identifiable information unless we provide you with advance notice, except as described below. The term “outside parties” does not include Australian Computer Traders Pty Ltd. It also does not include website hosting partners and other parties who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or servicing you, so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential. We may also release your information when we believe release is appropriate to comply with the law, enforce our site policies, or protect our or others’ rights, property, or safety.

However, non-personally identifiable visitor information may be provided to other parties for marketing, advertising, or other uses.

Direct marketing

We are committed to compliance with all laws and requirements relating to the use of your personal information. We will only use or disclose your personal information for direct marketing purposes if you have provided your information for that purpose (and you would expect us to use the information for that purpose), or if you have provided consent for your information to be used in this way.

From time to time, we may contact you with information about products and services offered by us and our related entities and our business partners, which we think may be of interest to you. When we contact you it may be by mail, telephone, email, SMS/text message or social media message.

Where we use or disclose your personal information for the purpose of direct marketing, we will:

allow you to request not to receive direct marketing communications (also known as ‘opting-out’); and
comply with your request to ‘opt-out’ of receiving further communications within a reasonable timeframe.

You can ask to be removed from our marketing lists at any time by contacting us directly. If you do not wish to be contacted by Australian Computer Traders, please e-mail us enquiry@australiancomputertraders.com.au or contact us on 1300 727 516.

How can you opt-out, remove or modify the information you have provided to us?

To modify your e-mail subscriptions, please let us know by modifying your preferences in the “My Account” section. Please note that due to email production schedules you may receive any emails already in production.

To delete all of your online account information from our database, sign into the “My Account” section of our site and remove your shipping addresses, billing addresses payment information. Please note that we may maintain information about an individual sales transaction in order to service that transaction and for record-keeping.

Third-party links

In an attempt to provide you with increased value, we may include third-party links on our site. These linked sites have separate and independent privacy policies. We, therefore, have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites. Nonetheless, we seek to protect the integrity of our site and welcome any feedback about these linked sites (including if a specific link does not work).

Mobile Terms of Service

The Australian Computer Traders mobile message service (the “Service”) is operated by Australian Computer Traders (“Australian Computer Traders”, “we”, or “us”). Your use of the Service constitutes your agreement to these terms and conditions (“Mobile Terms”). We may modify or cancel the Service or any of its features without notice. To the extent permitted by applicable law, we may also modify these Mobile Terms at any time and your continued use of the Service following the effective date of any such changes shall constitute your acceptance of such changes.

By consenting to Australian Computer Traders’s SMS/text messaging service, you agree to receive recurring SMS/text messages from and on behalf of Australian Computer Traders through your wireless provider to the mobile number you provided, even if your mobile number is registered on any state or federal Do Not Call list. Text messages may be sent using an automatic telephone dialing system or other technology. Service-related messages may include updates, alerts, and information (e.g., order updates, account alerts, etc.). Promotional messages may include promotions, specials, and other marketing offers (e.g., cart reminders).

You understand that you do not have to sign up for this program in order to make any purchases, and your consent is not a condition of any purchase with Australian Computer Traders. Your participation in this program is completely voluntary. We do not charge for the Service, but you are responsible for all charges and fees associated with text messaging imposed by your wireless provider. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Check your mobile plan and contact your wireless provider for details. You are solely responsible for all charges related to SMS/text messages, including charges from your wireless provider.

You may opt-out of the Service at any time. Text the single keyword command STOP to AUSComputer or click the unsubscribe link (where available) in any text message to cancel. You’ll receive a one-time opt-out confirmation text message. No further messages will be sent to your mobile device, unless initiated by you. If you have subscribed to other Australian Computer Traders mobile message programs and wish to cancel, except where applicable law requires otherwise, you will need to opt out separately from those programs by following the instructions provided in their respective mobile terms.

For Service support or assistance, text HELP to AUSComputer or email enquiry@australiancomputertraders.com.au. We may change any short code or telephone number we use to operate the Service at any time and will notify you of these changes. You acknowledge that any messages, including any STOP or HELP requests, you send to a short code or telephone number we have changed may not be received and we will not be responsible for honoring requests made in such messages.

The wireless carriers supported by the Service are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. You agree to provide us with a valid mobile number. If you get a new mobile number, you will need to sign up for the program with your new number. To the extent permitted by applicable law, you agree that we will not be liable for failed, delayed, or misdirected delivery of any information sent through the Service, any errors in such information, and/or any action you may or may not take in reliance on the information or Service. We respect your right to privacy. To see how we collect and use your personal information, please see our Privacy Notice.

Changes to our policy

If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on this page. Policy changes will apply only to information collected after the date of the change. This policy was last modified in May 30, 2022.

Questions and feedback

We welcome your questions, Комментарии и мнения владельцев, and concerns about privacy. Please send us any and all feedback pertaining to privacy, or any other issue.

Online Policy Only

This online privacy policy applies only to information collected through our website and not to information collected offline.

Terms and Conditions

Please also visit our Terms and Conditions section establishing the use, disclaimers, and limitations of liability governing the use of our website.

Your consent

By using our site, you consent to our privacy policy.

Apple iPad Air review: This older tablet is still a winner

In 2013, Apple gave the full-size iPad a makeover, with a thinner, lighter design based on the Mini’s, and the same innards as in the iPhone 5S.

Tim Stevens got his start writing professionally while still in school in the mid ’90s, and since then has covered topics ranging from business process management to video game development to automotive technology.

Xiomara Blanco is an associate editor for CNET Reviews. She’s a Bay Area native with a knack for tech that makes life easier and more enjoyable. So, don’t expect her to review printers anytime soon.

Editors’ note (March 21, 2016): Apple has officially discontinued the original 2013 iPad Air reviewed here, but lowered the price of the iPad Air 2. On the same day, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro was also introduced.

Apple iPad Air

The Good

The iPad Air delivers solid performance and battery life in an attractive and impossibly thin-and-light package. The front-facing camera delivers excellent FaceTime capabilities and the Retina Display is top-notch.

The Bad

No Touch ID fingerprint scanner, meaning you’ll have to type in a passcode with every unlock and a password with every purchase.

The Bottom Line

Imbued with first class design and aesthetics, within the full-size tablet universe, the iPad Air is second only to its newer sibling, the Air 2.

Review update: Fall 2015

On September 9, 2015, Apple expanded its iPad portfolio with the debut of the iPad Pro.- a super-sized, productivity-focused tablet equipped with a powerful A9x chip and support for some potentially game-changing accessories. Starting at 799 for the 32GB model, the iPad Pro will be available in November, with an optional keyboard (169) and stylus, the Apple Pencil (99).

The company also announced (and made immediately available) the 399 iPad Mini 4 which features an 8-megapixel rear camera, 2GB of RAM, and the same processor as the iPad Air 2. In addition, Apple lowered the price on the Mini 2, which now starts at 269, but kept the original iPad Air and iPad Air 2 at their 2014 price points (starting at 399 and 499, respectively). The iPad Mini 3 was discontinued, joining the original iPad Mini, which was scrapped from the line months earlier.

Apple iPad Pro made for tablet power users (pictures)

The latest version of the Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS 9, became available as a free download on September 16. It adds important changes for the iPad portfolio, including picture-in-picture video and “slide over” support, which allows one-third of the screen to pull in a second app, both of which are supported by the original iPad Air. Only the Air 2, Mini 4 and upcoming iPad Pro have hardware advanced for the new operating system’s full split-screen multi-tasking feature, however.

34 iOS 9 tips you should know (pictures)

Editors’ note:This review has been updated from the version that was originally published on October 29, 2013.

It was a long time before Apple delivered unto us a proper redesign of the iPad. The original, boxy, first-gen tablet lived for about 11 months, replaced in 2011 by a far slinkier version. The tapered design language survived, more or less unchanged, for a further 2.5 years.- a lifetime in the consumer electronics world. That period was punctuated by two updates, bringing faster chips and a better display, but it’s a full refresh we were all waiting for, something to make the good ol’ iPad look and feel truly new.

This was it: the iPad Air. With this, the fifth generation of the iPad line, Apple delivered a proper exterior redesign, crafting a substantially thinner and lighter tablet that finally eliminates the chunky bezels handed down since the first generation.- at least on the left and right. But, despite this significant exterior reduction, the iPad Air maintained the battery life of its predecessor and offered significantly better performance.

gallery

Apple’s iPad gets light as Air (pictures)

The Air was a tangible upgrade over the previous, fourth-generation iPad, no longer in production and so banished to the annals of history. The new iPad slots right in where its predecessor left off, priced at 499 for a lowly 16GB, 599 for 32GB, 699 for 64GB, and 799 for the maximum 128GB configuration. Cellular models.- with LTE and support for ATT, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon in the US.- cost an additional 130 beyond the above prices.

So, yes, it’s still very much the premium-priced choice, just as it’s always been. However, the market continues to shift, offering more and increasingly sophisticated alternatives at far cheaper prices, tablets like the Kindle Fire HDX and Google Nexus 10. That, plus strong competition from within Apple’s own ranks with the upcoming iPad Mini with Retina Display. means the iPad Air has to be better than ever. Thankfully, it is.

Design

The iPad Mini introduced a fresh new design, taking cues from the iPod Touch to create a high-end tablet in an impossibly slender form factor. You could think of the iPad Air as a 20 percent scaled-up version of the Mini, as the two tablets feature near-identical styling details, the bigger one differing only by having more speaker holes on the bottom (80 vs. 56 on the Mini).

It’s light, too, weighing just 1 pound in Wi-Fi-only guise. That’s 0.4 pound lighter than the previous generation and 0.3 pound heavier than the Mini. In other words, the iPad Air’s weight is actually closer to the Mini than to its fourth-gen predecessor. Indeed, pick up an Air and you’ll be reminded of the first time you held a Mini. It’s a “wow” moment.

We were big fans of the Mini last year, and we’re big fans of how the Air looks and feels now. The more rounded profile and chamfered edges give it a modern presence, while the new shape means the buttons and toggle switch situated around the upper-right corner are much easier to find than before.

Stereo speakers flank the Lightning connector on the bottom, placement that makes them far less likely to be obscured by your hand than the previous-gen iPad’s famously mediocre single output. They’re also far louder. However, we can’t help but wish Apple had positioned the left channel speaker on the top, to allow for proper stereo separation when held in portrait orientation while watching a movie. As it is, you’ll hear everything on the right.

Our only other design complaint is the missing Touch ID. This is Apple’s term for the fingerprint scanner built into the Home button on the iPhone 5S. It allows you to unlock your device without typing in a numeric code, also making iTunes purchases password-free and, therefore, infinitely less annoying.

A7 power

When the fourth-generation iPad rolled out, it contained a custom version of the iPhone 5’s A6 processor called the A6X, offering far greater performance than the phone’s version. For the new generation, Apple seemingly decided to leave X off, and so what we have here is the same dual-core, 64-bit

A7 CPU found in the iPhone 5S. Disappointed? Don’t be. The iPad Air is ridiculously fast. Interestingly, it’s slightly faster even than the latest iPhone, which also has the same amount of RAM (1GB). Apple seemingly turned the wick up a bit here, with Geekbench indicating a processor speed of 1.39GHz, versus the 1.29GHz on the iPhone 5S.

We coached the iPad Air through some of our favorite benchmarks, along with a fourth-gen iPad running the most recent version of iOS (7.0.3). The results were quite compelling. In Sun Spyder 1.0.2, the Air blasted through in 385ms average; the fastest of the four tablets we tested. (The iPhone 5S scored 417ms.) Geekbench 2 was similarly improved, 1,797 versus 2,382 (higher is better here), and on Geekbench 3 the gap widened, 1,429 vs. 2,688. In fact, the iPad Air’s single-core score of 1,475 is higher than the dual-core score of the fourth-generation iPad.

Battery life

As ever, Apple promises 10 hours of battery life on the iPad Air and, as usual, the tablet more than delivers. On the far-thicker, far-heavier fourth-generation iPad we managed just over 13 hours of battery life on our standard battery rundown test. This new iPad Air managed almost exactly the same, 13 hours and 10 minutes. We were able to use this tablet for a very long time off the charger, easily getting through a full day of heavy usagecasual users, who use their iPads for idle Web surfing or eBay browsing, will have no problem going for days and days between charges.

Connectivity

With the iPad Air, Apple has stepped up to a dual-antenna configuration for Wi-Fi. Called MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output), it theoretically doubles the maximum throughput of data able to be transmitted to or from your tablet, up to 300Mbps with a compatible router. This is far from new (Amazon’s second-generation Kindle Fire offered the same last year), but its presence is certainly welcome here.

However, the absence of 802.11ac is disappointing. Like the iPhone 5S, the latest iPad tops out at 802.11n. Given the lack of adoption elsewhere in Apple’s lineup, it’s not surprising to see ac missing here, and the relative lack of compatible routers and access points means there’s little demand for it now. However, those still using their Airs a few years down the road may find themselves wishing Apple had found room for it this time around.

Those who pay 130 more than the Wi-Fi-only models will have full cellular connectivity built in, including a comprehensive swath of bands and frequencies. Whether you’re connecting over EDGE, HSPA, CDMA, or LTE, the iPad Air has you covered. And, since there’s just one Air model worldwide, you can change from carrier to carrier on a whim and rest assured that, regardless of where you travel, you’ll be able to get connected. Assuming they have nano-SIMs available.

Finally, all iPad Air models include Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, just like they did last year. This means you can quickly and easily connect everything from keyboards to speakers, and do so without killing your battery life.

What’s in the box?

As with the previous iPad, there’s not a lot inside the box.- other than the tablet itself, of course. In here you’ll find a USB-to-Lightning cable, a 12W power brick, plus a few pages of legal information and a couple of Apple decals. Get the cellular version, and you’ll also get a tool to open the SIM tray.

Competition

The iPad Air has managed to launch in a window with relatively few 10-inch tablet launches, likely caused by others hoping to avoid comparison to Apple’s slate. The Surface 2 is the main exception, starting at 449 for the 32GB model.- 50 less than the iPad Air. It, too, is a very high-quality tablet, but one that is thicker and heavier than the Air, despite offering a lower-resolution display and (slightly) lesser battery life. Those focused on productivity will likely want to give the Surface 2 a look, if only thanks to the suite of keyboard accessories that make it one of the most typist-friendly tablets on the market, but the limited app selection for Windows RT is still a major mark against.

Conclusion

If you found yourself tuning out the last few generations of iPad thanks to their extreme familiarity, it’s time to get yourself dialed back in. The iPad Air is worth getting excited about. Though it brings no new functionality to the table, and we can’t help being disappointed about the lack of Touch ID, the performance increase and solid battery life show that progress is still being made on the inside. It’s the new exterior design, however, that really impresses. The iPad Air is thinner than any tablet this size deserves to be, and lighter, too. The old iPad always felt surprisingly hefty. This one, compellingly lithe.

However, there is one tablet that’s thinner and lighter still, yet holds the promise of great performance and build quality: the upcoming iPad Mini with Retina Display. At 100 cheaper, that slate could prove the stiffest competition the full-size iPad has yet seen. Time will tell on that front (the new Mini won’t ship for a few weeks), so we’ll withhold judgment for now. If you’re willing to consider a smaller tablet, hold off clicking “buy” for just a little while longer. If you’re looking for a full-size tablet and don’t mind paying a premium to get the best, this is it.

Review: Apple iPad Air (16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB)

Pros: A comprehensively superior replacement for 2012’s third- and fourth-generation iPads, packing almost twice as much horsepower and noteworthy extra battery life into a considerably narrower and lighter body. Easier to hold than any prior full-sized iPad, and nearly identical to 2012’s top-rated iPad mini in design. Preserves the high-resolution 9.7” Retina display of its predecessors and outperforms all of them, despite dropping nearly 1/4 of the prior battery capacity. Recharges faster than both prior models. Dual-microphone system offers sonic improvements under some circumstances. Offered in a wide range of capacities, as well as improved cellular models that are more usable internationally. Now bundled with free iLife and iWork applications, and compatible with over 1 million iOS apps, including 450,000 designed specifically for iPads.

Cons: Industrial design is new to full-sized iPad but highly familiar given last year’s iPod touch and iPad mini releases, feeling lighter than past 9.7” iPads but heavier than iPad minis, and still not comfortable for truly extended hand-holding; stands are required yet sold separately. While improved relative to 2012’s iPads, A7 processor is substantially similar in performance to the one inside the iPhone 5s, while lacking the enhanced camera features and Touch ID functionality introduced with the iPhone. Loses support for 2.4-Amp recharging. Rear camera is noticeably inferior in several ways to ones inside the iPhone 5s and 5c. Cellular premium remains steep, and most users will find 16GB models underequipped for their needs. Given increasing competition, entry price points/capacities should be revised.

Debuted alongside the considerably smaller and functionally nearly identical “iPad mini with Retina display,” the iPad Air (499-929) is Apple’s fifth-generation full-sized iPad, renamed largely to emphasize its roughly 1/3 weight decrease and modest dimensional reductions relative to the prior 9.7″-screened iPads. While the design and size won’t shock iPad mini users in any way, Apple succeeded in reducing the full-sized iPad’s thickness to near-equivalence with the mini, also achieving similar though not as striking reductions in the front bezel around the screen. The weight is now at or near 1 pound, depending on the model you select; differences relative to the original iPad are, as shown in the pictures below, stark. Also noteworthy are two internal changes: the inclusion of an A7 processor marketed at twice as powerful as the prior-generation A6X — though commonly benchmarked at 40-80% faster, depending on the task — and a little-mentioned reduction in the battery size, which should speed the iPad Air’s refueling, particularly when used with the included 12W USB Power Adapter. Like its predecessor, this model now comes in 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB storage capacities, as well as Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi Cellular versions. We’re already putting several of the new iPads through our collection of tests, and will have a full review in the very near future.

Late last year, Apple released two cosmetically and electronically similar iOS devices, the 7.9”-screened iPad mini tablet and 4”-screened fifth-generation iPod touch media player. Sharing the same chamfered aluminum chassis and many similar internal components, the small iPad and tall iPod followed the iPhone 5 in introducing a new, jewelry-inspired Apple design language, making the simultaneously-released 9.7” fourth-generation iPad look plain and gigantic. It was obvious that Apple would bring the same chassis to a full-sized iPad — the only questions were “how” and “when?”

By the time the iPad Air (499-929) debuted in October, the only major surprise Apple had left to reveal was the name. Most of the parts leaked months in advance, making the iPad mini-influenced redesign seem even more inevitable, so the company decided to rebrand it in hopes of generating excitement over its smaller size. Initially, the “Air” moniker doesn’t seem fitting: Apple used that word for a MacBook computer that compromised on features and performance to achieve an “impossibly thin” size. By contrast, the iPad Air hasn’t compromised on features or performance, nor is it inconceivably tiny. It’s actually a more powerful and compact version of the fourth-generation iPad, built for customers tempted by the iPad mini and increasingly numerous Android competitors.

Long-time iPad users may see the iPad Air as the Retina display-equipped tablet Apple really wanted to release last year but couldn’t, instead rapidly debuting two thicker, heavier iPad 2 sequels with gigantic batteries and CPUs that ran warm to the touch. Apple’s switch from 1024×768 screens to cutting-edge 2048×1536 Retina displays was famously difficult for the company; as we noted back in January, merely squeezing all the fourth-generation iPad’s parts into a smaller fifth-generation chassis would have been a major challenge. Apple went several steps further, replacing the hot-running A6X processor with the iPhone 5s’s more powerful and power-efficient A7 M7 chips, then reengineering the wireless hardware for superior performance. But apart from a handful of smaller tweaks, many of which are familiar from the iPad mini, almost everything else is the same.

Based upon testing of five separate units, our comprehensive review of the iPad Air discusses everything you might want to know about Apple’s latest tablet — including some performance-related surprises. For first-time iPad buyers, we begin with a big picture look at the iPad Air, iOS 7, and Apple’s free software. Then, we look at the iPad Air’s new design and internal features, as well as its real-world battery life, performance with apps, wireless test results, and details on iPad Air accessories. In short, while we’d strongly urge prospective customers to wait until they can personally compare the Air with the soon-to-be-released Retina version of the iPad mini, Apple’s latest 9.7” iPad is an excellent tablet in its own right, and likely to thrill people who can’t wait for the mini or don’t want a smaller screen. On the other hand, Apple has missed a golden opportunity to adjust the iPad Air’s storage capacities and pricing — a strategic choice that may increase its profit margins, but likely lose it relative market share during a time of rapidly increasing demand for tablets.

Click on the drop-down menu below or above to read the next sections of this review. Enjoy!

Big Picture: The iPad Air With iOS 7, iLife iWork

The iPad Air is currently Apple’s largest tablet computer — the sixth device in the iPad family, and the fifth with a 9.7” screen. It has the same basic collection of features, controls, and ports as an iPhone 5, 5c, or 5s, but they’re in somewhat different positions within a larger, thinner chassis. Made from durable, scratch-resistant glass, the iPad Air’s slate-like face contains a tiny FaceTime camera, a 4:3 aspect ratio display, and a single circular Home Button, notably without the Touch ID fingerprint authentication feature introduced in the iPhone 5s. Like most prior iPads, the glass front comes with your choice of a white or black bezel, this time paired with either a bright silver or gunmetal-like “Space Gray” aluminum chassis, respectively. The metal edge around the screen is gloss-polished on an angle, a jewelry-like process called chamfering.

Just like prior iPads, the Air’s top edge includes a 3.5mm headphone port, a tiny pill-shaped microphone hole, and a larger pill-shaped Sleep/Wake button. Separate pill-shaped, chamfered volume buttons and a circular two-position switch are found on its right side, rather than the iPhone’s traditional left, while dot-shaped speaker ventilation holes are on both sides of a Lightning port on the bottom.

Apple continues to sell the iPad Air in Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi Cellular versions. The former is 130 less expensive at each of four storage capacities (499/16GB, 599/32GB, 699/64GB, 799/128GB), while the latter (629/16GB, 729/32GB, 829/64GB, 929/128GB) adds a collection of globally-compatible GSM, CDMA, and LTE antennas for use on cellular data networks. This year, there’s only one cellular iPad Air across carriers rather than separate cellular models for different carriers, so they vary only in the nano-SIM card that comes pre-installed. You can easily tell a cellular iPad Air apart from the Wi-Fi-only version by the presence of a large plastic antenna compartment on the top edge; it’s bright white on the silver iPad Air, and jet black on the Space Gray iPad Air, matching the color of the glass bezel. A nano-SIM tray is found on the bottom right corner of the cellular iPad Air when viewed from the front, and absent on the Wi-Fi-only version.

As of the date of release, the iPad Air ships with iOS 7.0.3, a bug-fixed update to the September 2013 release of Apple’s iOS 7 operating system, reviewed here. Without diving into details, iOS 7 completely changed the look of iOS’s user interface, eliminating shadowed and detailed graphics in favor of flat colors, gradients, translucency effects, and heavy-handed animations. Public response to iOS 7 has been polarized: some users have refused to install it because of its looks, and others have embraced the numerous other improvements Apple made along with the visual tweaks. One of those improvements is full support for the new 64-bit A7 processor found in the iPhone 5s, iPad Air, and upcoming Retina display-equipped iPad mini, a change that can’t be seen but results in faster app performance.

iOS 7 was released for the iPad before it was completely stable, and even today exhibits occasional crashes of the built-in applications and less than completely smooth animations, amongst other small issues. During our testing of the iPad Air, we continued to note instabilities in Safari, ambiguities in the battery meter, and other hiccups in performance. While we expect that a much-improved version 7.1 will address the problems (and possibly introduce new functionality), Apple has set no timetable for such a release. Until then, the issues will be annoying but not enough to scare most people away from enjoying their iPads.

One major software asset of the iPad Air goes beyond iOS 7. Over the past two months, Apple make its previously 5-10 iLife and iWork applications free with the purchase of all new iOS devices. As a result, the latest versions of the photo editor iPhoto, video editor iMovie, music production suite GarageBand, word processor Pages, spreadsheet app Numbers, and presentation creator Keynote can all be downloaded at no charge when you’re setting up the iPad Air. While many users have expressed disappointment over significant iOS 7-inspired changes Apple made to these apps, the fact that they’re free at least offsets the criticism, and gives every iPad Air user a nice initial set of tools for creating and editing content.

Changes, Detailed: The iPad Air’s New Body Packaging

As much as we’d prefer not to FOCUS on numbers and physical traits in our reviews, the iPad Air story is best understood in your choice of two ways: relative to the iPad mini, or relative to last year’s fourth-generation iPad. If you know what the iPad mini looks like, the iPad Air looks exactly the same, only taller and wider. Should the mini have escaped your notice, you’ll find that the Air’s less profoundly tapered edges look and feel noticeably different than full-sized iPads.

Whereas the original iPad mini measures 7.87” tall by 5.3” wide with a depth of 0.28”, the iPad Air measures 9.4” tall by 6.6” wide with a depth of 0.29” — virtually imperceptible added thickness, but a markedly larger footprint. The mini is still so comparatively small that nearly its entire body fits within the area of the iPad Air’s screen, however, Apple has kept their ports and controls nearly identical in size. For instance, the polished chamfered edges look the same between models, the Air’s Home Button has shrunk just a little from past iPads to match the mini’s smaller-sized control, and even the edge-mounted buttons and switch look the same. The Air has more holes on the bottom to ventilate its speakers — 40 holes per Air speaker versus 28 on the mini, for trivia fans — but that’s the sort of seriously minor difference we’re talking about here. Apple even reduced the sizes of the front and rear camera lenses to bring the Air and mini into conformity, a point discussed further later in this review.

It says something that the other obvious physical differences between the Air and original mini are really small. As previously noted, there’s a second pill-shaped microphone hole on the back, roughly 0.45” below the first, used for an Echo-canceling mic system. This second microphone is also being added to the Retina mini, further reducing the differences between it and the Air. Additionally, on the Wi-Fi Cellular iPad Air, the nano-SIM card slot has shifted downwards by around 0.95” relative to the mini’s location, now coming very close to the bottom edge of the device. The plastic cellular antenna compartment is the same depth and height as the mini’s, but wider. Finally, if you’ve noted in our photos that the iPad mini appears to be darker, that’s true, but that earlier “Slate” color has been discontinued. Apple is now offering both the original and Retina mini in the same Space Gray color as the iPad Air, so they’ll all look virtually identical apart from size.

As all of the above should make clear, the people who are most likely to be impressed by the iPad Air’s size and weight aren’t iPad mini owners, but first-time iPad buyers, as well as full-sized iPad owners making a transition to the Air from an older 9.7” model. Now weighing only 1 pound (Wi-Fi-only) or 1.05 pounds (Wi-Fi Cellular), the iPad Air has dropped nearly a third of its weight relative to the last two iPads (1.44/1.46 pounds), which were up modestly over the iPad 2 (1.33/1.35 pounds). The Air has shed only 0.1” of height and under 0.1” of thickness versus those models, but a very obvious 0.71” of width — enough to cut the side bezels to roughly half their prior size. Consequently, the iPad Air looks from the front just like a more slender 2011-2012-vintage iPad.

As small as most of the dimensional changes are relative to recent models, the differences are profoundly noticeable relative to the original iPad, which measured 9.56” tall by 7.47” wide and 0.5” thick, around 1/4” taller, 0.87” wider, and 0.21” thicker than the Air, as well as at least a half-pound heavier. If you’re one of the relatively few people who have been holding out for years to upgrade from the first model to something better, and you haven’t even considered buying an iPad mini, the iPad Air’s new chassis will knock your socks off.

Like the iPad mini, the iPad Air’s front glass feels thin, “plinking” with a tap versus the “plunk” of earlier iPads’ heavier glass. Similarly, the fancy chamfered metal edges seem to warn against tossing the Air around like a toy — unless you have it inside of a very resilient case. Just as we noted with prior-generation iPads, the iPad Air isn’t difficult to carry around, but despite initial hype to the contrary, you probably won’t want to hand-hold it for the full length of a movie or TV show; it’s still in need of lap, leg, or stand support. Picking up any full-sized iPad with one hand has always been a wrist-flexing exercise, and that hasn’t changed with the iPad Air, but it’s certainly less taxing than before. Additionally, thumb-typing in portrait mode with two hands at once is easier than any prior full-sized iPad, but the smaller iPad mini is far better-suited to this purpose, even when it’s being held with both hands as you’re walking. If you’re concerned about absolute size and weight, the mini is still the right choice, but the iPad Air is close enough to be a nice compromise.

On the packaging front, the iPad Air’s box is noticeably smaller than its immediate predecessors — at least, in width. Once again, Apple is using predominantly white cardboard boxes for both the white/silver and black/gray models, keeping the height and thickness of the package the same as before. However, like the Air itself, the box is narrower, and once the tablet is removed, you’ll realize why the packaging isn’t thinner: the 12W USB Power Adapter inside has become the only impediment to shrinking the rest of the box. Given Apple’s obsession with reducing the volume of its boxes to lower bulk package shipment costs, we’d have to imagine that it’s already working on a smaller charger.

All of the other pack-ins are predictable. Every iPad Air comes with a Lightning to USB Cable identical to ones shipped with other Apple devices, a very basic instruction card, warranty information, and two Apple logo stickers. Cellular versions of the Air generally also include a nano-SIM card and SIM tray removal tool, the latter inside the instruction packet.

One small but interesting little detail is that the side of the iPad Air box actually says “iPad Air.” While that shouldn’t be surprising, Apple never actually changed the iPad moniker on the boxes of the iPad 2, the “new iPad,” or the “iPad with Retina display,” a point we found curious given its marketing of those devices. We’d guess this means that the iPad Air name will be in use for some time to come.

A7 M7 Processors: Real-World iOS 7 App Performance

Ever since 2010, Apple has largely avoided engaging in number games with its rivals. Rather than treating iPads as computers with conspicuously advertised clock speeds or differing quantities of RAM, Apple merely describes the iPads’ processors as “A4,” “A5,” “A5X,” “A6X,” and “A7,” occasionally calling out a processor’s number of cores (“single-core,” “dual-core,” “quad-core”) and similar improvements in their graphics features. So after Apple noted that the 64-bit A7 processor found inside the iPhone 5s was also inside the iPad Air, it left others to figure out the specifics — namely how similar the processors actually were, how much RAM was inside, and what the iPad Air’s A7 could do that the iPhone 5s’s could not. Notably, this task will need to be repeated for the Retina iPad mini when it’s released later this month.

Depending on whom you ask, Apple’s introduction of the 1.3GHz A7 processor was either a huge deal or a small but welcome change for the iPhone 5s. People in the “huge deal” camp pointed to the iPhone 5s’s dramatic benchmarking jumps over the 1.3GHz A6 in the iPhone 5, the inherent advantages of 64-bit processing relative to the A6’s 32-bit processor, and the shift of accelerometer and motion tracking to a dedicated M7 motion co-processor. This camp will likely be excited to see that the jump from the fourth-generation iPad’s 1.4GHz A6X to iPad Air’s 1.4GHz A7 nearly mirrors the iPhone’s: whereas the iPhone 5s leaped a full 2X from a Geekbench 3 multi-core score of 1269 to 2560, the iPad Air jumps 1.89X from 1423 to 2693. It’s not quite as big of a leap in percentage terms, but the Air’s raw number is higher, which is great if you like big numbers.

Snarky as that might sound, other people — including us —are less concerned with theoretical improvements than practical ones; the same engine that’s insanely powerful in a motorcycle won’t fare as well in a car or truck. To that point, while the iPad Air’s 1.4GHz A7 scored 5% higher than the iPhone 5s’s 1.3GHz A7 in raw benchmarks, the iPad’s screen has over four times as many pixels to fill as the iPhone’s, which means that a similar processor has to work harder to keep things moving smoothly on the iPad. This is why Apple previously went with upgraded A5X/A6X processors for Retina iPads, giving them an extra computer-like edge over.sized iPhones. Extra RAM typically helps, too, but the iPad Air has the same 1GB of RAM as the iPhone 5s, a point that we expect will cause some consternation with game developers.

For the reasons explained above, we weren’t surprised to find that screen and photo rotation animations that stuttered on the fourth iPad are smoother on the iPad Air, but they’re still not quite as quick as on the iPhone 5s. Similarly, games such as Vector Unit’s impressive 3-D jetski-racing game Riptide GP2 perform at faster frame rates on the iPad Air than on the fourth iPad, but they’re not as smooth as on the iPhone 5s.

As we noted in our iPhone 5s review, Epic’s Infinity Blade III was supposedly specifically optimized for the A7, but looked virtually identical between the iPhone 5 and 5s. It has nearly the same issue between the fourth iPad and the iPad Air. If you look very closely at characters’ armor in screenshots, you can see small differences in their reflections, but when the games are in motion, you can barely tell them apart. than a month after the iPhone 5s’s release, there’s still a conspicuous lack of software to really demonstrate the A7’s superiority, and the iPad Air suffers from the same issue. On a more positive note, the iPad Air’s A7 doesn’t get as warm to the touch as the last iPad’s A6X; we only noticed a small increase in the otherwise cool rear shell’s temperature during taxing games such as Infinity Blade III, and if you’re playing games like this, your hands are as likely to warm the iPad as the A7.

That said, there are some concrete examples of the A7’s improved performance if you know where to look for them. For instance, importing 50 photos using Apple’s Lightning to SD Card Reader takes 15 seconds rather than 25 on the prior iPad, and using iPhoto to prepare five photos for sharing is almost instantaneous on the iPad Air while requiring 10 or more seconds on the fourth iPad. Rendering out an edited movie in iMovie goes faster on the iPad Air than on its predecessor, too. Similarly, third-party apps such as Algoriddim’s djay 2 have already been updated for the iPad Air, adding the A7-specific Harmonic Match key detection/matching feature that was previously exclusive to the iPhone 5s. History suggests that we’ll see more of these examples over time, but for now, there are scattered small but welcome improvements without a single huge “wow” demonstration of the new hardware’s capabilities.

As a footnote, the iPad Air’s A7 is bundled with an M7 coprocessor, which is capable of frequently measuring accelerometer, compass, and gyroscope data without demanding the A7’s resources. On the iPhone 5s, M7 was touted as a way to improve fitness apps, turn-by-turn walking navigation, and even battery life, reducing wireless activity when the device hasn’t been moved for some period of time.

Apple provides no examples of what M7 does inside the iPad Air, save for giving users “a better experience” based on the device’s movement. We didn’t see any obvious benefit when testing the iPad Air with Apple’s Maps as a GPS device for turn-by-turn navigation; note that as before, only Wi-Fi Cellular iPads contain GPS hardware, and the enhanced battery drain was still fairly obvious. Unless someone’s planning to develop an iPad Air-specific armband — please, no —or new apps are released to exploit M7, you can expect the coprocessor’s real-world impact on your iPad experience to be minimal.

iPad Air I/O: The Screen, Cameras, Microphones, Speakers Ports

It’s time to shift from the abstract performance of the iPad Air’s processors to the concrete performance of other key input and output elements: the screen, cameras, microphones, and speakers. Two of these items are all but unchanged from the fourth-generation iPad, but the other two are different enough that some users might care. We also discuss the headphone and Lightning port audio below.

Sometimes, the lack of conspicuous change is a good thing, and we’re mostly glad to report that’s the case with the iPad Air’s screen. Apple’s original iPad-ready Retina display was nearly perfect, sporting a 2048×1536 resolution and 264ppi pixel density that left individual dots virtually impossible to see with the human eye, more importantly with a very high degree of color accuracy and extremely wide viewing angles. Photographs and 3-D graphics can look utterly realistic at normal viewing distances, while text is smooth enough that jagged edges effectively disappear. Apple’s 9.7” Retina displays are clearly superior in every way save size to the screens in its MacBook Airs; for now, only the Retina MacBook Pros outperform the iPad Air.

Very little has changed in the iPad Air’s screen: despite the tablet’s reductions in size, it’s not softer, dimmer, or poorly lit. If anything, the screen’s peak brightness level looked around 5% higher than its predecessor’s, such that the Air at 95% was about the same as a fourth-generation iPad at 100%. We noted that the color rendition was just a little different — the prior iPad’s screen tended to be a little cooler/bluer, which might just be attributable to Apple’s different sources of screens — but neither was better than the other. This is still a gorgeous display.

Apple didn’t make a big deal about changes to the iPad Air’s cameras, but there are tiny differences to report here. The 1280×720 front camera has switched from what OS X Aperture reports as a 2.18mm f/2.4 camera to a barely smaller 2.15mm f/2.4 camera. We noticed that the new camera appears to present images more neutrally in color, but with a little less brightness, so the same face with both cameras has a lower chance of looking blown out in daylight but also a lower chance of looking really bright in dim light.

The 5-Megapixel still/1080p 30fps video back camera is reported by OS X Aperture as having shifted from a 4.28mm f/2.4 lens to a smaller 3.3mm f/2.4 lens, seemingly identical to the rear camera in the iPad mini. Despite the smaller size, images snapped with the new camera had more saturated colors than the old one and tended to look a little sharper near the edges of the frame, as well. However, images snapped in moderate to low light continue to be very grainy, resembling the still photography capabilities of recent standalone camcorders.

From a bigger picture perspective, Apple has left the iPad Air’s rear camera noticeably under-equipped relative to the iPhone 5s and even the iPhone 5c. Beyond continuing to omit the panorama recording mode and realtime filters found on most iPhones and iPod touches, the iPad Air doesn’t have the low-light performance, Slo-Mo camera or Burst Mode recording of the iPhone 5s, and continues to snap images at 1-2 frames per second. The resolution is lower than the 8-Megapixel iPhone 5s camera, and pixel-level detail leans toward grainy; only when photos are resized and viewed from a distance do they look comparable. It’s a shame that Apple treats its tablets as second-class citizens for photography and videography, as they’re clearly its most powerful tools for processing photos and videos; users shouldn’t need a recent-model smartphone to take advantage of these powers.

Apple has made several changes to the iPad Air’s speakers, beginning with the fact that there are actually two speakers now rather than the single monaural drivers found in the first four full-sized iPads. When the iPad Air is held in portrait orientation with its Lightning connector facing the bottom, you can now clearly hear true left- and right-channel stereo separation that appears to expand just past the tablet’s 6.6” width. Just like the iPad mini, which also included stereo speakers, if you turn the iPad Air to landscape orientation, the apparent separation will disappear; the left and right channels also don’t reverse when the Air is held upside down.

Despite the on-paper advantages of two speakers versus one, the change doesn’t actually make the iPad Air louder or more dynamic-sounding than its predecessors. Since the iPad Air is thinner than before, it’s not a huge surprise that the speakers don’t sound quite as bassy this time, shifting to more treble-heavy output, though your perception will depend on the angle and bounce that the speakers are getting. The last three iPads had a back-mounted speaker that sounded better and louder when it was turned around or bouncing off of a flat surface; iPad Air instead takes after the first-generation iPad in mounting the speakers on the bottom edge, but you can also really feel them radiating through the rest of the aluminum chassis — less than ideal when hand-holding the iPad Air for video viewing. iPad Air’s peak volume level is roughly the same as in previous iPads, though again, your perception may vary based on the device’s position.

Noted only briefly during the iPad Air’s introduction, what used to be a single top-mounted microphone on every prior iPad has evolved into a proper dual-microphone system — as mentioned earlier in this review, the iPad 2/3rd-gen/4th-gen tiny pill-shaped hole remains on top, centered between the left side headphone port and right side Sleep/Wake button, but now there’s a second pill-shaped hole immediately below the first one on the back. Rumors and leaked prototype parts had suggested Apple was scoping out this location for a second microphone in earlier iPads, but the feature never materialized until now.

There were two places that we expected the new microphone system might excel: in Siri/dictation, and during FaceTime calls. In reality, Siri performance was basically identical between the devices under normal usage conditions — the iPad Air did no better than the fourth-generation iPad, which we’ve noted previously does a very impressive job with transcription accuracy even without the assistance of a second mic. However, when there was significant ambient noise, such as music playing behind the iPad Air at the same distance as we were dictating in front of it, the Air’s dictation continued to be strong.

During FaceTime calls, callers told us that the sonic difference between the iPad Air and fourth-gen iPad was like night and day. The iPad Air isolates a voice and makes it sound clear compared with the prior iPad’s intelligible but Echo-filled rendition, which in our testing contained the ambient reflections of the small room we were in. On a separate FaceTime call, another caller noted that there was no major difference in overall sound quality even when the second microphone was temporarily blocked, which is good news for cases that don’t quite get the hole’s alignment right. As always, results may vary from app to app.

Headphone Port Lightning Port Audio

Even when testing with premium-quality headphones, audio from the iPad Air’s headphone port is very similar to the fourth-generation iPad’s. Under very narrow circumstances, we noticed a very small difference between them — the prior iPad sounded just a tiny bit more inclined to mid-bass with some songs, and the iPad Air similarly seems to favor treble just a hint more — but they’re so close to one another that you’d need seriously high-end earphones and close to golden ears to notice the changes. As was the case before, headphone port audio remains so clean that white noise is basically imperceptible, and the output is powerful enough to support larger headphones.

Lightning port audio reflected the same treble/mid-bass differences we noted in the headphone port, though without the need for expensive headphones — we could hear them through Soundfreaq’s Sound Step Lightning. If we had to choose the sound of just one iPad, we’d probably go with the fourth-generation model, but the differences are so trivial that most people won’t notice, and won’t care if they do.

iPad Air: Real-World Battery And Wireless Test Results Cellular Plans

One of the most critical changes in the iPad Air is something that Apple is loathe to underscore due to its potential for current and future confusion: after jumping from a 6,930mAh battery in the iPad 2 to a whopping 11,560mAh cell in the third- and fourth-generation iPads, Apple has cut the iPad Air’s battery down to roughly 8,820mAh — the exact number is ambiguous based on differences between Apple’s stated battery size and parts found during iPad Air teardowns. If those raw numbers don’t confuse you, consider the logical answer to this question: “what happens when you pair a more powerful processor with a smaller battery, holding everything else equal?” The run time should drop, right?

Well, that’s not what’s happened with the iPad Air. While the A7 is nearly twice as fast as the A6X, it’s considerably smaller and more power efficient — as much a reflection of the A6X’s oversized, hot-running design as what the A7 has achieved in miniaturization. Collectively, the iPad Air’s components demand less power than the ones in the prior two iPads — so much so that Apple was able to shave nearly 1/4 of the prior iPad’s battery capacity off while still delivering more than the promised 9-10 hour run times. In fact, our test results demonstrated that the iPad Air often outperforms its predecessor by an hour or more.

Wi-Fi Web Browsing. Apple always promises 10 hours of battery life of web browsing on an iPad at 50% brightness. The third-generation iPad ran for 10 hours and 6 minutes on this test, versus 9 hours and 54 minutes for the fourth-gen model. iPad Air hit a new high of 11 hours and 34 minutes, eclipsing the 2011-vintage result we saw for the iPad 2 by one minute — a fantastic result given what we’d seen over the past two generations.

Cellular Web Browsing. Apple’s claim of a 9-hour run time has remained unchanged for this test from model to model, as well. The third-gen iPad ran for between 9 hours and 8 minutes and 9 hours and 21 minutes depending on the cellular network we tested, while the fourth-generation ATT model hit 10 hours and 5 minutes of LTE browsing. By comparison, the iPad Air hit 10 hours and 28 minutes on Verizon LTE, and 11 hours and 8 minutes on ATT LTE. Once again, these were the best results we’ve ever seen on this test, this time by a wide margin.

Video. With screen brightness and speaker output both set to 50%, the third-generation iPad ran for 12 hours and 56 minutes of video playback with Wi-Fi on, and 13 hours and 26 minutes with Wi-Fi off; the fourth-generation iPad ran for 13 hours and 52 minutes with Wi-Fi off. The iPad Air beat both of those results, running for 13 hours and 57 minutes of video playback time with Wi-Fi on; the number should only increase with Wi-Fi off.

Gaming and Mixed-Use Testing. Although Apple’s battery estimates always combine a relatively low-impact measure — web browsing — with video playback, which was historically demanding but has become less so over time, we always like to run a few other tests to see how an iPad can do when pushed harder. Continuous game-playing tends to exhaust an iOS device’s battery quickly — for instance, the roughly 10-hour video playback of an iPhone 5s was sliced down to a mere 3 hours and 42 minutes when playing Epic Games’ 3-D-intense fighting game Infinity Blade III. On the iPad Air, however, the run time was longer. With the screen and speaker both at 50%, the Air played the same game for 7 hours and 23 minutes, almost double the iPhone 5s’s time and up a full hour from the fourth-gen iPad’s 6 hour and 21-minute result with the less advanced game Infinity Blade II.

We also conducted a mixed-use test, during which we try everything from playing games such as the just-released Anomaly 2 to running various apps, browsing the web, watching videos, and reading periodicals at various app-specific brightness and volume levels, most commonly at 50%. As we noted last year, the third- and fourth-gen iPads in real-world mixed use tended to underperform the benchmark run time numbers we saw, hitting the 40-50% battery marks after only three or four hours of continuous activity. Unless you’re performing the most processor-intensive tasks such as gaming or video rendering, you can expect the iPad Air to get the same legitimately 10- or 11-hour run times as we saw with the iPad 2, a feat that we’d be astounded to see matched by the upcoming Retina iPad mini.

FaceTime Video Calling. The only test where the iPad Air fell short relative to the fourth-generation iPad was continuous FaceTime video calling. Last year, the fourth-gen model ran for 8 hours and 56 minutes, up a full hour from the third-gen iPad’s 7 hours and 55 minutes. At 7 hours and 45 minutes, the iPad Air is a little under those marks, but also modestly better than what we saw from the iPad 2.

Battery Recharging Time

After needing around 4 hours to recharge the first two iPads using Apple’s original 10-Watt USB Power Adapter, Apple quietly changed the third-generation iPad’s battery to a gigantic cell, yet shipped it with the same wall adapter, turning recharging into an “overnight”-worthy 6.5-hour ordeal. For the fourth-generation model, Apple released a 12W USB Power Adapter that cut that model’s recharging time down to a more acceptable but still less than ideal 5 hours and 6 minutes.

The same 12W USB Power Adapter is in the iPad Air’s package, and this time, the battery has only 76% of the prior model’s capacity to worry about — facts that led us to expect a very fast recharge time of around 3 hours and 45 minutes. We knew something was amiss when a complete recharge with the 12W Adapter required 4 hours and 23 minutes, so we ran the same test again with an older 10W Adapter. It took a nearly identical 4 hours and 22 minutes — an insignificant one minute faster. In other words, the 2.4-Amp power adapters and car chargers some companies have been selling for the last year are officially… well, not worthless, but in no way different with the iPad Air than with the iPad mini. Apple appears to have capped the Air at a 2.1-Amp recharging speed, just like the original iPads.

Wi-Fi Cellular Performance, Plus Cellular Plan Changes

Two under-the-hood changes to the iPad Air fall into the “welcome but likely not earthshaking” category. One is the addition of additional multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) Wi-Fi antennas to every iPad Air — a feature which, when paired with an 802.11n MIMO-compatible router, is capable of simultaneously receiving on two antennas and broadcasting on two antennas for a theoretical improvement in Wi-Fi speed. Given typical home broadband data caps of 15-20Mb/second downloading and 1-2Mb/second uploading, most users have already achieved those numbers with prior iOS devices, and will see no difference with the iPad Air.

Another change to the iPad Air is specific to the Wi-Fi Cellular models. After years of offering separate cellular versions of the iPad for different domestic and international wireless networks, Apple finally united all of its cellular antennas within a single model. The result is a single iPad with Wi-Fi Cellular that can be used pretty much anywhere internationally with whatever the best local network may be: LTE, UMTS, HSPA, HSPA, DC-HSDPA, GSM/EDGE, and CDMA EV-DO Rev. A/Rev. B. Every LTE network Apple has previously supported with different iPhone or iPad models now works with the iPad Air — as well as the upcoming Retina iPad mini — so if you’re planning to travel overseas, or switch domestic carriers at will, one of these models is a fantastic choice. Since iPads aren’t typically locked to one carrier, all you need to do is pop the nano-SIM card out, replace it, and sign up for another account. Most carriers have no annual contracts for iPads, making switching relatively painless.

Actual cellular speeds, however, are basically unchanged from the fourth-generation iPad, and the iPhone 5/5c/5s for that matter. In our standard LTE speed testing site, a place that has 4-5 bars/dots of signal strength for both ATT and Verizon, we saw roughly the same pattern we’ve noticed since LTE first hit iPads and iPhones: the ATT iPad Air clearly outperformed the Verizon iPad Air, though as we’ve noticed in recent LTE testing, the speeds we’ve obtained at given bar/dot signal strength levels have dropped due to increased saturation of both companies’ cellular networks. When there are fewer people around, speeds go up, and when more devices are sharing a given cellular tower, the slower your speed is likely to be.

It’s also worth mentioning that the cellular data plan options for iPads are in the midst of changing, as well. In addition to “data sharing” options that rolled out over the past year, enabling contract-bound iPhone customers to pay an extra fee each month to keep an iPad on the same data plan and split limited data between them, U.S. cellular companies have recently changed their contract-free standalone data plan options.

In addition to its prior 15/30/50 “auto-renew” but cancelable monthly plans, ATT is now offering a 5 24-hour/250MB plan and 25 3-month/1GB plan, neither automatically renewing. Sprint has 5 25MB, 10 100MB, and 15 2GB plans, Verizon is offering an entry-level 20 plan with 1GB of data, and T-Mobile has an incredible deal to try and win customers — 200MB of free data each month for the life of the iPad Air. While the carriers vary wildly in network coverage and data speeds, these new packages are certainly appealing for infrequent or low-bandwidth cellular data users.

iPad Air: Lightning Connector/Accessories, Bluetooth Apple TV

Depending on the iPad you’re upgrading from — or whether you’re a first-time iPad buyer — the iPad Air may or may not require all-new accessories. likely than not, you’ll need to get a new cable or two, a new car charger, and a new case, though your need for a new stand or speaker will depend on the specific accessory you previously purchased.

In late 2012, Apple introduced Lightning, the replacement for its nine-year-old Dock Connector accessory standard. Lightning first rolled out in the iPhone 5 and fifth-generation iPod touch, followed soon thereafter by the iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad. The Lightning connector is a small silver and white plug with eight visible gold pins on each side, and unlike its predecessor can be inserted forward or backward into any Lightning port; both sides work. Apple rapidly released a bunch of Lightning accessories, including 19-29 charging cables, 29-39 Dock Connector adapters, and camera accessories such as the 29 Lightning to SD Card Reader. It has not released Lightning docks for iPads, but has allowed other developers to do so.

Third-party developers have had a full year to develop Lightning accessories, but due to high and stringent manufacturing rules, very few Lightning speakers and docks have been released, particularly for iPads. As we noted in a mid-year Editorial on Lightning accessories, some developers have been waiting for Apple to address compatibility problems between Apple-approved Lightning docks and cases, a standoff that may not be remedied any time soon. Consequently, many speaker developers have shifted over to the broadly-compatible Bluetooth streaming audio standard — supported by all iOS devices — and sometimes include USB ports on their speakers so users can charge devices with self-supplied cables. Apple’s overpriced Lightning to 30-Pin Adapters offer a makeshift way to make some Dock Connector accessories work with the Lightning port, but they’re somewhat ill-suited to full-sized iPads due to size and support considerations.

As noted in the battery test section above, previously-released battery packs and car chargers will behave a little differently with the iPad Air than with the last two full-sized iPads. Any car charger with at least 2.1-Amp output will recharge the iPad Air at full speed, as the faster 2.4-Amp speed isn’t supported. Similarly, regardless of whether they’re generic USB port- or Lightning plug-equipped, batteries with iPad-ready 2.1-Amp output will offer a more substantial recharge for the iPad Air than the third- or fourth-generation iPads. Just Mobile’s 11,200mAh Gum Max Duo was able to recharge the fourth-generation iPad to 75-76% when we tested it back in March, but hit 95% with the iPad Air. Its smaller 6,000mAh battery Gum refueled an empty iPad Air to 47%, versus 33% on the fourth-generation iPad.

Bluetooth accessories we tested ranged from speakers to headphones to digital styluses, and we had no issues with pairing or using any of them — like its predecessors, the iPad Air has Bluetooth 4 inside, and is as strong at both broadcasting and receiving as we’d expected.

Using AirPlay screen mirroring to send the iPad Air’s content to the Apple TV was also unchanged relative to the prior iPad: the latency is low enough to stream music and even twitch action games to the Apple TV, but the streamed frame rate is low and doesn’t match the iPad’s screen, even during UI interactions. iPad video is also presented on the Apple TV within a significantly cropped window regardless of whether you’re in landscape or portrait orientation, and whether you’re using a 720p or 1080p Apple TV. This is likely because Apple doesn’t want to upscale the 1024×768 images it’s sending to the TV, or downsample 2048×1536 video to fit a lower-resolution HDTV. The result isn’t fantastic, but it generally works.

Due to the iPad Air’s significant changes in form factor, this is the first full-sized iPad in two years that will require entirely new cases. As of today, only a handful of iPad Air cases are actually available, notably including options from sister companies Hard Candy Cases and Gumdrop Cases, as well as an official but very expensive iPad Air Smart Case from Apple. Developers who began work on cases early in 2013 based on leaked specifications discovered relatively late that Apple had slightly increased the iPad Air’s size, rendering form-fitting designs physically incompatible. We expect that more options will become available over the next three months.

Since the iPad Air works really well as a video device when held upright, we’d strongly advise owners to consider desktop stands previously developed for iPads, as there are some excellent metal options such as Belkin’s FlipBlade Adjust and Cooler Master’s JAS mini at affordable prices. Some of our editors like Apple’s iPad Air Smart Covers, which double as screen covers and simple stands, though you’ll pay a premium over all-metal stands and get less angle adjustability.

iPad Air: A Few Words on Capacities And Pricing

Just as is the case with computer hard drives, there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all iPad storage capacity. That’s why Apple sells iPads in multiple capacities, enabling you to choose the size that’s right for your needs. An iPad that might seem unimaginably capacious for one person might be the only place another person stores a large music, video, or photo library that once resided on a laptop. Someone who can’t imagine anyone being content with less than a 64GB iPad might forget that some iPads are used as cash registers, interactive kiosks at art galleries, or video streamers, barely holding anything at all. There are certainly still reasons for low-storage iPads to exist.

That having been said, the world has changed since Apple originally introduced the iPad in 2010. Back then, it marketed the tablet as “our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price,” a seemingly hyperbolic pitch that turned out to be pretty close to spot on. Rivals who publicly laughed at the iPad quickly began work on alternatives that were barely competitive in functionality or pricing, and Apple effectively owned the tablet market for two years. It set the entry price of iPads at 499, the entry storage capacity at 16GB, and offered cellular versions at 130 premiums — numbers that weren’t fantastic, but became acceptable to users, particularly those seeking lower-priced alternatives to computers.

than three years later, the iPad Air’s pricing and capacity matrix has barely changed at all — the entry-level 16GB model is still 499, with a cellular version available for 629, and each doubling of storage capacity increases the price by 100. The only difference is the early 2013-vintage addition of 128GB Wi-Fi (799) and Wi-Fi Cellular (929) versions, each within a stone’s throw of the entry-level 999 128GB MacBook Air in price. While comparing MacBook Airs to iPad Airs isn’t exactly 1:1, the Air has a larger but lower-resolution screen, integrated keyboard, considerable extra RAM, faster 802.11ac Wi-Fi, multiple I/O ports, and full support for OS X applications. Apple initially suggested that the first 128GB iPad would appeal to business users, but apart from its Retina display and optional premium cellular option, there’s not much reason for business users to prefer an 799 iPad to a 999 Mac, particularly considering the additional cost of accessories to make the iPad legitimately business-ready.

Every few years, Apple increases the power of its devices so much that the entry-level storage capacity seems downright insufficient, and the iPad Air is so precariously close to that edge that most people should skip the 16GB model. Between the switch from non-Retina to more detailed Retina graphics in the third iPad, the move from 32-bit to larger 64-bit apps in the iPad Air, and standard feature creep, applications are continuing to grow in size; childrens’ developers who capped early apps at 25 Megabytes are now approaching 50 Megabytes, and it’s not uncommon for top iOS games to hit 1GB (Real Racing 3) or 1.5GB (Infinity Blade III), with rare apps (The Orchestra) tipping the scales at nearly 2GB. Video viewers will note that HD iTunes movies routinely exceed 5GB a piece. Given that the 16GB iPad Air actually has only 12.8GB of formatted storage capacity — 12.4GB usable on a completely fresh device — it’s easy to understand why adults and kids will quickly get frustrated swapping content on and off a low-capacity iPad.

Apple has three main choices: make the 32GB iPad Air its starter 499 model, dropping the 16GB entirely; do the same but keep the 16GB model around at 399; or do nothing. The continued presence of the antiquated 16GB iPad 2 as a 399 model suggests that Apple is inclined to do nothing, but to the extent that users vote with their books and opt for rival tablets, used iPads, or iPad minis instead, we wouldn’t be surprised. Apple’s current strategy of focusing on record profitability at the cost of market share has already started to undermine its support with developers who are watching the Android market grow, and the better Android becomes, the less chance Apple will have to win the mass-market back. Improving the iPad value equation through increased storage capacity is the right next step as users continue to transition from laptops to tablets.

Conclusions

Although every Apple product goes through a well-established four-stage life cycle — introduction, growth, maturity and decline — the same is also true of its product families, which begin by building awareness (introduction), begin to increase in sales through advertising (growth), rocket upwards in sales before stabilizing (maturity), then eventually fall as better options emerge (decline). Unlike the iPod family, which is clearly in decline, the iPad family is clearly somewhere within the growth and maturity phases: overall iPad sales continue to increase every year, and the only time they slow down is ahead of anticipated major new product introductions.

The key question is where Apple’s full-sized tablets fit into this growth story, as the company typically doesn’t disclose model-specific sales figures. Before the iPad mini debuted last year, demand was building for smaller, 7”-screened tablets, and Apple’s release of the 7.9”-screened iPad mini met with virtually universal praise and strong sales. All that was conspicuously missing to make the mini a “perfect” tablet was a Retina display — an omission Apple is remedying late this year. Until that happens, the full-sized iPad has a window to win more fans on the strength of its added horsepower, and with only weeks remaining until the Retina mini’s release, there’s an argument to be made that the window is about to close.

But it won’t. Just like the 15” MacBook Pro and its 15” PowerBook G4 predecessor, some people demand bigger-screened computers solely because they’re bigger-screened — watching videos, emulating a full-sized keyboard, and reading certain types of publications all work better on a 9.7” tablet. Improvements in screen size and resolution are consistently major factors in driving demand for new devices, and the 9.7”-screened iPad Air has effectively become the equivalent of Apple’s 15”-screened laptops — not its easiest tablet to carry around, or the most cutting-edge in design, but a very good compromise of power and size for many users.

The iPad Air also benefits from a couple of major improvements under the hood. We were thrilled to see its extended battery life, which brings the iPad Air back to the “do I really need to charge this” usage model of the first two iPads, versus the close-but-not-quite-there performance of the last two models. Less critical today but likely to matter later is the new 1.4GHz A7 processor. Undeniably faster and cooler-running than the A6X it replaces, it offers hard-to-spot but very real performance improvements that — surprise — will be particularly appreciated by people who hope to use the Air for computer-like purposes. No iPad is faster at importing and sharing photos, rendering videos, or churning out 3-D graphics than this model. Though the iPhone 5s has a nearly identical chip with a less powerful screen to worry about, the iPad Air has enough horsepower to hold its own. It will be interesting to see if Apple lets the iPhone/iPad performance gap feel as small next year.

From our perspective, the only lingering issue with the iPad Air is the one Apple isn’t yet letting customers answer for themselves: namely, the role of the Retina iPad mini in this equation. Will the considerably smaller iPad mini be literally identical to the iPad Air in horsepower, with roughly the same battery life due to its smaller screen, or will it be held back in performance or battery life to encourage purchases of the larger model? Until that model is released and properly tested, we won’t know, and that ambiguity does somewhat impact what would otherwise be an unreserved high recommendation. Familiar though it may be, the iPad Air is an excellent new iPad in almost every way that matters, and worthy of our A- rating. The internationally compatible cellular model also rises to our A- rating for the first time, thanks to its unrivaled network compatibility for travelers. There’s no question that users would benefit from more storage capacity at the iPad Air’s current price points, but apart from that, these tablets are easy to love and fun to use.

Sources:

https://www.australiancomputertraders.com.au/Apple-iPad-air-1st-gen.-16gb-Wi-Fi-
https://www.cnet.com/reviews/Apple-iPad-air-review/
https://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/Apple-iPad-air-16gb-32gb-64gb-128gb/amp