“There sure are a lot of different iPads now,” Dieter Bohn writes for The Verge. “If you’re trying to choose among them, you might think that’s too many iPads, but I think there’s a surprising amount of coherency to the lineup. More importantly, there’s a clear standout best choice for people looking to get more than the basics without spending iPad Pro prices. That choice, if you haven’t guessed, is the new iPad Air.”
“Starting at $499, the iPad Air brings all of the features that actually matter to most people down to a price point that’s much more reasonable. It’s also just an excellent tablet on its own merits, but you probably could have guessed that on your own,” Bohn writes. “You also get support for the Apple Pencil, but it’s the first-gen Pencil with its silly cap, silly charging method, and silly proclivity to roll off any surface you set it on. The Pencil still retails for $99, too. It works well with this iPad, but if you really want a stylus and don’t think you’ll miss the pressure sensitivity, I think the Logitech Crayon [$69] might make more sense.”
“I initially had a lot of questions about what ‘Air’ meant after Apple brought back the moniker for this iPad and the MacBook Air,” Bohn writes. “But after using this iPad, I think I finally get it. This what Air is supposed to mean now: the best all-around choice for most people.”
Much more in the full review here.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple’s going to sell so many boat- and plane-loads of these new 10.5-inch iPad Airs they’ll wish they were still reporting iPad unit sales!
I am thinking to buy an iPad with Pencil. Does the pencil also paint in addition to drawing lines which, if the latter, thus being mostly an illustration or quick preparatory sketch tool?
Still irked it only has 2 speakers and on one side. Apple was really stupid about this since iPad1. Hold it vertically in your lap and the speakers are muffled by your lap, and if not muffled the stereo separation is practically non existent. Hold it horizontally for proper video viewing, I feel like I’m deaf in my left ear!
FCOL all the marketing photos show the new Airs landscape mode with keyboards connected. Why not proper stereo where it counts?!
This is why my next iPad has to be a Pro, even if its the 10.5 Pro which is still a great iPad!