I’m a user of the original iPad (first generation). That iPad is still running strong, even until today, years after it stopped receiving iOS update, I can still use it for various tasks. The 3-year old processor looks “weak” on paper, especially compared to all those newer tablets. However, performance-wise, this old beast still beats some newer Android tablets with FAR greater on-paper specs. Basically I only have one main complaint about this tablet: the weight. It’s simply too heavy and almost impossible to hold for an extended period of time with one hand.
When iPad mini was launched last year, I was super excited. For the last 12 months, iPad mini (first generation) became my primary tablet and I was very happy with its performance and reliability. Again, I only have one problem with this iPad: the storage capacity.
While most people complained about the lack of retina display in first gen iPad mini, I couldn’t care less about that. What I do care… is the fact that my 64GB iPad mini only have less than 2GB free space and I need to continuously make hard decisions about which content I should delete from the tablet. And when Apple announced new iPad mini with 128GB variant, I was super excited once again.
But then… a temptation came. The new iPad Air also comes with significant weight reduction. From 1.5 pounds to 1 pound. That’s a good achievement and weight is a MAJOR feature for me. So I was really tempted to get an iPad Air instead of iPad mini with retina display.
My wife also wants to get a new iPad. And since Apple event back in 22 Oct 2013, we had countless discussion about which iPad to get. The iPad Air, or the second generation mini. We kept going back and forth. We kept changing our decision every few hours. And so on iPad Air’s first day of availability (1 Nov 2013), I decided to go to Apple Store to get 128GB iPad Air, Wifi only model (no cellular).
As usual, there was a queue in front of Apple Store on a new product’s first day. But this queue is significantly shorter than iPhone queue. According to the guy in front of me (in the queue), it’s always like this every year, people tend to get iPhone personally on the first day, but they usually choose to order online some time later for tablets. I don’t know whether this is true or not, at least that’s what I heard.
My first impression when actually holding iPad Air is… it’s significantly lighter than my old first gen iPad. I had a strong hope this iPad might become my primary iPad soon. iPad Air comes preloaded with iOS 7.0.3, which is already the latest version until today. So I didn’t need to upgrade my OS and can transfer my backup file from previous iPad immediately.
Speaking about packaging, iPad Air’s packaging is typical Apple box. First thing we see when opening the box is the iPad. Then they put wall charger, lightning cable and the usual package of “info pack”. I usually like how Apple could make really nice packaging with efficient placement inside. Like how the packaging of iPod touch, iPod nano and even iPhone is getting somewhat smaller every year. But for this iPad packaging… I can’t help but feel that there are so much waste of volume in the box. Not that I have a better idea though. Just feel that this box is overwhelmingly too big for such a thin and lightweight iPad.
iPad Air’s retina display is stunning. But it’s nothing new as it packs the same display as iPad 3 and iPad 4. On a side by side comparison with iPad mini (first gen), surprisingly I see more vibrant color in my non-retina mini. iPad Air display is not bad at all, very crisp as anyone would expect, but the colors are not as vibrant as my iPad mini’s colors. The difference is subtle, only visible when displaying certain images or playing certain videos. In normal day-to-day usage, you probably won’t notice any difference.
Size-wise… iPad Air is a full-sized iPad that looks smaller than all the previous full-sized iPads, thanks to its thinner bevel. A size comparison with iPad mini is shown at the photo.
Now let’s talk about the performance. iPad Air is powered by Apple’s latest A7 processor. And according to some review, the clockspeed of iPad’s A7 is higher than the one in iPhone 5S. So even though they share the same name, the actual processor is different.
First test is playing movies. Streaming movies over WiFi works smooth (Air Video app is used for testing). Streaming movies online also works smooth (YouTube app and Crunchyroll app are used for testing). Now the real challenge is playing H.264 10-bit MKV files without conversion (VLC app is used for testing). Most of my movie files are using this format and encoding, and no other tablet or smartphone (that I tested) are capable of playing them smoothly before. This time… iPad Air is capable to play them all without any problem.
WiFi connection is strong and stable. Battery life is running strong. When I first opened the iPad Air, the battery shows 87%. It went to 93% in the process of restoring my previous backup (using cable to iTunes, slowly charging). Then I used it for plenty of tests from mid-day to late night, then use it again the following morning to noon. The battery indicator still show a solid 53% at noon.
The camera quality is… decent. It’s not as good as iPhone 5S camera, but I won’t use iPad camera too often anyway. All the built-in apps from Apple opens very fast and smooth. Most of third-party apps that I have also load faster than my old iPads. However,I found some games from Pop Cap that load significantly slower in this iPad Air. These apps even load faster in my iPad mini ! I’m sure this is a case with the app source code somehow is not really optimized for iPad Air’s A7 processor and 64-bit architecture. Hopefully these apps will get update soon.
Now back to the original issue: the weight. iPad Air is indeed significantly lighter than previous (full-sized) iPads or any other brand’s tablet with 9-10″ screen size. However, when I tried to read a book, holding the iPad Air using one hand, I got tired before 15 minutes of reading. Why one hand? Because this is how I use my iPad mini, and I have been spoiled by this style for the last 12 months. For comparison, I can easily read a book (or comic) for more than 30 minutes holding my iPad mini using one hand and not feeling tired. So this is a bit of a let-down.
In other tests of watching movie, playing games, reading magazine, typing, working with presentation files, I found generally iPad Air’s 9.7″ screen display things bigger than in iPad mini, so they look more detailed for my eyes. However, almost in all styles of usage, my hands got tired faster when dealing with iPad Air comparing to when I use iPad mini to do exactly the same activities.
Just for reference, I even use my iPad mini with a case ! The case itself wight around 160 gr (I have jewelry scale). For these tests, I used iPad Air without any case or cover. By simple math, the weight of my iPad mini plus the weight of the case should make it very close to the weight of “naked” iPad Air. Theoretically they should feel the same on our hands. But my experiments showed me that it was not the case. Unlike what some tech blogs might tell you iPad Air is still NOT comfortable enough for long one-handed usage. It’s probably more about the weight distribution on larger screen rather than the total weight itself.
I probably have to mention that when I first tried to lift an iPad Air in Apple Store’s demo unit, it felt super light. Even at home, I still felt that iPad Air is very light whenever I hold it. It’s just… within 10-15 minutes, it will start “become” heavier unless we hold it on our lap, on a desk, or have something else to support it.
Within 2 days of usage, I concluded that iPad Air is not the device I was looking for and planned to return it to Apple Store and claim full refund under their 14 days return-policy.
My decision was to play around with this iPad Air for few more days, probably until day 12, then I can bring it back to Apple Store. However, when my wife also tried the same iPad Air, she decided that this is the device she was looking for. So she decided to get an iPad Air too. Unfortunately I can’t just give her the unit already bought because she needs iPad Air with WiFi + Cellular, and what I got there was iPad Air with WiFi only.
Since my wife wanted to get her own unit of iPad Air, I decided to return my unit on the same day. There is no point of waiting until 12th day if we’re going to have an iPad Air unit at home anyway. So, we went back to Apple Store on Saturday evening (2 Nov 2013). I returned my iPad Air (no cellular) and my wife got her new iPad Air (with cellular). I got my full refund from Apple without any question asked. I’m always impressed with their return policy. Gives us confidence in buying as we know we can always return it within 14 days if we somehow don’t like it.
iPad Air with cellular is supposed to be few grams heavier than the WiFi only model. But I honestly can’t tell any difference in their weight. It also worth mentioning that we can set up an iPad Air with cellular without inserting any SIM card in the slot. We have WiFi router at home, so all the online activation process can get through without any cellular data.
So, is iPad Air the right product for you?
The product is amazing. The processing power is more than what’s needed for most usage patterns. It is an ideal and impressive device.
If your previous tablet is a full-sized iPad or any other tablet (any brand) with screen size 9″-10″, then yes, iPad Air is for you and I’m sure you are going to love it !
If your previous tablet is an iPad mini or any other tablet (any brand) within 7″-8″ range and you’re happy about the screen size, then no. iPad Air is NOT a replacement for first gen iPad mini.
If this is your first tablet ever, you might want to go to Apple Store and play around with their demo units to feel the weight difference, the screen size, and see whether iPad Air or iPad mini will suit your need best. Now that iPad Air and iPad mini has the same processor and the same specs, it’s all about the size and weight. And they’re both very personal preferences.
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