Apple‘s iPad Air is the latest tablet release from the company that essentially invented the tablet computer. It seems remarkable now that when Apple first announced the concept of the tablet, many industry observers couldn’t work out what one would be used for. Now every modish company tries to associate themselves with tablet computing – the next time you see a computer during a television advertisement break, note how frequently it is a tablet, and how rarely it is any other type – recognising it to be probably the fastest growing consumer electronic product in history.
The iPad Air is intended to thrust Apple back to the very forefront of the tablet market. It is fair to say that while Apple obviously remain a very significant player in the mobile marketplace, and are hardly in any form of commercial or economic difficulty, perhaps the veneer of excellence that the company once took for granted has dulled somewhat. Samsung has become the most successful producer of mobile technology in terms of units shifted and active users, and there have even been suggestions that some of Apple’s iconic products are not the leaders in technology and innovation that they once were.
Thus, the pressure is on the iPad Air to deliver an entirely new tablet experience, to be the very state of the art. In this respect, it could be said that the device falls a little short of the mark. The fact is that the Apple iPad Air doesn’t do anything radically different from any of its competitors, or indeed even its previous iPad iterations. But what it does do, it does phenomenally well.
Firstly, the name of the device is entirely appropriate, as the iPad Air is indeed as light as air. Yet despite its trivial weight, at no point does the device feel flimsy; the build quality of the iPad Air has been almost universally praised. Some previous tablets have perhaps not been as portable as they proclaim to be, but this certainly isn’t a criticism that could be levelled at the iPad Air.
While Android devices have caught up with the iPhone, and some believe that they have surpassed them, in truth the iPad remains the definitive tablet computer in terms of feel, despite some of the foibles Apple’s critics aim at the device. The iPad Air impresses everyone that comes into contact with it; the device has a ‘wow factor’ that every consumer electronics device yearns for.
Whereas at one time tablets could have been criticised as being a bit gimmicky, Apple are now throwing some serious spec and processing power at their tablets. Thus, the iPad Air contains a powerful 64-bit A7 chip; enough power to ensure that the device comfortably handles the multitude of software which is bundled with it.
Apple have truly raised expectations here with regard to what tablet computers can do. The iPad Air comes complete with Apple’s creative apps – Garageband, iMovie, iPhoto – the iWork suite – Numbers spreadsheet, Pages word processor, the Keynote presentation program – and a free upgrade for anyone who purchased them on iOS. This is a real statement from Apple; the iPad Air almost seems to be screaming: “treat me like a real computer!”
The display of the iPad Air provides a sleek and detailed way to view all of this unique tablet content, although it is worth nothing that the PPI is actually lower than some Android tablets. This is not particularly noticeable, though, perhaps because the iPad Air is so nifty and enjoyable to use.
Although the iPad Air isn’t a revolution in tablet computers, Apple has created a device which blows away the competition in quality terms. It is beautifully put together, feels amazing on first examination, and is revealed to be a powerful performer on sustained use. This is an absolute necessity in a marketplace in which there are much cheaper competitors, but the feel and enjoyment of using the iPad Air has yet to be replicated elsewhere. Its ten hours of battery life ensures that it has plenty of stamina as well.
Overall the iPad Air is a device that will become the must have tablet computer at Christmas 2013 and well into the New Year.
Christopher Morris is a regular contributor to Yahoo on television , cinema , video games , technology and politics .
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Is Apple's iPad Air a game changing tablet?
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