iPad Air - A continuous review. (1 Viewer)

[Rickboy]

Despite my poor experiences with my iPhone 4S and iOS7, my iPad 3 has continued to serve me well with the OS upgrade. I recently sold an older workstation for a few hundred bucks and got an offer from a buddy to buy my old iPad. So I decided to pull the trigger on a new iPad Air.

I ended up getting a 32GB space gray model with Verizon service. My previous model was the same but was on ATTs service. ATT has actually served me rather well with excellent speed over LTE and good service on almost anywhere I have traveled. However there have been spots where ATT has had very spotty service. One such spot is around my uncles place outside of West Monroe. I would either lose connectivity completely or drop down to Edge, which might as well be no connectivity. I've noted in the past that my Uncles Verizon devices have no issues. I have other examples, but this was a fairly big one because that connectivity allows me to work no matter where I am.

I gave the MS Surface Pro 2 some very serious consideration. Having MS office is a big deal to me, but having mobile connectivity is a much bigger deal. No LTE makes it a non starter. I have my fingers crossed that MS will be offering OFFICE 360 on the iPad soon. For now I'll have to see if Apples iWork apps and QuickOffice do the job for me. I also have a VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure at home that I can access if I really need MS Office. However I won't talk about that too much since no one else does. I'll give a bit of review of the iWork and QuickOffice apps as time goes on.

So, my initial impressions of this device. When it comes to the form factor, believe the hype. The iPad Air is impossibly thin but it feels more solid than my iPad 3. It is definitely more rigid. Also, the rounded edges feel better in my hands than the sharper edges that the older models have. Of course the iPad Air is also impossibly light. The weight difference is very noticeable.

Upon bringing the iPad home, I set it up using the latest backup my old iPad had pushed up to iCloud (these i-names get old quick). That was a bit problematic. It restored several apps but not all of them. I had to go to the App Store and put many of them back manually. Once completed I was good to go. The backup did restore all my personal settings including my wallpaper, email accounts, and some app settings. I did have to enter all my passwords again. Not a big deal. I think I would have a bigger problem if my passwords were backed up to Apple's servers.

Performance wise the iPad Air is obviously faster. I use Chrome for my web browser and it launches almost a full second faster. One knock I've had on my iPad 3 is that wifi can be rather slow. Apple has made some changes that are supposed to make things faster and that does seem to be the case. Loading SR.com is at least 1 and a half seconds faster. I'll dive more into performance as I use the Air over time...

Once knock I would have is that Apple doesn't yet support 802.1ac wifi which gives over 1Gbit speeds. 802.11n has a top speed of 600Mbps. This doesn't matter to most home users but I think it will become more important as the iPad continue to work its way into corporate environments.

So that's what I've got for now. Feel free to ask questions. I'll write more stuff up as I try the features out. I'm going to set up per-app VPN later today. I'm also going to get a keyboard case. My iPad3 has a Zagg keyboard case that has served me extremely well but I think I'm going to try one of the new Logitech cases this time. We shall see how that goes.

 

[Rickboy]

The Zagg keyboard on my old iPad is obviously not compatible with the iPad Air, so I went and bought a new keyboard case. I ended up buying the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Folio. I have to admit that this is a very good looking case but looks aren't everything. It also uses magnets to hold the iPad in typing position. That is kinda need but the iPad also springs back and forth when you touch it in the typing position. It was something I could have adapted to but there were other issues here. The main problem is the keyboard itself. The keys are kinda rounded off kinda which felt kind of odd when typing. They are also a little misaligned for a QWERTY keyboard. I found myself hitting the arrow key instead of the ? key. also, the "A" key also acts as a caps lock when the function key is held down. There are only 5 rows of keys, so several functions are shared with typing characters. All in all I just didn't like it and returned it the next day.

I ended up buying a Zagg iPad Air Folio Keyboard. This keyboard case has 6 rows of keys so no function keys are shared with character keys. The keys are smaller than the Logitech but they are laid out correctly and I had no issues typing with my larger than average hands. The keyboard is also illuminated. I'm not sure that is a real benefit but there it is. My old Zagg keyboard case was one where the iPad would sit in a slot on the keyboard and the case would provide support. This was always adequate but the new version is hinged like an ultrabook at the rear with a pretty solid hinge. The case seems flimsy out of the box but is actually quite rigid when the iPad is installed. So far I'm very happy with it.

 

[FL_Saint]

I also made the move to the iPad Air. 16gb Space Gray on AT&T. I had an iPad 2 wifi that I used a lot. With the kids' activities between school, dance, etc I am spending a lot of time outside of a wifi area. I was tethering to my iPhone, but that puts a drag on my iPhone battery. So I made the move to the LTE iPad. I added it to my mobile data share for $10 a month.

So far, this is an amazing device. Very light, smaller form factor than the previous generations. I found an inexpensive case on Amazon. It's a black folio type case which suits my needs.

As for Office integration, I moved to QuickOffice Pro HD several months ago. It does everything I need it to do. Right now, it integrates well with Google Drive, Dropbox and Box cloud services. I am concerned that the Dropbox and Box services will be dropped in future versions. I believe that has already happened with the iPhone version.

A note about battery life. I noted that my previous iPad was wifi only. I thought I got decent battery life on that, but I never really measured it. I am getting really good battery life on the Air, even using LTE a lot. Last time I looked at usage, it was over 12 hours with 30% left.

It was a pricey decision that I didn't really "need" to make. But I am happy with my decision.

 

[zeetes]

though obvious from most of my posts.. let me state that i'm usually not overly impressed by apple devices, but i'm seriously considering the ipad air. its light, the screen is vibrant, and it is very responsive.

i'll be keeping an eye on this thread

 

[Rickboy]

Battery wise, I just put my iPad on the charger for the first time this week. I made sure it had a full charge on Monday. Yesterday Verizon FIOS failed at my house (surge killed the fiber ONT). I had to rely on my iPad Air all day with Verizon LTE. Even now the battery is still at 20% as I charge it. I need some more juice for a conference I'm heading to in a bit. I'm trying to avoid taking my laptop anywhere. I should get out a timer and monitor my actual utilization to put some numbers down on how well the battery handles...

Oh, and Verizon LTE was pretty solid. No issues there at all. Well, except that they charge $30 for 2GB of data. That's a total ripoff. ATT charges $30 for 3GB. Still a ripoff but slightly better.

 

[birdog]

I heard that Apple does not allow installing an SD Card, for storage purposes on the tablets....is that true? If that's the case, then how can someone store movies, or music, for example...? to the hard drive only?

 

[inetnawlins]

I heard that Apple does not allow installing an SD Card, for storage purposes on the tablets....is that true? If that's the case, then how can someone store movies, or music, for example...? to the hard drive only?

The idea is to use iCloud. You don't need to store it all on your hard drive. You can pull your music, movies and pictures from iCloud anywhere you are.

 

[JayMS]

The idea is to use iCloud. You don't need to store it all on your hard drive. You can pull your music, movies and pictures from iCloud anywhere you are.

...but you can only pull it from iCloud if you have an internet connection. If you're traveling where there is no connection or you have wifi only with no connection to a wifi then yes...you will need it on the device itself.

 

[FL_Saint]

I have a 16gb Air. I have two movies plus the Saint Superbowl game and America's Game. If you need more than that, then you can buy a higher capacity. If you really feel that you need a memory card option, there are several Android tablets that are highly reviewed. This is my 3rd iPad. I always get the 16gb version. I have never once said, "Man, I wish I could use a memory card in this."

 

[VDK]

...but you can only pull it from iCloud if you have an internet connection. If you're traveling where there is no connection or you have wifi only with no connection to a wifi then yes...you will need it on the device itself.

If space is an issue there are the 64gb and 128gb options. I picked up the 128gb about 3 weeks ago after selling some old equipment. For me, the iPad is still only a consumption device for me, so I have tons of music and movies on it. I often travel to very remote locations worldwide, so access to the internet is often limited or expensive so I need my content on the device. As for the iPad Air, which for me is an upgrade from an iPad 2, I love the retina screen and the speed. Movies load and play much faster than on the iPad 2. The biggest upgrade for me is the space, though. With 128GB, I never worry about content. For work/business, I still prefer my Samsung Note 10.1 with stylus pen.

 

[Rickboy]

I also have an HP Slate 7. It has an SD slot but I only recently put it to use. I loaded it up with movies to keep my son entertained while we drove up to Illinois for Thanksgiving.

Too bad the battery life really sucks on that thing.

Or too bad it really sucks in general. At least it was cheap.

 

[FL_Saint]

I also have an HP Slate 7. It has an SD slot but I only recently put it to use. I loaded it up with movies to keep my son entertained while we drove up to Illinois for Thanksgiving.

Too bad the battery life really sucks on that thing.

Or too bad it really sucks in general. At least it was cheap.

I picked up one of those at Staples earlier this year. I think I paid $110 out the door with sale and discount code. Anyway, it was for my 6 year old daughter and I was Dad of the Year for getting that for her. It's not a horrible device - for the price. We have never tried to do anything heavy with it. Just kids games and some education stuff. She actually enjoys going through her sight word flash cards now!

But you are right about the battery life - it doth sucketh mightily. My older daughter has the 1st Gen Nexus and the battery is night and day.

 

[N.O.sinner]

So, how do you guys like the air so far? I've been reading some negative reviews about people experiencing crashing and complaining about the screen feeling cheap and not as bright as previous versions.

On Amazon it only has a 4 out of 5 star rating which would be the first 4 star rating it's received since the first generation I believe.

I'm getting one for Christmas but I'm woindering if I should have waited or maybe gotten a 4th generation ipad for a little cheaper.

I've never owned a tablet before so this will be my first one.

 

[Rickboy]

Well, I have had it crash maybe twice. However, no other issues...

I have never thought anything about this, or my last iPad was cheap. The screen is bright and sharp. You should go to Best Buy or an Apple store and check it out for yourself.

If there is a downside to this iPad, it is that Apple just hasn't WOW'ed people like they have with past models. I think the iPad 3 was the last really big improvement in features and hardware. They did a lot to make the Air better. So incredibly thin while still being very solid and substantial. A ton of free software (the iLife and iWork suite). and that sweet LTE connectivity that my own company doesn't yet offer in any Android or Windows devices (for reasons I have yet to fathom)...



BTW, my Boss's Boss called me out for having a competitors product. I asked her why she didn't ask me why I owned an iPad instead of an HP whatever... She still hasn't asked. I think she is already well aware of my answer..

 

[FL_Saint]

So, how do you guys like the air so far? I've been reading some negative reviews about people experiencing crashing and complaining about the screen feeling cheap and not as bright as previous versions.

On Amazon it only has a 4 out of 5 star rating which would be the first 4 star rating it's received since the first generation I believe.

I'm getting one for Christmas but I'm woindering if I should have waited or maybe gotten a 4th generation ipad for a little cheaper.

I've never owned a tablet before so this will be my first one.

Screen does not feel cheap. Not to me anyway. The entire iPad feels solid and well made. Even for being so light.

I don't know about the iPad 3 or 4, but the Air has much better sound than on my old iPad 2.

As far as crashing . . . I have had Safari close on me a few times. When I called in to register my Apple Care plan, they ran a remote diagnostic and the tech asked me if I was having problems with Safari. He didn't come out and say it, but I got the impression that this was a common issue with iOS 7. I am sure that it will be resolved soon with the 7.1 update that is currently being tested.

I am still more than happy with my purchase. However, I got mine the week after it was launched. So I am seeing all these great deals going on now and I am jealous that I spent more. But that is on me and my need for instant gratification.