Yesterday morning was a quick rush down to Apple Plymouth, only to find that at the crazy early hour there were only 9 people in the queue. By 7.45am there was nearer to 35. But that was the same amount of Apple staff too. I had to go early as I was working. Anyway, I was in and out in 10-15mins. I bought the space grey iPad Air wifi only in 128gb. I got both the Smart Cover and smart case in black as I wasn’t sure which one I wanted. I will probably stick with the cover but it is too early to decide.
Unlike my last iPad which was the Mini I decided it was time to break the cord and not sync it to my MacBook. So now I am only using my MacBook to rip CDs and store photos and music. It’s getting close to me ditching the MacBook completely. After the Mini I got the new Nexus 7 which I ended up returning as it was faulty even after a few software updates.
But. I am pleased I did return it. The iPad Air is massively better than any tablet IMO. It’s better than the Mini. It’s better than my MacBook. Why? Well the onscreen keyboard on the Air is so damn fast to type on it is scary fast. I’ve typed this article using the Air and I am flying with keyboard entry faster than I would be on my MacBook mainly because the iPad auto correction is so fantastic.
So, first up the Air screen is fabulous. And the extra size for viewing and typing is perfect. Also the iPad had loads of beautifully designed apps for it, and that makes the user experience so much more enjoyable.
The reduction in bezels is noticeable, the depth not so much, but the weight is much better. It’s not as light as the Mini but it is lighter than the previous iPad by a fair amount and that makes this new Air more pleasurable to use for long periods.
I synced my entire music collection, 10 videos, my entire photo collection, and hundreds of apps. I have now have 9.4gb freememory left free. 128gb is extreme but I now feel I have a device with no compromises.
In fact I would describe the iPad Air as a tablet with no compromises. Stunning build quality. Stunning audio thru headphones. Good camera. And great software. I’m very happy with it.
Screen shot of my home screen below.
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 
Nice one Gavin….. The 128GB model is the one I too will be getting in the next couple of days to replace my iPad 4, which is no slouch.
Similar to you, my laptop does not get used often. The iPad 4 is my choice for around 90% of the time.
I bought a dedicated hardware keyboard to use with my iPad but find the tablets soft keys more than adequate.
Anyway, looking forward to topping up my 128GB model.
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Gavin glad it works for you. I don’t think my wife could give up her MBA for a new iPad, it has 5 12gb and an i7 CPU and battery life of 12 hours. I did ask her if she wanted the new Air for Christmas but no clear decision yet. But looks compelling for existing iPad 1 and 2 owners.
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Thanks Jah.
I agree less compelling for iPad 3/4 users but then I don’t expect Apple thinks people upgrade their tablets as often as they do iPhones. I reckon they allow a 2 year cycle for iPhones and 4 on iPads.
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Considering my last tablet was a new Nexus 7, iPad Mini and prior iPad 2, I consider the Air a fairly big upgrade.
The whole experience is fantastic. So pleased I didnt go for the Mini Retina as well. Can’t beat the big screen.
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The lower weight was enough that swung it for me to part with the iPad 4. That and I could find a home for it with my Wife.
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Wait to you notice the speed of this thing. So smooth. WiFi speed is faster too.
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