Tag Archives: iPad Air

iPad Air vs iPad Mini Retina – so there is a significant difference between the two iPads

Apple, Tech News,

Anandtech have written a fabulous review comparison of the iPad Air and iPad Mini Retina.

“When I concluded our iPad Air review I assumed the iPad mini with Retina Display was a true no-compromise, smaller alternative to the iPad Air. In many senses that’s true. Wireless connectivity is identical between the models, battery life is pretty much the same as well. Peak performance is close and you no longer have to accept a lower resolution display. Last year’s iPad mini was easy to recommend, and this year’s is even easier. To my surprise however, the iPad Air continues to hold some advantages that may resonate well with some users.

The biggest in my eyes is the iPad Air’s wider gamut display with full sRGB coverage. The mini’s Retina Display is good, the Air’s is just better. There’s also more thermal headroom on the iPad Air, which can come in handy if you’re doing compute intensive work on it. If neither of those things matters to you, then the decision becomes one of usage model and portability. I believe the iPad Air does a better job of approximating a primary computing device, particularly in its ability to give you a reasonable sized virtual keyboard to work on. The iPad mini on the other hand is substantially more portable. Although the iPad Air is light enough to come along with me more than any prior iPad, the mini’s form factor makes it even more likely that’ll I’ll bring it with me (the best tablet is the one you have with you?).”

If you read one review of the iPad Air and iPad Mini, this is the one to read.

How to crash your iPhone 5S and iPad Air

Apple, Tech News,

Both the iPad Air and iPhone 5S and Apple’s latest devices and both are so easy to crash. In fact, I have never seen Apple hardware suffer this much. Even iTunes on the mac running mavericks keeps quitting unexpectedly.

So how do you get the iPad Air and iPhone 5S to crash and cause a reboot all by itself. Start using either device. Open and close all the apps or games that you would normally use. Now double tap the home button to launch into the multitasking mode and jump to another app. Now do the same thing again. After repeating this a few times you will get your iPad Air or iPhone 5S to soft reset all by itself.

I haven’t lost any data when this happens and it only takes about 5-10 seconds to reboot back to life. It has happened once on my iPad Air yesterday and happens at least once a day on my iPhone 5S. I would hope a software update for iOS 7 will fix this annoying bug.

So have you been affected by this too?

iPad Air First Impressions

Apple, Reviews, Tech News

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.

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Apple iPad Air – In The Queue

Apple, Tech News

This feels like deja. I recall queuing in the same spot some 5-6 weeks ago for the iPhone 5S and swore I would not queue again.

I am tired but I am hoping to be away fairly promptly after the early 8am opening.

For those of you wondering why I didn’t opt for the new iPad Mini with Retina Display, it was simply that I wanted a larger overall screen size to make web browsing and on screen typing easier on the hands and eyes.

Also, weight is now not an option with the full size iPad. Weighing 469g is really light. It was a no brainer for me.

I will post my first impressions of the iPad Air tomorrow or Sunday.

The Apple Keynote and the long list of new products and software – my views

Apple, Tech News, , , , ,

Yesterday Apple announced changes to its own Apps, iLife and iWork, launched OS X Mavericks for Macs with support on some really old devices dating back to 2007, launched 2 new iPads and new smart cover and cases, the iPad Air and iPad Mini Retina, updated its MacBook Pro line and introduced the new Mac Pro.

If you want to read all about the new hardware and software in crazy detail, go to http://www.Apple.com .

So what’s my view on all this Apple news. Simply, it is one of unity and trying to deliver a complete eco system across media, productivity and all hardware regardless as to whether you are using a Mac, iPhone or iPad.

Apple does not want you to use other services, or other cloud services os by offering free software and software updates it accelerates this unity towards an even stronger one eco system reliance. And from what I have seen it is going to do this really smoothly and slickly.

And then the was the new full size iPad, renamed as the iPad Air, and at its thickness of 7.5mm and weighing 469g it is seriously thin and light. I previously owned the Sony Z Tablet which weighed 495g and that was amazing, but the iPad Air is a much smaller profile too and has smart covers, something the Z Tablet could have done with.

Most people might sway towards the iPad Mini Retina as it is a smaller more portable affair. It also has the identical spec compared to the iPad Air, just a smaller screen and naturally weighs less at 331g. The retina Mini is a fraction thicker than the old Mini but it is hardly noticeable. But don’t lose sight of having a larger screen on a lightweight frame will really be a wow moment.

But, here is an interesting fact. The iPad Air has a 264 ppi screen resolution vs the iPad Mini Retina which comes out at 326 ppi. So the Mini screen will look better as it is smaller. As a comparison the Sony Z Tablet 10.1 inch is 224 ppi and the Google Nexus 7 2013 is 323 ppi so practically identical to the iPad Mini Retina.

Also surprising is the fact that both iPads are now available in 128gb memory capacities.

And the one fact with Apple that no other company has learnt to do, is make an announcement on a new product/updates and then immediately or within a week or two, you are able to buy the new product. Apple has made the iPad Air available on 1st November and all the new MacBook’s from today. That is fantastic.

But really, my question is which iPad would you buy and why?