Three Reasons Not To Buy An iPad Air
Last Friday Apple released the fifth generation main iPad, the iPad Air. But is this year’s main iPad worth your money? A few days ago, just in time for the fifth generation main iPad’s launch, we gave you three reasons to buy the latest main iPad, the iPad Air. Now we are offering the other side of the coin – three reasons not to buy the recently released iPad Air. And while the iPad Air may be the best iPad made by Apple, it doesn’t mean it is also a must buy tablet. So, without further ado, here are three reasons not to buy the iPad Air.
1. No innovations. Yes, the iPad Air features a new form factor, but other than that, it doesn’t bring anything new to the table. No new features and technologies besides the new form factor and the 64 bit A7 System on Chip, a CPU upgrade that is expected from any new device compared to an older generation device. Apple also upgraded iPad Air’s front and rear camera sensors, but that’s it. The iPad Air offers an identical experience as older models and while that’s not bad, it also means no fingerprint sensor (despite the iPad Air being powered by the 64 bit A7 SoC that was made with Touch ID in mind), no next gen WiFi 802.11 ac for faster connections.
The technologies exist, but the problem is that Apple couldn’t have made the fifth generation iPad lighter and thinner without compromising in some areas and the lack of new technologies and features can be attributed to the iPad Air’s new form factor. Of course, there are things Apple could have done, namely adding new storage options or even starting the cheapest basic iPad Air at a higher storage option which would have been nice. At the end of the day, nobody can deny that the new iPad Air does not offer anything new. Sure, the new form factor is great and it also helps usability, making the iPad Air easier to use, but it doesn’t really drastically change the experience nor does it change the device completely.
2. All Apple devices are expensive, so it’s not news anymore, but correlated with the above point, not changing many things and basically offering the same iPad experience as its predecessors without adding anything new, the iPad Air is an expensive tablet. The iPad Air starts at $499 for the most basic model and can get up to $929 for the 128 GB model with LTE connectivity, so it really is a luxury item. And it must be said that the basic $499 model is not something most people will want as they will probably need a bit more storage space if they intend to store multimedia content on their iPad Air. The 32 GB model of the iPad Air with WiFi has a price tag of $599 and the same model with LTE support has a price tag of $729. We don’t know about you, but when we spend $600 to $730 on a tablet, we expect a little bit more innovation than just a new form factor.
While it is the fifth entry in the main iPad line, the iPad Air isn’t an important upgrade; instead it is just the fourth generation iPad with a new form factor and a new SoC. Hopefully, next year’s main iPad will offer more innovation in the same one pound package; this year’s entry on the other hand makes it pretty hard to recommend due to it being too expensive, without offering any new features and technologies, especially since you can buy the second generation iPad mini that received significant upgrades (a Retina display being the most important one). Our advice would be to spend your money; even if you have over $500 to spend, you’d do better to spend it on other products, Apple rivals Amazon and Google offering pretty interesting alternatives to the iPad Air. And they are cheaper too.
3. If you already own an iPad, there is no reason to buy the latest iPad Air. If you bought an iPad two years ago when the second generation iPad was launched, or one year ago (either the iPad 3 or the iPad 4), you may be tempted to think the iPad Air is a worthy upgrade due to the new form factor and the updated CPU. However, if you think about how similar all the iPads really are, you will see that upgrading to the latest iPad model is just not worth it. Every iPad following the first (that was introduced three years ago), was the same tablet with few new features and technologies. The second generation iPad was thinner while the iPad 3 introduced the Retina display to the iPad series. However, since the iPad 3, each main iPad’s main new feature was the upgraded CPU.
When it comes to storage options or next generation WiFi, the new iPad Air doesn’t offer anything new. In fact, even Steve Wozniak (on of Apple’s founders) wasn’t impressed by the fifth generation main iPad. And it’s not just that the iPad Air doesn’t innovate; the argument is that all iPad models offer the same experience, instead of coming with something new to drastically change and improve the experience, even though the new models are faster and come with more processing power. Of course, Apple will try to market the new thinner and lighter iPad Air as something that you really need, but when you understand just how similar (in the experience it offers) the iPad Air is to older models and how small the real differences between them are, you will understand that there is no real reason to buy the current main iPad model. You can wait and see what next year will bring for the iPad line; maybe the big change will come in 2014.
About the iPad Air
The iPad Air features a new form factor that draws inspiration from the iPad mini. The 9.7 inch display iPad Air, is 7.5 mm thick and easier to grip thanks to the same thickness and side bezels as the iPad mini; however it lacks iPad mini’s portability. The new iPad Air weighs only 1 pound, and is the lightest tablet available in its category. Thanks to its new design, the iPad Air now feels like you are holding a big screen in your hands, being very thin. iPad Air’s screen is able to display at a 2048 X 1536 resolution for a 264 pixels per inch density.
While the fourth generation iPad was powered by the A6X System on Chip, featuring a dual core CPU, the iPad Air is powered by the new A7 System on Chip, the same one that debuted with the release of the iPhone 5S and is also being used in the second generation iPad mini. The iPad Air also features the iPhone 5S’ M7 motion co-processor (that will most likely be included in Apple’s upcoming iWatch), but it does not include iPhone 5S’ fingerprint sensor.
The iPad Air also comes with an upgraded camera. Apple improved both of iPad 4′s camera sensors; while the new iPad 5 has the same 5 MP rear camera, it comes with an images sensor that features larger pixels (similar to iPhone 5S’ camera) that allow better pictures in low light conditions and an improved 1.2 MP FaceTime HD camera that is now able to record videos in Full High Definition. Besides the new A7 SoC and the upgraded camera sensors, the iPad Air also features faster WiFi and more LTE bands on the cellular model. Regarding color variants, Apple decided not to release a gold iPad Air; instead, all iPad Air models (WiFi and WiFi with cellular) will be released in two color variants: white with silver and space grey with black.
The iPad Air was unveiled last month together with the second generation iPad mini, on October 22nd, in a media event dedicated to the iPad line. Apple usually announces new products on Tuesdays or Wednesdays and it starts accepting pre orders on Friday, before releasing the products the next Friday. However, Apple decided not to accept pre orders for the second generation iPad mini and for the iPad Air models. As we mentioned a few days ago, a possible explanation for Apple’s decision to not accept pre orders for the iPad Air and for the second generation iPad is that the Cupertino giant is trying to emphasize iPad Air’s public release date. With everyone suggesting the iPad Air does not innovate at all, Apple most likely want better press for the device. A few pictures of customers standing in line for the next main iPad is the best way to get good press and emphasize demand for the iPad Air and Apple knows this. That is why not accepting pre orders and instead letting customers line in front of Apple stores was the best strategy that Apple could have adopted for getting better press for the iPad Air.
The basic iPad Air with WiFi starts at $499 for the 16 GB model and it gets up to $799 for the 128 GB iPad Air. For a 16 GB iPad Air with WiFi and LTE, you will have to pay $629 and up to $929 for the 128 GB WiFi and LTE iPad Air. We would like to know what you think about the recently released iPad Air. Did you buy one on November 1st?
