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iPad Air

M

Marty Chinn

Member
Aaron said:
Memory needs a constant flow of electricity. More memory means more juice used up. The same happens in laptops. I also don't think you can just turn off and on banks of memory the way you can with CPU cores. It's all or nothing. Considering Apple's history, I would be surprised if there's more than a gig.
Click to expand...

Yes, but the amount of electricity needed is small. When you set your iPad to standby, everything is still powered and the iPad can last for weeks. Doubling the memory is not going to cut the standby time in half either. The amount of power keeping the current state of RAM is drastically less than hitting up a WiFi connection to refresh the data.
 
K

Ken Masters

Banned
Same Verizon store that told me they should get iPad air when I talked with them last week said they're not getting any, just one demo unit and just open to online orders


So down to best buy for me or apple pick up
 
G

Gamecocks625

Member
local Best Buy said they'd have it for sale on Friday but not sure of the inventory. Target wasn't sure if they'd get it that day or not but would know by Thursday. So tempted to make the hour trip to the Apple store in Augusta, GA.
 
M

MThanded

I Was There! Official L Receiver 2/12/2016
Pijnboompit said:
Don't know if its fake. iPad Air geekbench. 1GB of ram
Click to expand...
SYAGtjM.png
 
R

RastaMentality

Banned
AnandTech said:
Apple’s decision to unify silicon across the iPhone 5s, iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina Display is an interesting one, but ultimately it doesn’t come with any real tradeoffs for iPad owners. Apple’s own 64-bit Cyclone cores are incredibly powerful, even more so than I originally expected when I reviewed the iPhone 5s. Apple seems to have built a bigger, higher performance CPU architecture than any other ARM player, including ARM itself. The design isn’t perfect, but it’s a completely different caliber performer than anything else it competes against. As such, Apple was completely justified in putting the A7 in both the iPhone 5s and the iPad Air. If anything, I’d argue that it might be overkill for the 5s given the device’s smaller battery, but my sensibilities soon get the best of me and remind me that more performance on tap is never a bad thing.

On the GPU front, Apple does increase performance over the iPad 4 as well - despite having a narrower memory bus. The increase in performance ranges from 40 - 70% depending on workload. I suspect we’re beginning to see some of the limits of 28nm here as Apple would’ve traditionally gone for an even larger GPU.

Despite having a smaller/thinner/lighter battery, battery life improves across the board compared to the 3rd and 4th generation iPads. Battery life in our web browsing, video playback and gaming workloads is better than either of the previous two iPads. Only the iPad 2,4 was able to deliver better battery life, but nothing with a Retina Display can match the iPad.

Cellular integration remains awesome on the iPad Air. With a single SKU covering 34 countries and no network operator lock, at least for those devices sold in the US, the LTE iPad Air is amazingly flexible from a network portability standpoint.


Improvements around the edges are nice as well. The inclusion of a second microphone can improve FaceTime HD calls in noisy environments, and faster WiFi is a nice addition.

My only complaints are limited to iOS 7, memory size and pricing. It’s clear that even on the fastest hardware Apple has to offer, iOS 7 isn’t always super smooth (particularly when using multitasking gestures to switch between apps) on an ultra high resolution device. The move to a 64-bit OS and applications makes a lot of sense, but with no corresponding increase in DRAM size Apple creates additional memory pressure on all of the A7 enabled devices. Finally, I’d love to see Apple update the default iPad configurations. Although 16GB is fine for a device that’s not going to be storing a ton of photos/videos locally, it would really be nice to get at least 32GB on the entry level iPad. The first complaint I suspect will be addressed over time. The second is a reality we just have to live with unfortunately, and the third won’t change until market dynamics force it to.

The iPad Air is the most significant upgrade to the 9.7-inch iPad in its history. It’s lighter, more portable, more usable and faster than any previous iPad. It doesn’t fundamentally change what you can do with a tablet, but if you’re in the market for one the iPad Air really is the best iPad to date. Competition is definitely more stiff among the smaller tablets thanks to the Nexus 7, but in the nearly 10-inch tablet space it seems like Apple is going to continue to enjoy a great position there.
Click to expand...

Good stuff.
 
G

Gamecocks625

Member
Wow

AllThingsD said:
In my tests, the iPad Air far exceeded Apple’s claim of 10 hours of battery life. For over 12 hours, it played high-definition videos, nonstop, with the screen at 75% brightness, with Wi-Fi on and emails pouring in. That’s the best battery life I’ve ever recorded for any tablet.
Click to expand...
 
S

solarus

Member
Dat raw power.
Still debating whether to get a 16gb air or a 32gb mini 2 (same price). The extra gigabytes matter to me though :(
 
M

MThanded

I Was There! Official L Receiver 2/12/2016
Honestly i sold my ipad and I need a new one. Mainly to play this picross clone i grabbed in the app store last week. Honestly.

I love those 10 inches... for apps n shit.
 
G

GreatMightySymp

Member
Part of me is enticed by the LTE option, but I don't think I'd be traveling enough to get that much of a use out of it for $150 more than the Wifi-only model.

I'll be going 32GB regardless.
 
J

Jafku

Member
BroDudeGuy said:
Dammit, I was set on the mini but these reviews are making me question myself.
Click to expand...

solarus said:
Dat raw power.
Still debating whether to get a 16gb air or a 32gb mini 2 (same price). The extra gigabytes matter to me though :(
Click to expand...
Same here. Especially with the air having 1GB of ram, so I suspect the retina mini will have the same 1GB of Ram. But I don't want to wait for the mini when I can get the air by this friday...
 
P

PFD

Member
Just finished reading anand's review. Good stuff, though was kinda sad to see 1GB ram and no doubling of graphics performance. The price of a thinner/lighter tablet I suppose.
 
A

Aiii

So not worth it
Jakfu said:
Same here. Especially with the air having 1GB of ram, so I suspect the retina mini will have the same 1GB of Ram. But I don't want to wait for the mini when I can get the air by this friday...
Click to expand...

The weight difference is now negatable, making me reconsider the idea of getting a mini. I loved the mini because of it's weight mostly, and was waiting for it to be retina. But with this being half the weight, why bother with a smaller screen? Considering I spend most my time on the iPad browsing GAF, the bigger keyboard will definitely be a plus.

And with the price increase of the Mini, that's not exactly a big deciding factor either.

Also, reports are the Mini won't have remotely as much supply as the Air, making it very hard to get one, I don't really have the time to cue up day one and I guess ordering one online will take a few weeks at least.
 
J

Jibbed

Member
iPads have never really interested me until recently when I moved in to a flat with a friend of mine, his Mini is sweet!

So damn expensive though, I'll probably wait until next year and get myself one of the shiny new retinas.
 
B

bodyofanamerican

Member
Ken Masters said:
These iPad Air video reviews are like porn and I think this will be my first white iPad, just looks so much better then black
Click to expand...

Are you totally sold on white? I had a white iPad 3 and I'm actually really excited to back to black.

Two main reasons: 1) The white bezel never fully "disappeared" for me, if that makes sense. I was always dully aware of it, which brings me to 2) the white bezel, for me at least, always ended up seeming a little less brilliant and bright next to the LED display, if that makes sense.

YMMV, obviously, but just something to think about.
 
P

PFD

Member
Radec said:
Amazon won't be selling the iPad Airs right ?
Click to expand...

Not directly. They usually sell them through third party stores, at a higher price.

Re: white vs black
I was planning to go black, but they have space gray this time, not real black, and I'm not a fan of the gray back. So I'm prolly going white
 
V

Vyer

Member
Ken Masters said:
These iPad Air video reviews are like porn and I think this will be my first white iPad, just looks so much better then black
Click to expand...

i_am_not_jon_ames said:
Are you totally sold on white? I had a white iPad 3 and I'm actually really excited to back to black.

Two main reasons: 1) The white bezel never fully "disappeared" for me, if that makes sense. I was always dully aware of it, which brings me to 2) the white bezel, for me at least, always ended up seeming a little less brilliant and bright next to the LED display, if that makes sense.

YMMV, obviously, but just something to think about.
Click to expand...

I had a white phone and mini at one time. With the 5s I went to black/gray and moved to a Nexus 7 for a while. I like them both but whenever I get one of these new ipads I'm going right back to white.

For some reason the display seems brighter and more vibrant to me on the white. It also seems to stand out more with the thin black frame. Bezels don't bother me at all either way (especially now that they will be slimmer). Well...except the top and bottom bezels on the N7. They are kind of ridiculously thick, but even then it doesn't really bother my enjoyment of the screen.
 
BFIB

BFIB

Member
Debating on staying up and putting an order in at the Apple store. If you do the reservation, you are guaranteed one then correct?

I'm also debating on going out after work and hitting up the local Best Buys, Walmarts and Targets.
 
M

MThanded

I Was There! Official L Receiver 2/12/2016
nemss said:
Debating on staying up and putting an order in at the Apple store. If you do the reservation, you are guaranteed one then correct?

I'm also debating on going out after work and hitting up the local Best Buys, Walmarts and Targets.
Click to expand...
If this is anything like the iphone launch you should be able to go on best buy at midnight and preorder one for pickup.
 
B

Bob Dobalina

Member
Is there any chance the mini is going to be on display alongside the Air on Friday or is it not even being sold yet? Going to be within walking distance of an apple store.
 
E

Epix

Member
Jakfu said:
Same here. Especially with the air having 1GB of ram, so I suspect the retina mini will have the same 1GB of Ram. But I don't want to wait for the mini when I can get the air by this friday...
Click to expand...

You hear that? Everyone get an Air so I can grab a Mini.

Thx
 
BFIB

BFIB

Member
MThanded said:
If this is anything like the iphone launch you should be able to go on best buy at midnight and preorder one for pickup.
Click to expand...

Awesome! That will probably be my plan then. BB is a lot closer than the Apple store.

Any more news on Wal-Mart selling the iPad Air for $479? I'd go for that first, but I haven't heard anything else on the rumor.
 
K

Ken Masters

Banned
tarius1210 said:
I heard that production was constrained but wouldn't still be constrained a month from now? I mean we are heading into the holidays.

Anyways, I'm not giving in. I will resist the Air.
Click to expand...

They said mini retina supply is going to be very tight this holiday

MThanded said:
If this is anything like the iphone launch you should be able to go on best buy at midnight and preorder one for pickup.
Click to expand...

Midnight EST? Will so do this then wait till 3AM on apple.com
 
A

An-Det

Member
nemss said:
Awesome! That will probably be my plan then. BB is a lot closer than the Apple store.

Any more news on Wal-Mart selling the iPad Air for $479? I'd go for that first, but I haven't heard anything else on the rumor.
Click to expand...

Is Wal-Mart only selling the base model, or would also they have the 32 gb one at $580 too? Still, probably doing best buy midnight then Apple.com at 3 am otherwise.
 
BFIB

BFIB

Member
An-Det said:
Is Wal-Mart only selling the base model, or would also they have the 32 gb one at $580 too? Still, probably doing best buy midnight then Apple.com at 3 am otherwise.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure, I'm not even positive if Wal-Mart is having the $479 deal on the 16GB.
 
J

Jafku

Member
Ken Masters said:
They said mini retina supply is going to be very tight this holiday



Midnight EST? Will so do this then wait till 3AM on apple.com
Click to expand...
Midnight PST. So us on the east coast will be waking up at 3 AM lol
Oh wait I see. I can't read today. Still gonna stick with Apple.com though
 
D

Deku Tree

Member
I want an iPad Air Black 32GB WiFi.

My current iPad is a launch day "two 64GB WiFi".
It still works fine and I have no complaints, but I have a little bit of upgrade-iris.

I am still on the fence though. If the iPad Air had 2GB Ram and Touch ID I would be all in for sure. :(
 
BFIB

BFIB

Member
Deku Tree said:
I want an iPad Air Black 32GB WiFi.

My current iPad is a launch day "two 64GB WiFi".
It still works fine and I have no complaints, but I have a little bit of upgrade-iris.

I am still on the fence though. If the iPad Air had 2GB Ram and Touch ID I would be all in for sure. :(
Click to expand...

The retina screen, 64 bit proc. and the new design would warrant that need to upgrade IMO. You've been patient through the 3rd and 4th gen.
 
S

solarus

Member
Deku Tree said:
I want an iPad Air Black 32GB WiFi.

My current iPad is a launch day "two 64GB WiFi".
It still works fine and I have no complaints, but I have a little bit of upgrade-iris.

I am still on the fence though. If the iPad Air had 2GB Ram and Touch ID I would be all in for sure. :(
Click to expand...

I'd say wait for 2gb ram but that's me.
 
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