Support NeoGAF

[PFD]

Just bought my first Apple product in over 7 years. (last thing I bought was an iPod Classic) Got the Air, 32 gig. Question, I plan to use it mostly as a consumption device (Streaming the NBA, NFL, Amazon and Netflix when working out).

Are there any must have (preferably free) apps I should download? They don't have to be streaming apps.

Thanks in advance!

Unstuck (helps you solve your problems using your creativity)
Zite/Flipboard (great news apps)
Dark Sky (100% accurate rain alerts with push notifications)
Skitch (quick and easy image marking)
Pocket (save articles for offline reading)
Dropbox
speedtest.net
Khan Academy (tons of free educational videos)
Color Uncovered/Sound Uncovered
Our Choice (demonstrates the power of interactive books. Apple later copied it with iBooks Author)
Wonders of the Universe
Back in Time
MagicPlan (create a floor plan using your device's camera)
Lift (helps you build new habits)
How to Cook Everything (the only iPad cooking book you'll ever need)
Duolingo (learn a new language for free!)

 

[madmook]

Goddamn it iOS 7, I've got a 2048x1536 jpeg that I wanna use as wallpaper, whoever thought of that "move and scale" zoom in crap needs to be fired.

Anybody know any workarounds?

 

[Guess Who]

Goddamn it iOS 7, I've got a 2048x1536 jpeg that I wanna use as wallpaper, whoever thought of that "move and scale" zoom in crap needs to be fired.

Anybody know any workarounds?

Firstly, 2048x1536 was never the right resolution, you wanted 2048x2048 so it worked in both portrait and landscape.

For iOS 7, you want 2448x2448, where the center 2048x2048 pixels forming the main wallpaper and the rest used for the parallax effect.

 

[MilkLizard]

Goddamn it iOS 7, I've got a 2048x1536 jpeg that I wanna use as wallpaper, whoever thought of that "move and scale" zoom in crap needs to be fired.

Anybody know any workarounds?

Yes. Just turn on reduce motion.

Settings -> General -> Accessibility -> Reduce Motion and turn it ON.

Sucks that this setting is not switched on by default and so hidden.

 

[Sickbean]

Settings, General look for Lock / Unlock. That needs to be turned on (dot needs to be green)

Cant find an option for this, only Auto-lock and Passcode lock, neither of which help. Really don't want to have to walk into an Apple Store and ask them to make a case work! Is it possible for something that works with magnets to be broke??

 

[madmook]

It still does it even though I have reduce motion setting on.

And I also tried editing the pic so that there's a 200 pixel empty black border all around (resolution becomes 2448x1936) but there's still a bit of zooming in when I go to set it as wallpaper.

I don't really care because I'm rarely staring at the home or lock screen, but it sure is annoying. I don't think anybody cares about the pseudo 3D parallax effect, especially on something larger than a phone.

 

[Sickbean]

Loving it so far, with only two caveats: I still can't get the smart case to sleep/wake, and I'm starting to think 16GB might not be enough storage

 

[PFD]

Cant find an option for this, only Auto-lock and Passcode lock, neither of which help. Really don't want to have to walk into an Apple Store and ask them to make a case work! Is it possible for something that works with magnets to be broke??

You don't have this option?

 

[Sickbean]

Nope, not there! Bizarre!

 

[Sickbean]

Proof, because I never believe people when the say options are missing!

 

[Maninthemirror]

Cant find an option for this, only Auto-lock and Passcode lock, neither of which help. Really don't want to have to walk into an Apple Store and ask them to make a case work! Is it possible for something that works with magnets to be broke??

is your smart cover attached to the ipad?

 

[Sickbean]

Yep - it's a case rather than a cover but I've double checked and they should both do the same thing. Official £65 Apple one too.

 

[Maninthemirror]

Yep - it's a case rather than a cover but I've double checked and they should both do the same thing. Official £65 Apple one too.

because the setting only turns visible once the ipad detects magnets which are as strong as the smart cover on the screen. try taking the cover off and on completely and trying again.

 

[Sickbean]

because the setting only turns visible once the ipad detects magnets which are as strong as the smart cover on the screen. try taking the cover off and on completely and trying again.

Yeah just tried that, still no joy. I suppose it's feasible there could be a duff magnet in the case somewhere. Also considering a trip back to Argos to swap for a 32GB - I've only got 2.2GB left!

 

[Enco]

Neither of those issues are hardware deficiencies. The five finger gesture animation just cuts off mid animation so the icons sort of suddenly jump into place. Happens on every iPad.

iOS 7 just needs further polish.

They're issues that made me consider upgrading.

The fact that they still haven't polished the OS 3 updates in is embarrassing.

I've put my iPad 3 up for sale anyway.

 

[SuperSah]

Hey guys, iPad related question.

Looking into getting an iPad Mini, and wondering how long it lasts on battery. Is it really 9-10 hours?

 

[Wind's Howling]

Proof, because I never believe people when the say options are missing!

Go to Accessibility. The reduce motion option is there.

 

[Sickbean]

Go to Accessibility. The reduce motion option is there.

I was looking for the option to enable smart cases - it's missing for me.

 

[Pachimari]

It's really weird, I instantly noticed a difference going from normal to retina screen on iPhone but ever since The New iPad I just don't see the big difference with the retina on an iPad. :/ maybe I need to stand in something other than a store to really appreciate the screen.

 

[Marco1]

The LG display in the ifixit teardown has really disappointed me. Apple charge premium price for average quality parts and as much as I love my apple stuff, it's really starting to grate on me.
I know that their stuff is nothing more than a gateway to the apps but I'm seeing the nexus line as a far better alternative.

 

[Betta Lines]

The LG display in the ifixit teardown has really disappointed me. Apple charge premium price for average quality parts and as much as I love my apple stuff, it's really starting to grate on me.
I know that their stuff is nothing more than a gateway to the apps but I'm seeing the nexus line as a far better alternative.

Which tablet has a better screen (at this size)? Best efforts I know of are the Nexus 10, Galaxy 10.1 2014, and Surface Pro, none of which are as colour-accurate.

 

[Wind's Howling]

I was looking for the option to enable smart cases - it's missing for me.

Oh, i see. My bad. That is weird.

 

[mrklaw]

The screen has slightly more give in it (I guess he glass cover is thinner?), and it might take some getting used to. As well as it feeling slightly springy, it has a hollow sound when you tap it with a nail

Love the weight and size though. It is narrow enough that you can support it with one hand for the back (so your thumb is one side and your middle up finger is the other). It is still a little bit heavy if you hold one side in one hand because of the leverage, but if you hold it in two hands, or one handed like above,then it feels nice and light.

 

[TheChewyWaffles]

Is that shit seriously still happening? I have had nothing but yellow blotch devices from any iPad I bought at launch. The glue that doesn't dry enough. It sucks. Returning and hoping for a better next device is such a hassle each time.

Yep it's still happening. Plenty of people reporting it. I read it's not glue on the iPads. It's a mfg flaw or backlight flaw or something.

 

[Marco1]

Yep it's still happening. Plenty of people reporting it. I read it's not glue on the iPads. It's a mfg flaw or backlight flaw or something.

It can't be glue as they don't glue the screen to the display on iPads. It's just flaky QC but because of apples CS you should always open and inspect in-store.
I learned to do this after going through 3 minis at launch due to dust between screen and display. Although I always think people underestimate how hard it is to build these things and try to eliminate light bleed.
Just ordered a black mini smart case for when the mini is released.

 

[RukusProvider]

Picked up my air. Coming from a iPad 3 this is a huge jump.

- I can hold it one hand now
- weight diff is surprisingly huge and in reverse feels a lot more thin and narrow than ipad3
- safari performance is night and day difference
- where as the ipad3 struggled with ios7 the air just walks through it
- for whatever reason performance seems smoother than ios7 on my s5
- back camera is disappointing as is lack of flash


I was going to wait for a 2gb version next year but really glad I'll be able to enjoy this performance right away.

 

[Deku Tree]

Picked up my air. Coming from a iPad 3 this is a huge jump.

- I can hold it one hand now
- weight diff is surprisingly huge and in reverse feels a lot more thin and narrow than ipad3
- safari performance is night and day difference
- where as the ipad3 struggled with ios7 the air just walks through it
- for whatever reason performance seems smoother than ios7 on my s5
- back camera is disappointing as is lack of flash


I was going to wait for a 2gb version next year but really glad I'll be able to enjoy this performance right away.

Anandtech seemed to verify that with benchmarks. The A7 in the iPad Air has a slightly higher clock rate too.

 

[Zeth]

I'm thinking I'll just bite on the Air instead of holding out for the Retina Mini. Assuming the performance is identical, I think I'd be fine.

 

[Betta Lines]

I'm thinking I'll just bite on the Air instead of holding out for the Retina Mini. Assuming the performance is identical, I think I'd be fine.

The way you phrased that suggests that you're expecting the Retina Mini to have better performance than the Air....

 

[Ken Masters]

Hey guys, iPad related question.

Looking into getting an iPad Mini, and wondering how long it lasts on battery. Is it really 9-10 hours?

Apple's battery claims for the iPad are quite accurate

I routinely get that 9-10 hours

 

[Zeth]

The way you phrased that suggests that you're expecting the Retina Mini to have better performance than the Air....

Yeah that was weird - not what I meant. I was concerned earlier that the Mini would be less powerful. If anything, the Mini might be clocked slightly lower, otherwise the same right? It's not A6X vs A6 or whatever anymore. .It seems pretty clear that the Air is a beast.

 

[dorkimoe]

absolutely loving my AIR, came from an ipad 2...DAT RETINA (yeah i had retina before on my iphones but this is IPAD RETINA). And its so much faster than my sluggish 2

 

[Sickbean]

Went to the Apple Store (on a Sunday, bleagh) and swapped my smart case for a different one. Worked straight away - so be aware that there must be an issue with the magnets not working in some smart cases.

 

[Blackhead]

Went to the Apple Store (on a Sunday, bleagh) and swapped my smart case for a different one. Worked straight away - so be aware that there must be an issue with the magnets not working in some smart cases.

Reminds me off: The case of the mysterious iPad magnets (2012)

 

[Spiderjericho]

I got a 32GB slate and still have my 4th Gen iPad (plan on selling it). The difference in weight and size is amazing. This is the best iPad, IMO. Yeah, it's obviously the latest and greatest but, to me, the 3rd and fourth gen took a step back with the size, battery life and performance (3rd Gen).

It's too bad they didn't include the touch ID but maybe it'll give one year to advance the tech. Hopefully, we also get 2GB ram or more. I'd also like the storage options to get cheaper. It doesn't make sense that the Google side of the house charges only $50 for storage increases. But we all know about Apple's pursuit of profit margins (see 5C).

 

[Ken Masters]

At this point the verge shouldn't even bother with the iPad air review lol

 

[Betta Lines]

Yeah that was weird - not what I meant. I was concerned earlier that the Mini would be less powerful. If anything, the Mini might be clocked slightly lower, otherwise the same right? It's not A6X vs A6 or whatever anymore. .It seems pretty clear that the Air is a beast.

That's right, it seems like with the significantly smaller battery pushing the same number of pixels on the same SOC, they'll have to run it slightly slower than in the Air to get the same battery life. That said, it might not need such powerful backlighting, and the A7 in the 5S is not dramatically slower than the one in the Air, so I'm expecting it to be very close - to point where it makes no difference other than these silly benchmarks.

 

[Ken Masters]

That's right, it seems like with the significantly smaller battery pushing the same number of pixels on the same SOC, they'll have to run it slightly slower than in the Air to get the same battery life. That said, it might not need such powerful backlighting, and the A7 in the 5S is not dramatically slower than the one in the Air, so I'm expecting it to be very close - to point where it makes no difference other than these silly benchmarks.

The benchmark differences between these a7 devices will have no real world difference

 

[Betta Lines]

That's what I said...

 

[Dany]

Using the air so frequently is making me realize how sluggish my 2010 Mbp is. Chrome can barely stream a video and browse the net :/

 

[Blackhead]

Using the air so frequently is making me realize how sluggish my 2010 Mbp is. Chrome can barely stream a video and browse the net :/

Flash

 

[PFD]

I got a 32GB slate and still have my 4th Gen iPad (plan on selling it). The difference in weight and size is amazing. This is the best iPad, IMO. Yeah, it's obviously the latest and greatest but, to me, the 3rd and fourth gen took a step back with the size, battery life and performance (3rd Gen).

Battery life never went down with the iPad 3/4. If you're thinking of the 14hr iPad 2 battery on Anandtech's benchmarks, that's a newer model (32nm SoC) that came out after the iPad 3.

 

[MThanded]

These things are still widely available if anyone cares. Almost all models can still be picked up at my local apple store and they are available to ship within 24 hours online.

 

[Sickbean]

Reminds me off: The case of the mysterious iPad magnets (2012)

Lol, I found that article when I was trying to figure out what was going on with mine.

 

[Deku Tree]

Using the air so frequently is making me realize how sluggish my 2010 Mbp is. Chrome can barely stream a video and browse the net :/

Yes. Flash drive. It is amazing how much a speedy SSD changes the speed of your whole computer. New laptops boot up it seems like instantly in seconds compared to just a few years ago.

 

[solarus]

These things are still widely available if anyone cares. Almost all models can still be picked up at my local apple store and they are available to ship within 24 hours online.

Are you still getting one or waiting for 2gb ram next year? I couldn't wait and jumped in, having no ipad felt empty.

 

[Betta Lines]

Yes. Flash drive. It is amazing how much a speedy SSD changes the speed of your whole computer. New laptops boot up it seems like instantly in seconds compared to just a few years ago.

He meant Flash in the browser is slowing Chrome down. The iPad Air doesn't support it.

 

[jts]

He meant Flash in the browser is slowing Chrome down. The iPad Air doesn't support it.

Yes but Deku Tree also makes a good point. My 2010 MBP has an SSD and it's sooooo much better and faster because of that.

Without an SSD and RAM upgrade I would've bought a new computer by now (really puts in perspective the lack of upgradeability of newer MacBooks).

 

[Deku Tree]

He meant Flash in the browser is slowing Chrome down. The iPad Air doesn't support it.

Oh yeah. That will slow you down a lot too.

EDIT: IMO Safari is the by far best browser for Macs and iOS devices.

 

[NinjaMouse]

Picked up my air. Coming from a iPad 3 this is a huge jump.

- I can hold it one hand now
- weight diff is surprisingly huge and in reverse feels a lot more thin and narrow than ipad3
- safari performance is night and day difference
- where as the ipad3 struggled with ios7 the air just walks through it
- for whatever reason performance seems smoother than ios7 on my s5
- back camera is disappointing as is lack of flash


I was going to wait for a 2gb version next year but really glad I'll be able to enjoy this performance right away.

We went from a 3rd Gen to an Air also...the weight difference is much more significant than I'd imagined it would be. My wife uses the Air primarily, and I was considering a mini for myself as something to use on my commute, but I'm starting to think the Air is the one to get now.