It marked a major change for the series, which included being lighter and thinner. The Apple iPad Air 1st generation is available in a number of different configurations so that users can select the options that suit them.
Apple named it the Air rather than the iPad 5 in order to draw attention to the physical design changes, which were intended to make the device more portable. You may see this model referred to as the 1st generation, which is to differentiate it from the iPad Air 2 released in 2014. The Apple iPad Air models that support cellular have a SIM card slot. A 5MP rear-facing cameras is ideal for taking high-quality photos and recording 1080p HD video. This Apple iSight camera has autofocus, backside illumination, a hybrid IR filter, and many other features. The manufacturer estimates that a full charge can provide you 10 hours of heavy usage, such as watching video or surfing the Web.
Apple Announces iPad Air—Dramatically Thinner, Lighter & More Powerful iPad
SAN FRANCISCO—October 22, 2013—Apple® today announced iPad Air™, the latest generation of its category defining device, featuring a stunning 9.7-inch Retina® display in a new thinner and lighter design. It is so thin, light and powerful, once you hold one in your hand you will understand what a tremendous advancement this is,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPad Air with its 9.7-inch Retina display weighs just one pound and packs the incredible performance of iOS 7 running on a 64-bit desktop-class Apple A7 chip, and delivers all-day battery life in the lightest full-sized tablet in the world.” Images are crisp, text is crystal clear, movies play at full 1080p HD-resolution and the 475,000 apps designed specifically for iPad work automatically.
The new iPads also feature the M7 motion coprocessor that gathers data from the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass to offload work from the A7 for improved power efficiency. The new iPads come with iOS 7, featuring a stunning new user interface, completely redesigned with an elegant color palette, distinct, functional layers and subtle motion that make it feel more alive.
All apps have been redesigned to match the look and feel of iOS 7, have been optimized to support 64-bit technology and include hundreds of new features. Starting on November 1, iPad Air will be available in the US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China (Wi-Fi models only), Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao (Wi-Fi models only), Macedonia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
At Apple retail stores in these countries, iPad Air will be available beginning at 8 a.m. local time on Friday, November 1.
See What an iPad is Worth on Flipsy
Exact iPad price depends on model, connectivity, capacity and condition. Here are some recent sales prices to give you a ballpark idea of how much your iPad is worth. * Average or recently sold prices for used, refurbished (Decluttr) or renewed (Amazon) iPads in “good” condition.
Base capacities and factory unlocked or Verizon cellular models. * Prices for iPads on the Verizon network or unlocked, base capacities in “good” condition.
Apple Announces iPad Air—Dramatically Thinner, Lighter & More Powerful iPad
SAN FRANCISCO—October 22, 2013—Apple® today announced iPad Air™, the latest generation of its category defining device, featuring a stunning 9.7-inch Retina® display in a new thinner and lighter design. It is so thin, light and powerful, once you hold one in your hand you will understand what a tremendous advancement this is,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPad Air with its 9.7-inch Retina display weighs just one pound and packs the incredible performance of iOS 7 running on a 64-bit desktop-class Apple A7 chip, and delivers all-day battery life in the lightest full-sized tablet in the world.” Images are crisp, text is crystal clear, movies play at full 1080p HD-resolution and the 475,000 apps designed specifically for iPad work automatically.
The new iPads also feature the M7 motion coprocessor that gathers data from the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass to offload work from the A7 for improved power efficiency. The new iPads come with iOS 7, featuring a stunning new user interface, completely redesigned with an elegant color palette, distinct, functional layers and subtle motion that make it feel more alive.
All apps have been redesigned to match the look and feel of iOS 7, have been optimized to support 64-bit technology and include hundreds of new features. Starting on November 1, iPad Air will be available in the US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China (Wi-Fi models only), Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao (Wi-Fi models only), Macedonia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. At Apple retail stores in these countries, iPad Air will be available beginning at 8 a.m. local time on Friday, November 1.
Buy iPad Air
There are two SIM options for connecting your WiFi + Cellular iPad model to a data plan: a physical SIM card or eSIM technology.† (Note: Wi-Fi iPad models cannot connect to cellular networks.) With eSIM, you can choose cellular data plans from select carriers in the U.S. and in more than 180 countries and regions around the world. More information on iPad support for LTE networks by carrier and country or region All iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular models include a nano-SIM tray that supports a carrier SIM card.
First-generation iPad Air remains, price dropped to $399 to start
While Apple might be looking to the future with a new iPad Air featuring everything from improved internal components to the inclusion of its Touch ID fingerprint sensor, the company is not yet ready to say goodbye to its last-generation slate. The company in September showed off two larger iPhones and provided a glimpse of the Apple Watch during a flashy event that featured the band U2. That includes letting users start a task — such as writing an email or composing a text — on an iPhone and then finish it on an iPad or Mac. Though it remains king of the tablets in terms of market share, sales of the iPad have declined year-over-year and fallen short of analyst expectations for two straight quarters.
Apple has attributed the weak iPad sales to a couple of factors — softer demand and an issue with the number of devices held in channel inventory (which means it’s either sitting in stores or on trucks). In addition, most people who crave a tablet likely already have one, and Apple is going up against dozens of new, inexpensive devices that run Google’s rival Android mobile operating system.
Apple iPad Air review: This older tablet is still a winner
Starting at $799 for the 32GB model, the iPad Pro will be available in November, with an optional keyboard ($169) and stylus, the Apple Pencil ($99). The latest version of the Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS 9, became available as a free download on September 16. Only the Air 2, Mini 4 and upcoming iPad Pro have hardware advanced for the new operating system’s full split-screen multi-tasking feature, however. That period was punctuated by two updates, bringing faster chips and a better display, but it’s a full refresh we were all waiting for, something to make the good ol’ iPad look and feel truly new.
The Air was a tangible upgrade over the previous, fourth-generation iPad, no longer in production and so banished to the annals of history. Cellular models — with LTE and support for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon in the US — cost an additional $130 beyond the above prices.
However, the market continues to shift, offering more and increasingly sophisticated alternatives at far cheaper prices, tablets like the Kindle Fire HDX and Google Nexus 10 . The iPad Mini introduced a fresh new design, taking cues from the iPod Touch to create a high-end tablet in an impossibly slender form factor. The more rounded profile and chamfered edges give it a modern presence, while the new shape means the buttons and toggle switch situated around the upper-right corner are much easier to find than before. Stereo speakers flank the Lightning connector on the bottom, placement that makes them far less likely to be obscured by your hand than the previous-gen iPad’s famously mediocre single output.
However, we can’t help but wish Apple had positioned the left channel speaker on the top, to allow for proper stereo separation when held in portrait orientation while watching a movie. It allows you to unlock your device without typing in a numeric code, also making iTunes purchases password-free and, therefore, infinitely less annoying.
Most iPhone 5S users will agree that it succeeds in that regard, so much so that many will find themselves trying to unlock the iPad Air by holding a finger on the Home button and waiting impatiently. Apple seemingly turned the wick up a bit here, with Geekbench indicating a processor speed of 1.39GHz, versus the 1.29GHz on the iPhone 5S.
Sun Spyder 1.0.2 (in milliseconds) Apple iPad Air 384 Microsoft Surface 2 386 Asus Transformer Pad TF701T 547 Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 576 Note: Shorter bars indicate better performance
3DMark (Unlimited) Microsoft Surface 2 14,610 14,610 Apple iPad Air 14,605 14,605 Asus Transformer Pad TF701T 14,172 14,172 Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 12,858 12,858 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance
3DMark (Unlimited) Microsoft Surface 2 14,610 Apple iPad Air 14,605 Asus Transformer Pad TF701T 14,172 Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 12,858 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Graphics Test 1 (GPU) Apple iPad Air 101.8 101.8 Microsoft Surface 2 90.9 90.9 Asus Transformer Pad TF701T 87.9 87.9 Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 58.7 58.7 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Graphics Test 1 (GPU) Apple iPad Air 101.8 Microsoft Surface 2 90.9 Asus Transformer Pad TF701T 87.9 Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 58.7 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Graphics Test 2 (GPU) Apple iPad Air 68.7 68.7 Microsoft Surface 2 49.8 49.8 Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 48.1 48.1 Asus Transformer Pad TF701T 47.8 47.8 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Graphics Test 2 (GPU) Apple iPad Air 68.7 Microsoft Surface 2 49.8 Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 48.1 Asus Transformer Pad TF701T 47.8 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Physics Test (CPU) Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 51 51 Microsoft Surface 2 44.2 44.2 Asus Transformer Pad TF701T 44.1 44.1 Apple iPad Air 25.9 25.9 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Physics Test (CPU) Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 51 Microsoft Surface 2 44.2 Asus Transformer Pad TF701T 44.1 Apple iPad Air 25.9 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance The fourth-gen iPad remains a great performer, but the new Air takes that to a new level — despite not suffering on battery life.
As ever, Apple promises 10 hours of battery life on the iPad Air and, as usual, the tablet more than delivers. Called MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output), it theoretically doubles the maximum throughput of data able to be transmitted to or from your tablet, up to 300Mbps with a compatible router. Those who pay $130 more than the Wi-Fi-only models will have full cellular connectivity built in, including a comprehensive swath of bands and frequencies. In here you’ll find a USB-to-Lightning cable, a 12W power brick, plus a few pages of legal information and a couple of Apple decals. It, too, is a very high-quality tablet, but one that is thicker and heavier than the Air, despite offering a lower-resolution display and (slightly) lesser battery life. Those focused on productivity will likely want to give the Surface 2 a look, if only thanks to the suite of keyboard accessories that make it one of the most typist-friendly tablets on the market, but the limited app selection for Windows RT is still a major mark against. But, with lots of talk of a successor looming, we’re not sure it’s a particularly good time to invest in a new Nexus slate. For that money we’d much prefer to get the upcoming $399 iPad Mini with Retina Display , which should be hitting stores in a few weeks.
Though it brings no new functionality to the table, and we can’t help being disappointed about the lack of Touch ID, the performance increase and solid battery life show that progress is still being made on the inside. However, there is one tablet that’s thinner and lighter still, yet holds the promise of great performance and build quality: the upcoming iPad Mini with Retina Display.
Apple’s iPad Air is back on sale for $499 — its lowest price ever
With Apple’s speedy A14 Bionic chip, the iPad Air delivers excellent performance and good battery life. It also supports Apple Pencil for note-taking and drawing as well as a Magic Keyboard for a laptop feel (both sold separately).
As we note in our iPad Air (2020) review, we loved its sleek, thin-bezel design and loud, clear speakers. We gave the iPad Air a high rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars and the Editor’s Choice award for its excellent performance.
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