iPad Air Finally Bought an Air (Gen 4)

[AppleSmurf]

I wanted to shared some quick things I noticed in 1 night of playing with the device:

I’ve never had and iPad and primarily use my 17’ MBP. I was stuck between and pro and air but ultimately went with the Air because I could justify the “pro” aspect (I did the same thing with my iPhone 12).

So far I love it! To anyone wondering why it’s like to use and iPad in a similar fashion to a laptop, I would say using an iPad is like using your phone on a traditional laptop. If you love iPhone interface and you love browsing your phone, you will love an iPad.

Will this take place of my MBP? At some point I believe I will use this more than the MBP. It’s more mobile and I personally love doing things on my phone so I feel very confident in the fact that I can use this for what I do (emails, browsing, streaming, PDFs viewing and signing, plus some).

I did buy the magic keyboard so out of pocket I spent a little more than I wanted to but it’s worth it.

I say buy one to anyone questioning it!

 

[omenatarhuri]

With the magic keyboard, pen and multitouch screen its definitely a very versatile device. Congrats!

 

[MBAir2010]

is the port USBC or lightning?
i still love my iPad from 2017 and use that for cartooning without the stylus.
just the lightning connection is iffy and was replaced already.
there are other annoyances made a better and modern chip might remedy.

 

[one more]

is the port USBC or lightning?
i still love my iPad from 2017 and use that for cartooning without the stylus.
just the lightning connection is iffy and was replaced already.
there are other annoyances made a better and modern chip might remedy.

It’s a USB-C on Air 4. ?

 

[AutomaticApple]

With the magic keyboard, pen and multitouch screen its definitely a very versatile device. Congrats!

It'll be completely versatile once they add external monitor support to iPadOS.

 

[AppleSmurf]

is the port USBC or lightning?
i still love my iPad from 2017 and use that for cartooning without the stylus.
just the lightning connection is iffy and was replaced already.
there are other annoyances made a better and modern chip might remedy.

USB-C, and i think it‘s awesome. The magic keyboard is also charged USB-C so it works great to have the two share a common port. I’m thinking about getting this to help with charging.

PowerPort III Duo

36W 2-Port PowerIQ 3.0 USB C Charger, PowerPort III Duo Compact Type C Wall Charger, Foldable Plug, Power Delivery for iPhone XR/Xs/Max/X/8/Plus, Galaxy S10/S9, Pixel 3a/3/XL, iPad Pro, and More

www.anker.com

 

[AppleSmurf]

It'll be completely versatile once they add external monitor support to iPadOS.

Haven’t they done that in the most recent update?

 

[CTHarrryH]

I got one yesterday to replace my many year old one. I really like it. Since I have a MB air with USB-A ports I'm into connection cable but ... Bought the Pencil 2 - and will see how I use /like that

 

[chrfr]

USB-C, and i think it‘s awesome. The magic keyboard is also charged USB-C so it works great to have the two share a common port. I’m thinking about getting this to help with charging.

PowerPort III Duo

36W 2-Port PowerIQ 3.0 USB C Charger, PowerPort III Duo Compact Type C Wall Charger, Foldable Plug, Power Delivery for iPhone XR/Xs/Max/X/8/Plus, Galaxy S10/S9, Pixel 3a/3/XL, iPad Pro, and More

www.anker.com

Magic keyboards still charge with Lightning so you'll either want a charger that has USB-A and USB-C or buy a USB-C to Lightning cable, which as far as I know is not included with the keyboard. Edit: I assumed you're talking about the bluetooth keyboard. The iPad Magic Keyboard has no batteries so you don't need a dual charger. The connector on the iPad keyboard is a passthrough to charge the iPad.

 

[AppleSmurf]

Magic keyboards still charge with Lightning so you'll either want a charger that has USB-A and USB-C or buy a USB-C to Lightning cable, which as far as I know is not included with the keyboard. Edit: I assumed you're talking about the bluetooth keyboard. The iPad Magic Keyboard has no batteries so you don't need a dual charger. The connector on the iPad keyboard is a passthrough to charge the iPad.

so it looks like its a pass through charging port, you are correct that the keyboard doesn’t need charging, but you can charge the ipad through the usb-c port on the magic keyboard (with track pad).

 

[Isamilis]

My experience, I used my iphone less and less after having iPad. Even I moved to smaller iPhone SE.

 

[Crow_Servo]

My experience, I used my iphone less and less after having iPad. Even I moved to smaller iPhone SE.

My iPhone is hardly ever used compared to my iPad, so I definitely agree with this.

 

[chrfr]

so it looks like its a pass through charging port, you are correct that the keyboard doesn’t need charging, but you can charge the ipad through the usb-c port on the magic keyboard (with track pad).

That's exactly right, so just use the charger and cable which came with the iPad.

 

[TKNDWN]

I bought my first iPad back in November and at first I wasn’t too sure about keeping it. I knew I wanted a tablet of some sort and, having always been an avid Android user and always avoided Apple products, I knew nothing compares, tablet wise, to an iPad. The ecosystem is way too good and the tablet ecosystem just isn’t there for Android unfortunately.

I ummed and ahhhed weeks before getting one, and I ummed and ahhhed days after finally purchasing one. I questioned whether I would actually make use of it or if it would just end up a waste of money. I quickly realised just how great a device it really is. That was back in November.

As of yesterday, I now own the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard, replacing my standalone Bluetooth keyboard, and it is now my laptop replacement.

This is coming from someone who opposes Apple products! I know! Sounds crazy, but I absolutely love my iPad. For anyone wondering I have the iPad 8th Gen 10.2“.

 

[jeremiah256]

I bought my first iPad back in November and at first I wasn’t too sure about keeping it. I knew I wanted a tablet of some sort and, having always been an avid Android user and always avoided Apple products, I knew nothing compares, tablet wise, to an iPad. The ecosystem is way too good and the tablet ecosystem just isn’t there for Android unfortunately.

I ummed and ahhhed weeks before getting one, and I ummed and ahhhed days after finally purchasing one. I questioned whether I would actually make use of it or if it would just end up a waste of money. I quickly realised just how great a device it really is. That was back in November.

As of yesterday, I now own the Logitech Combo Touch keyboard, replacing my standalone Bluetooth keyboard, and it is now my laptop replacement.

This is coming from someone who opposes Apple products! I know! Sounds crazy, but I absolutely love my iPad. For anyone wondering I have the iPad 8th Gen 10.2“.

Great post. In addition to your points, I’d like to highlight you bought and found satisfaction with a regular iPad.

I see too many people complaining about how the iPad is overpriced, and then see that they got caught up in the “You gotta have lamination, 120hz, 6GBs RAM, 512GB SSD with Pencil 2 and the Magic Keyboard as a minimum Pro or go home” hype that unfortunately, runs rampant on sites like this.

 

[secretk]

Great post. In addition to your points, I’d like to highlight you bought and found satisfaction with a regular iPad.

I see too many people complaining about how the iPad is overpriced, and then see that they got caught up in the “You gotta have lamination, 120hz, 6GBs RAM, 512GB SSD with Pencil 2 and the Magic Keyboard as a minimum Pro or go home” hype that unfortunately, runs rampant on sites like this.

I see what you mean as I might be suffering from this too . I have the regular 6th iPad and the first pencil. I honestly could tolerate the lack of laminated screen or 120 HZ but the 2 GB RAM was just not working for me. I guess I have weird usage patterns but the 2GB RAM would cause way too many tabs and apps reload and on some older sites I would even lose data and would have to start from scratch writing. I also have to admit that 128 GB was not enough for me but that was because I play around with Playgrounds and the playbooks that you download take up a lot of space.

So yeah in the end I bought iPad Pro 2018 with 512 GB and second pencil and yes it is overpriced. I bought it with a serious discount (like 30 % off) and this is the price basically that I was willing to pay. The full price I was not. And I do not have the magic keyboard because no matter how much I like the idea, I cannot make myself pay that much for it.

 

[TKNDWN]

Great post. In addition to your points, I’d like to highlight you bought and found satisfaction with a regular iPad.

I see too many people complaining about how the iPad is overpriced, and then see that they got caught up in the “You gotta have lamination, 120hz, 6GBs RAM, 512GB SSD with Pencil 2 and the Magic Keyboard as a minimum Pro or go home” hype that unfortunately, runs rampant on sites like this.

Thank you for your kind words and the response!

I’d also like to agree fully with what you said: Too many people nowadays are way too hung up on specifications. It must have a laminated screen, a higher refresh rate, ample amounts of storage, all the accessories in the world to “enhance your experience”. You simply do not. Yes, my iPad is regular and it also has 32GB storage. Many would deem that as not being enough but fail to mention how they’d best utilise their storage. All of my files are kept on Google Drive, and unless I’m downloading massive games on my iPad to store and play simultaneously, 32GB is plenty for me.

As for the lack of a laminated screen, I really don’t care. Sure it’ll make a slight difference if I were to be using the Apple Pencil, but I’m sure it’ll work just fine. The higher refresh rate would be a bonus, but it really isn’t essential to how I use my iPad. My phone has a 90Hz refresh rate, and it’s amazing, but it’s not something I’d be wishing for on my iPad.

That said, my bog-standard regular iPad is absolutely amazing in conjunction with my Logitech Combo Touch. I had the chance to, perhaps, swap it at the Apple store for a iPad Air when I swapped my faulty one in a few days ago, but I couldn’t justify spending an extra £250 on top. I absolutely LOVE my regular iPad.

 

[jeremiah256]

I see what you mean as I might be suffering from this too . I have the regular 6th iPad and the first pencil. I honestly could tolerate the lack of laminated screen or 120 HZ but the 2 GB RAM was just not working for me. I guess I have weird usage patterns but the 2GB RAM would cause way too many tabs and apps reload and on some older sites I would even lose data and would have to start from scratch writing. I also have to admit that 128 GB was not enough for me but that was because I play around with Playgrounds and the playbooks that you download take up a lot of space.

So yeah in the end I bought iPad Pro 2018 with 512 GB and second pencil and yes it is overpriced. I bought it with a serious discount (like 30 % off) and this is the price basically that I was willing to pay. The full price I was not. And I do not have the magic keyboard because no matter how much I like the idea, I cannot make myself pay that much for it.

Good to hear about your purchase. You obviously knew what you wanted, researched, and waited for everything to align.

I wasn’t implying that people don’t need more, and apologize if that was the impression I gave. Many do, such as yourself.

 

[secretk]

Good to hear about your purchase. You obviously knew what you wanted, researched, and waited for everything to align.

I wasn’t implying that people don’t need more, and apologize if that was the impression I gave. Many do, such as yourself.

Nah, no worries! I got what you meant. I actually indeed first bought 2018 basic iPad as back then I had not owned any Apple device or no tablet either. I wanted it for the pencil but on the other hand I did not want to spend a lot of money because I was not sure if I would like it or not. So the basic iPad was a good idea. Once I got used to the idea of a tablet with the pencil I was ready for something more. So it was like maybe 1 and half year later.

I do not regret the way I did things to be honest because there was no guarantee that I will enjoy the iPad if I had bought the pro right away. At that point of time I had not had any tablet and in general I do not have the need for general tablet. It was all about the pencil for me and as I needed precision, I have to admit that the second generation pencil is better for that. Also the grip with the first one is not that good and I started developing some wrist pain.

That being said I will be honest - if I had to buy an iPad now, I might have considered the iPad Air 4 over the Pro as the 120 HZ screen and the speakers are not that important for me. The pencil however is .

 

[rui no onna]

Nah, no worries! I got what you meant. I actually indeed first bought 2018 basic iPad as back then I had not owned any Apple device or no tablet either. I wanted it for the pencil but on the other hand I did not want to spend a lot of money because I was not sure if I would like it or not. So the basic iPad was a good idea. Once I got used to the idea of a tablet with the pencil I was ready for something more. So it was like maybe 1 and half year later.

I do not regret the way I did things to be honest because there was no guarantee that I will enjoy the iPad if I had bought the pro right away. At that point of time I had not had any tablet and in general I do not have the need for general tablet. It was all about the pencil for me and as I needed precision, I have to admit that the second generation pencil is better for that. Also the grip with the first one is not that good and I started developing some wrist pain.

That being said I will be honest - if I had to buy an iPad now, I might have considered the iPad Air 4 over the Pro as the 120 HZ screen and the speakers are not that important for me. The pencil however is .

Yep. Mind, I had already bought a couple of Windows tablet/UMPC for use as manga reader before I eventually ended up getting the iPad 2. Also had a fairly expensive stint trying out Android and Windows tablets for microSD storage between OG Air and Pro 9.7.

By the time Apple released the iPad Pros, I had mostly replaced my personal laptop with the iPad. The laptop was pretty much just used for web browsing in bed anyway. The heavy lifting, I do on the desktop. Figured $50/paycheck (top storage+cellular) was a fair price for a device that I used and enjoyed using as much as the iPad.

 

[CTHarrryH]

Bought a pencil caused I wanted to try using it - not sure yet for what since I can't draw but I want to try and play with it

 

[AppleSmurf]

Great post. In addition to your points, I’d like to highlight you bought and found satisfaction with a regular iPad.

I see too many people complaining about how the iPad is overpriced, and then see that they got caught up in the “You gotta have lamination, 120hz, 6GBs RAM, 512GB SSD with Pencil 2 and the Magic Keyboard as a minimum Pro or go home” hype that unfortunately, runs rampant on sites like this.

I used to have that “go big or go home” mentality and over the last year I’ve found myself buying the entry level because I can’t justify the upgrades to “pro”

 

[Mackilroy]

Bought a pencil caused I wanted to try using it - not sure yet for what since I can't draw but I want to try and play with it

Lots of people think this, but the basics aren’t hard to learn. Try some tutorials on YouTube, such as from Art With Flo.

 

[Bethanie21]

I recently upgraded my iPad 6th gen to an iPad Air 4. I’ve owned 4 iPads before this one and my 6th gen was laggy. Decided to get the Air as the Pros are too expensive for what I use my iPad for (mainly web browsing, social media, watching videos). I also liked the different colours available with the Air 4 (this mattered to me as I don’t put a case on my iPad) and was fine with 64gb storage (I don’t play games or download movies).

I definitely believe there’s a certain amount of snobbery re having to have ‘the best’. You also find this with the iPhones. At the end of the day each person’s use case is different - what works for you might not necessarily work for me.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I recently upgraded my iPad 6th gen to an iPad Air 4. I’ve owned 4 iPads before this one and my 6th gen was laggy. Decided to get the Air as the Pros are too expensive for what I use my iPad for (mainly web browsing, social media, watching videos). I also liked the different colours available with the Air 4 (this mattered to me as I don’t put a case on my iPad) and was fine with 64gb storage (I don’t play games or download movies).

I definitely believe there’s a certain amount of snobbery re having to have ‘the best’. You also find this with the iPhones. At the end of the day each person’s use case is different - what works for you might not necessarily work for me.

Your use case sounds like mine and I went with the Air too. I didn’t see the point paying an extra £200 for features I know i’ll never use or be interested in in regards to the Pro. I have the same approach when I upgrade my iPhone too and don’t just get the best just because it’s the best. I have to know it comes with an advantage for me and on that basis I have an Air 4 and an iPhone 12 both non-pro models. The snobbery around this only really shows on sites like this and tech discussion sites. People generally don’t notice or care what devices you use outside of the more geekier places.