All iPads Tried iPad Air at Best Buy... Not Impressed

[kycophpd]

I went to Oxmoor Mall Apple Store for personal pickup and thankfully was not in the line that still had 30 people standing in it waiting to purchase an hour after launch.

At 4:30pm, I went to a local Best Buy to get a screen protector and 3 different people were there to purchase an iPad Air while I shopped.

So my 'everyone around me is buying it' is equal to your 'no one is buying it'. Our scientific experiment is off to an interesting start OP.

 

[Truefan31]

Unfortunately, I feel more or less the same. I walked into the local Apple Store this afternoon to check the iPad Air. They said they're fully stocked, when I inquired about their inventory. I'm liking my iPad 2, which has been a great device, though I would enjoy a Retina screen for reading the periodicals. I think the iPad Air is really nice, but when I add it all up (the device, case, AppleCare, and taxes) I am looking at $1200. I walked out, grabbed a frozen yogurt while I pondered things, and just couldn't persuade myself that the new iPad, while very nice, is $1200 nice. In addition, I share the sentiment that next year Apple is likely to increase the RAM to 2GB and also include a Touch ID sensor. These would have already been nice to have on what is a premium tablet, as particularly the RAM would help extend the device longevity. Now I fully understand that this is not in Apple's interest, but it is mine, and as a consumer I decided to vote with my wallet. Oh well....

Yeah this is my dilemma. It's nice but it's just those little things that add up to a big thing.
1 gb ram
No touch Id
Still 16 gb base

Doesn't seem forward thinking at all. The ipad 3 I think taught us a lesson.

 

[petsounds]

But, if people like to throw money away on a product that makes them feel good down deep inside, then there us no arguing with that.

Nice bit of trolling there.

Do you know how much R&D cost went into making the iPad Air and the A7 chip? I don't either, and yet you seem to have a firm sense that this product is worthless. You seem to think that anyone who would buy one is literally throwing their money into a trash bin. That's ridiculous. It's an Apple product with the Apple tax. Either you pay in or don't. Obviously there was some reason Apple felt constrained on cost or supply to not bump up the RAM to 2GB. But does having 1GB make it worthless? It's super fast, lighter weight, looks gorgeous. I already love it much more than the iPad 3, because the reduction in weight and bevels makes it a more usable device.

 

[gentleman00]

Nice bit of trolling there.

Do you know how much R&D cost went into making the iPad Air and the A7 chip? I don't either, and yet you seem to have a firm sense that this product is worthless. You seem to think that anyone who would buy one is literally throwing their money into a trash bin. That's ridiculous. It's an Apple product with the Apple tax. Either you pay in or don't. Obviously there was some reason Apple felt constrained on cost or supply to not bump up the RAM to 2GB. But does having 1GB make it worthless? It's super fast, lighter weight, looks gorgeous. I already love it much more than the iPad 3, because the reduction in weight and bevels makes it a more usable device.

I am sure it does. it was not usable when it weigh 125 grams more, right? Thanks Apple!

Don't get me wrong. For the 29% percent whose first tablet is the iPad it makes sense. I suppose you are part of the 71% majority who has to have the latest gadgets.

Anyway, if you want one, you will rationalize it one way or another.

 

[C. Robert]

The other day I was going to buy a vw golf but it was the same as the 1967 golf. Sure the tech, engine, body, comfort, and gas mileage was better. It's just that is still has four wheels, a roof, and a steering wheel. So I'm just going to stay with my just as we'll made Yugo.

 

[mcdj]

Having owned the ipad 1, 2, 3, 4, mini, and now having bought and returned the Air today, my takeaway is this; the Air is one sexy piece of kit (assuming you don't have a 1/2 pink screen like I did). If you never had a mini, you will think the Air is the greatest tablet to date, and the end all be all.

But if you're like me, once you go mini, you just don't go back.

The mini is infinitely more ergonomic. It was made for hands and fingers. The Air is made for hands and fingers, but also requires wrists and arms. From a resting position, in portrait orientation, reaching upwards to interact with various elements at the top of the screen quickly becomes a repetitive chore, compared to the mini.

Handling the Air seems breezy at first, but it soon devolves into an exercise in load balancing and shifting, as it becomes tiresome to hold in one position for too long. The way you grab it when you pick it up for the very first time and marvel at its slimness and lightness, is ultimately unsustainable. It is deceptively weighty the longer you interact with it.

Weight and size aside, from a usage standpoint, the mini is truly a personal device. In the few hours I had the Air today, I felt like everyone was peering over my shoulder at it, checking out what was on my screen. The mini is a totally private affair.

Finally, no single aspect of the mini brought such a sigh of relief upon returning to it after using the Air than did typing. Typing on the mini in portrait mode is like typing on the iPhone, only easier, to see and do. Typing on the Air, while much better than previous full size models, due to the thinner bezel, still feels more like checking in at an airport ticket kiosk than typing. It's slow and deliberate. It's hunty and pecky. And typing a long email could mean your hands travel up to a mile across the screen and back, especially in landscape mode, and especially if you're like me and not a touch typer.

 

[NuggetSauce]

I ended up getting one to try out, but I think i'll be swapping it for the mini when it comes out.

Even though it is lighter and a tad thinner, it still feels heavy and oafish compared to the mini which i'm used to using.

Still a good device with great performance. But the 10" form factor is not for me.

 

[petsounds]

I am sure it does. it was not usable when it weigh 125 grams more, right? Thanks Apple!

Don't get me wrong. For the 29% percent whose first tablet is the iPad it makes sense. I suppose you are part of the 71% majority who has to have the latest gadgets.

Anyway, if you want one, you will rationalize it one way or another.

Obviously you don't care much about the aesthetics of your devices. I do, and so does Apple; weight and feel matter to me. It may be 125 grams, but it makes a huge difference, and so does the slimmer form. The weight to me is what it should have been since the iPad 1. Obviously they couldn't do that with the tech at the time.

And for the record, I develop apps, so I need to have the latest models for testing regardless of whether I really want it. Truth be told, I'm not much of an iPad person, except for using them to make music. The iPad Air is the first iPad I've had where I feel that I might actually use it for more than testing and music.

The iPad 3? I felt no love for that at all. But the Air? There's no "rationalization" or other derisive terms you might use here. It's a great product.

 

[cdmoore74]

I’m not impressed and I did not have to go to bestbuy to know it. I will still check it out after work but I doubt it’s going to change my mind. I always use heavy duty cases so what do I gain if the iPad is lighter?

Just what I thought; overrated. Body was smaller but it still had the bigger display which made it slightly smaller than the previous iPads but still bigger than the iPad mini. And to me it did not feel as smooth as my iPhone 5s. Given that the iPad Air has the same gpu and cpu as the 5s but is pushing over double the resolution I'm not surprised.

 

[cdmoore74]

I ended up getting one to try out, but I think i'll be swapping it for the mini when it comes out.

Even though it is lighter and a tad thinner, it still feels heavy and oafish compared to the mini which i'm used to using.

Still a good device with great performance. But the 10" form factor is not for me.

Just what I said. It really still feels like a 10" iPad and you use it no differently than the bigger ones. Maybe it's because I'm 6' tall and weigh close to 300 pounds (I know; I'm fat as hell but I'm built like a tank ladies). Or it could be that the ladies or weaker males will appreciate the size and weight difference more.
Hopefully Apple has more up it's sleeve for the next iPad.

 

[s15119]

When iPads first came out, it was worth it to pay $500 for 16gb of memory and the form factor as nothing else was out that could compare.

Now its the same old song and dance by Apple selling 16gb for same price and $100 per increase in memory when competitors are starting at way cheaper for 16gb base models and only charging $40 per increase in memory. Apple is behind the times on pricing. It used to be that they priced competitively and you got a good deal for the money but now it just seems meh.

Do you have a point to make, or are you just going to insult people for no reason?

 

[gentleman00]

Obviously you don't care much about the aesthetics of your devices. I do, and so does Apple; weight and feel matter to me. It may be 125 grams, but it makes a huge difference, and so does the slimmer form. The weight to me is what it should have been since the iPad 1. Obviously they couldn't do that with the tech at the time.

And for the record, I develop apps, so I need to have the latest models for testing regardless of whether I really want it. Truth be told, I'm not much of an iPad person, except for using them to make music. The iPad Air is the first iPad I've had where I feel that I might actually use it for more than testing and music.

The iPad 3? I felt no love for that at all. But the Air? There's no "rationalization" or other derisive terms you might use here. It's a great product.

To some extent, yes. But again, I don't wear my iPad around my neck or wrist to be too concerned about its aesthetics quality as much as others are. I am interested in seeing major improvements instead of mediocre incremental add-ons to lure consumers to buy the next iPad generation--iPad air.

I have an iPad2 and it works for me. The faster, thinner argument is old. iPads are $500 and will remain so because Apple spends a lot on advertisement. And guess what? Who pays for the ads? Ultimately, the consumer does. It's built into that $500 dollar iPad.

 

[s15119]

Did someone say 'troll'?

Oh and YES, you should always be ashamed to be a d-bag, a$$hat pirate. Always. Period.

If he's trolling, someone has to ask how it feels with that hook in your jaw

 

[edhchoe]

This forum is full of defensive people. No one can accept another person's opinion. Maybe these are all jr hi students....

 

[ArizonaKid]

Don't get me wrong, the lighter weight and form factor was nice. The speed seemed decent, but it just seems to be overpriced for what you get.

I was debating getting one, and the fact that you only get 10gb for $500 after iOS is just not enough space for anything. You can literally put on a few apps and games and a movie. Going up to $600 your looking at $650 out the door with tax, plus $99 for Apple care because you don't want to spend $600 and then accidentally drop the tablet and have it break. So now your at $750 and then you will want a cover for it, which will bring it up to about $800.

For $800 I would expect to be able to get a device with 128gb of memory, 2gb ram, a cover, and warranty.

These things are not selling like hot cakes, theres tons of them at every store i have been to. I'll wait for the next iPad and if Apple starts at 32gb with 2gb ram, then I'll buy one. Otherwise, I am happy using my $229 kindle hdx that is just as high quality and a fraction of the price.

The OP has a valid concern. For $500, the 16GB just is too much money and not enough space for many people, especially considering the size of retina apps and legitimate alternatives.

And iPads are not selling like they used to, that is simply a fact. When the iPad 1,2,3 came out they were sold out everywhere. The iPad 4 was readily available after launch, and it looks to be the same with the iPad Air. That's why shipping times are within 24 hours.

For $500 I'd purchase a new 32GB iPad Air, but not a 16. As a long time Mac user (join date of 2005) I want to buy a new Air but won't because I view the price (now) as too high.

 

[Sparky9292]

Otherwise, I am happy using my $229 kindle hdx that is just as high quality and a fraction of the price.

The Kindle is a great device! I thought about getting one, but I create video lessons, and the iPad's A7 processor really makes doing voice over and annotations for lessons MUCH easier than the iPad 1 (Explain Everything app for ipad). So it was a solid choice for me.

Sure I could do this with a laptop, but then I have connect a watcom tablet and that's a hassle compared to an iPad Air.

 

[mangoman]

Having owned the ipad 1, 2, 3, 4, mini, and now having bought and returned the Air today, my takeaway is this; the Air is one sexy piece of kit (assuming you don't have a 1/2 pink screen like I did). If you never had a mini, you will think the Air is the greatest tablet to date, and the end all be all.

But if you're like me, once you go mini, you just don't go back.

The mini is infinitely more ergonomic. It was made for hands and fingers. The Air is made for hands and fingers, but also requires wrists and arms. From a resting position, in portrait orientation, reaching upwards to interact with various elements at the top of the screen quickly becomes a repetitive chore, compared to the mini.

Handling the Air seems breezy at first, but it soon devolves into an exercise in load balancing and shifting, as it becomes tiresome to hold in one position for too long. The way you grab it when you pick it up for the very first time and marvel at its slimness and lightness, is ultimately unsustainable. It is deceptively weighty the longer you interact with it.

Weight and size aside, from a usage standpoint, the mini is truly a personal device. In the few hours I had the Air today, I felt like everyone was peering over my shoulder at it, checking out what was on my screen. The mini is a totally private affair.

Finally, no single aspect of the mini brought such a sigh of relief upon returning to it after using the Air than did typing. Typing on the mini in portrait mode is like typing on the iPhone, only easier, to see and do. Typing on the Air, while much better than previous full size models, due to the thinner bezel, still feels more like checking in at an airport ticket kiosk than typing. It's slow and deliberate. It's hunty and pecky. And typing a long email could mean your hands travel up to a mile across the screen and back, especially in landscape mode, and especially if you're like me and not a touch typer.

Good post. Thanks for sharing all that. It was a tough decision between the Air and holding out for the new Mini (First World Problems), but I'm sticking with the Air, and looking forward to the Logitech keyboard/case for it. Fits my needs/style.

 

[Sissyboy]

Its for all the sissys that cant lift 1.4 pounds. Guess a gym membership is in order

Watch it pal. I can lift any iPad with just one hand.

 

[Adelphos33]

I have an iPad mini now and was thinking about getting an Air to have alongside the iPad mini. I went to the store and tried it, I wasn't that impressed with it. It is lighter and thinner, but at the end of the day an iPad is an iPad, and I didn't really see any performance bump (outside of the retina screen, which is beautiful) that makes me want to pay $700 or $800 for the cell+wifi version. The iPad mini is a great cell+wifi device due to iMessage, Apple Maps and other applications.

I will check for the retina mini when it gets released, but honestly I may roll with my iPad mini for another year. I will likely get a Kindle Paperwhite for books while using the mini for FT, WSJ, Flipboard, apps, etc.

 

[macmyworld]

Bought a 64 GB Wifi Friday. I agree the Air is slightly overpriced. I needed more storage for videos and movies than my old iPad 4 32 GB. I wish Apple would ahve made the new entry point 32 GB for $499. Flash is dirt cheap compared to when the iPad started.

The Air is a nice device. My only complaint so far is the edges near the screen. They are a little sharp for how I told it. Otherwise no complaints at all.

The Apple store I went to was fairly quiet at 11 AM for a launch day but they were selling. Saw a number if people walking out with them.

 

[ggibson913]

You are right and wrong

Let me start out by saying that no one needs a tablet. I could just have my phone and my laptop and get along in life just fine. That being said the iPad is a convenience. I use it daily as the form factor allows me to surf the internet, pay bills, do almost anything I can do on a laptop. I am typing this using an apple keyboard (btw best keyboard for the iPad by far IMHO).

That being said, I did pick up an iPad Air today. When playing the technology game, it is critical to know when to upgrade a device. For me I have the 3rd Gen iPad and it was about time for me to upgrade my iPad. Not that the 3rd Gen didn't do what I wanted, but I reached the sweet spot in resale and wanted to upgrade. I do agree, that Apple could lower the price a bit and still not really hurt their bottom line.

The upgrades are mostly on the inside witht he 64 bit processor, and performance. If I had a fourth Gen, I likely would not have upgraded and hung on to what I had.

 

[AppleRobert]

Having owned the ipad 1, 2, 3, 4, mini, and now having bought and returned the Air today, my takeaway is this; the Air is one sexy piece of kit (assuming you don't have a 1/2 pink screen like I did). If you never had a mini, you will think the Air is the greatest tablet to date, and the end all be all.

But if you're like me, once you go mini, you just don't go back.

The mini is infinitely more ergonomic. It was made for hands and fingers. The Air is made for hands and fingers, but also requires wrists and arms. From a resting position, in portrait orientation, reaching upwards to interact with various elements at the top of the screen quickly becomes a repetitive chore, compared to the mini.

Handling the Air seems breezy at first, but it soon devolves into an exercise in load balancing and shifting, as it becomes tiresome to hold in one position for too long. The way you grab it when you pick it up for the very first time and marvel at its slimness and lightness, is ultimately unsustainable. It is deceptively weighty the longer you interact with it.

Weight and size aside, from a usage standpoint, the mini is truly a personal device. In the few hours I had the Air today, I felt like everyone was peering over my shoulder at it, checking out what was on my screen. The mini is a totally private affair.

Finally, no single aspect of the mini brought such a sigh of relief upon returning to it after using the Air than did typing. Typing on the mini in portrait mode is like typing on the iPhone, only easier, to see and do. Typing on the Air, while much better than previous full size models, due to the thinner bezel, still feels more like checking in at an airport ticket kiosk than typing. It's slow and deliberate. It's hunty and pecky. And typing a long email could mean your hands travel up to a mile across the screen and back, especially in landscape mode, and especially if you're like me and not a touch typer.

I plan not using my Mini for a week. We'll see what my opinion is then.

I really think if I return it though, it would be because I think the price will drop for the holidays. Every dollar counts!

 

[Rodster]

I think the OP makes valid points regarding the iPad's cost and configuration factors. I own 2 iPad's after owning several Android tablets first. My favorite tablet is now the iPad. I love everything about them but the configuration and cost given the alternatives makes you think twice about purchasing.

I was ready for an iPad Air but decided against it because 16GB is not enough these days and given the news that the iPad Pro will release next year made we wait for that.

My second choice was the Retina Mini until the price increase. So i'll wait it out as my trusty refurbed iPad 2 runs well enough on iOS 7.

As far as the Kindle HDX, those are nice spec'd tablets that are well built for the cheap, unfortunately you need to be an Amazon customer to enjoy them. I personally do because i'm an Amazon Prime customer and have been for 2 years and the content Amazon now, delivers is pretty stout.

 

[WaxedJacket]

I read his post with the voice of Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons in my head.

 

[AppleRobert]

I have an iPad mini now and was thinking about getting an Air to have alongside the iPad mini. I went to the store and tried it, I wasn't that impressed with it. It is lighter and thinner, but at the end of the day an iPad is an iPad, and I didn't really see any performance bump (outside of the retina screen, which is beautiful) that makes me want to pay $700 or $800 for the cell+wifi version. The iPad mini is a great cell+wifi device due to iMessage, Apple Maps and other applications.

I will check for the retina mini when it gets released, but honestly I may roll with my iPad mini for another year. I will likely get a Kindle Paperwhite for books while using the mini for FT, WSJ, Flipboard, apps, etc.

I cannot begin to describe how much better the experience has been watching movies/tv shows and playing games I like on the Air versus the Mini.

The Kindle HDX I saw on display at BB was not good at all for reading. The background was yellow with blotches and that devices' main feature is suppose to be for reading, right?