For anyone who has ever lugged around an iPad, picking up the new iPad Air will be an unnerving experience. Forget the stats Apple likes to tout (28 percent lighter than the previous-generation iPad; 20 percent thinner). This tablet just feels dramatically lighter—like carrying a newborn after lifting a 5-year-old. The iPad Air is a far more mobile iPad, and for many users, it’s going to prove a far more important tool in their work day.
What makes this all the more remarkable is that there really isn’t much in the way of new functionality here. The new iPad features the same 2,048-by-1,536 resolution Retina display as the iPad 3 and iPad 4 models—a great screen but given the improved displays on the latest Google Nexus 7, Amazon Kindle Fire and Microsoft Surface tablets, no longer a market standout. The fingerprint sensor from the iPhone 5s—a slick piece of technology enabling users to unlock the device or purchase an app without typing in a passcode—hasn’t been incorporated. And for those hoping for a Surface-like integrated keyboard cover, they will have to wait.
