Apple’s latest full-sized tablet, the iPad Air, is out today in the UK, US and other major regions.
The iPad Air was unveiled last Tuesday alongside the iPad mini 2 Retina, but it’s the fifth generation 9.7-inch tablet that sees release first.
Users in the UK can now pick up an iPad Air from local shops or Apple’s online store. In addition to the US, more than 40 other countries are getting the new tablet from day one, including most notably China. Most of Europe is included, too.
Starting from £399 for the 16GB Wi-Fi-only model, as always, the iPad Air is also available in 32GB (£479), 64GB (£559) and 128GB (£639) iterations.
Alternatively, you can pick up a 4G-ready model by adding £100 on to any of the above model prices.
In either case, you get a choice of either space grey or silver, which feature a black and a white front respectively. It’s much the same colour scheme as can be found in the iPhone 5S range, minus the flashy gold option.
The iPad Air, of course, is the biggest redesign of Apple’s premiere tablet since the iPad 2. At 7.5mm thick and weighing just 500g, Apple has reduced the overall volume of the device by 24 percent over the iPad 4.
Its design is actually very similar to the iPad mini, with a similar elongated shape owing to those narrow side bezels.
Despite being considerably smaller than previous models, the iPad Air is by far the most powerful Apple tablet yet. It runs on the same A7 processor that powers the iPhone 5S, which means it’s roughly twice as powerful as the last generation of Apple devices.
The A7 chip is most notable for its switch to 64-bit architecture, which means it can handle far larger chunks of data at a time. It’s also supported by the M7 coprocessor, which handles all of the information emanating from the device’s sensors rather than having to wake the A7 chip.
You get the same 9.7-inch 2048 x 1536 Retina display as could be found in the iPad 4 and the iPad 3, and of course the iPad Air runs on iOS 7 out of the box.
Read More: iPad mini 2 Retina vs iPad Air
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
