The Apple iPad Air 2 Review
by Joshua Ho on November 7, 2014 9:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Tablets
- Apple
- Mobile
- iOS
- ipad Air 2
Software: iOS 8
While hardware is important, the tablet ultimately needs compelling software in order to justify its place. Apple has done a great job of using the display’s extra real estate, although areas like Springboard are a bit lacking in information density when compared to the iPhone 6 Plus. Unlike the iPhone 6 Plus which usually only gives a multiple-pane view in landscape, the iPad can present more information all the time. While this may seem to be an artificial distinction, it’s really the 4:3 aspect ratio that improves information density for both orientations.
More notably, applications in the app store seem to be universally adapted for the iPad instead of being a stretched out iPhone version. It’s likely that this is because any iPhone-only application is a direct scaling rather than any proper interpolation, so at 1x mode the application is comically small and at 2x the application often looks horrific due to aliasing and upscaling artifacts. Both modes leave large levels of unused space in the display, so there’s a strong impetus to make a proper tablet application. The multitasking gestures continue to add to the tablet's functionality as well, which can be even quicker than normal multitasking. This is also helped by the use of two gigabytes of RAM, which noticeably reduces the amount of times that applications are kicked out of memory in my experience. As AArch64 can increase memory requirements it seems important for future iPhones and iPads to all ship with at least two gigabytes of RAM.
For the most part, these are already advantages that iPads have had for a while, so none of this really changes when compared to most other tablets, which have generally suffered from a relatively poor breadth of applications designed to take advantage of a larger tablet display. The one significant software feature to talk about here is TouchID, even though this is a hardware-driven feature. Similar to my experiences with TouchID on the iPhone, TouchID on the iPad makes a lot of sense. While there’s no NFC feature for Apple Pay, the same system works for online purchases which has a great deal of potential for any applications that utilize Apple Pay. The launch of iOS 8 also means that TouchID can be used as an alternate form of authentication for any application that uses the appropriate API, which is definitely nice as well. Of course, for basic unlock this system continues to work incredibly well, to the point where it’s often possible to accidentally unlock the device when turning it on with the home button.
However, there’s not much else to talk about. Unfortunately, while Apple has done a good job of developing the tablet it feels like there’s a lot of potential for new applications and other usage models that haven’t come to fruition. While the stylus is often seen as a negative for user experience, I suspect that the iPad would have for more value if a good pressure-sensitive stylus was included for note-taking and similar use cases. In addition, the lack of a proper multi-window system definitely detracts from the potential for the iPad to take on a productivity role. While these are all things that Samsung has done for the Galaxy Note line, these features aren’t really as well executed as they need to be for good user experience which leaves room for Apple to innovate in this area. It seems fully possible for an iPad to replace a ~20 mm thick convertible tablet for productivity and note taking, but proper development of these ideas hasn’t quite happened.
Unfortunately, as a function of the iPad’s size I find it hard to integrate into daily use. For the most part I don’t find myself missing the extra screen size when compared to a phablet like the iPhone 6 Plus, and this is likely to be Apple’s biggest issue as the iPhone 6 Plus can give much of the tablet functionality while still remaining relatively compact. While I’d be willing to put up with the extra size if there was compelling functionality that I wouldn’t be able to get on another formfactor, it feels like this uniqueness is lacking in the iPad. This doesn’t mean that there isn’t value to the iPad formfactor as there is a sizeable population of people that effectively use the iPad as their primary computing device, but for general browsing and comparable tasks I’ve never felt limited by the relatively small display of a phablet or smartphone. This means that there’s a significantly higher bar for utility, which is really the source of my concern. While the iPad’s software experience is excellently executed, after multiple generations it seems to be time to push in new directions for utility.
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robinthakur - Monday, November 10, 2014 - link
Lol, you hit the nail on the head there. You can't even install OTA updates on rooted Android devices with custom recoveries without restoring the stock one and most banking apps don't work on them either. To do either you need a PC opr a mac and you need to use the command line. How user friendly is that?The last time I took off the custom recovery and put stock back onto my HTC One M8 and then tried to update, it wiped all the data off of the phone. After that, I bought an iPhone 6 Plus and am much happier and more secure in the knowledge that my phone backs up automatically overnight (every night) to iCloud. Having used iPhones since 2007, iTunes hasn't been required for mnost things since the iPhone 4 launched in 2010
craighamilton - Saturday, December 6, 2014 - link
Truly amazing, one of the high rated tablet. You should take a close look at the guide at http://www.topreport.org/tablets/NEDM64 - Saturday, November 8, 2014 - link
Exactly, if you are like in tens of thousands in a pool of hundreds of millions, over the history of 7 years, you may get that...That's the problem, you get updates on iOS, while on Android... unless you buy the "right device" you may have something like 18 months of updates.
And what's the problem with iTunes then? I've it running on my Windows box, and for the monster of multipurpose App it is, it consumes next to nothing of RAM.
At least is a easy to use and stable program...
Contrary to the Nexus "fastboot" command line tools...
And most of software that Android vendors make you install, like Samsung KIES, that's great software, isn't it?
carloshehe - Sunday, November 9, 2014 - link
OS updates aren't too necessary on Android. You can still run all the latest apps. U like iOS, apps have no OS version requirements.akdj - Monday, November 10, 2014 - link
I'm not sure I've read such a backward comment in my life.As an owner of bit iOS and Android devices (latest hard/software), your experience is undoubtedly 180° different than mine
My nine year old is still enjoying the iPad 2, even with the current version of iOS he's enjoying ten to twelve hours of better life
Same can't be said for the 'Xoom' ...or the nexus 7 ('12) ...I'm not sure when I pulled out the 2013 ?Nexus 7
That said, when it comes to 'tablet apps' and 'choice' ...in the Hundreds of THOUSANDS ...the Android tablet experience is an absolute, utter and catastrophic Joke!
I love my Note3. Looking forward to possibly updating to a Note 4 --- but four years of getting butnt by the tablet development community and its lack of interest in 'developing' for the Android tablet community, I'm done
Though a bit curious. iPad Air 2 drops (have one btw and its everything the reviews cracked it up to be, plus! -- & I'm coming from the original Air, my wife the iPad 4 she didn't want to give up. Case thing). And so does the price of the new Nexus 9?
Why? Wasn't it a 50% drop? Maybe I dreamt it....not sure, and not knocking the Nex9. That said, there's only so much you can do with the UI of your springboard. At some point its time to use your tablet to do something
When that time comes, you'll be glad you chose iOS, regardless of your interest, hobbies, media you enjoy ...games to play, media to manipulste or create. Music, video/still and artistic creation on the iPad ...its apps and its options are second to none ...
In HISTORY
Thanks for the write up.
What a slab
Michael Bay - Tuesday, November 11, 2014 - link
Your shilling is beyond pathetic.noelbonner - Tuesday, November 11, 2014 - link
There are way better phones according to CONSUMER BASED rankings, just see http://tinyurl.com/p7dujj9valnar - Sunday, November 16, 2014 - link
I reject the very foundation of that article. Treating a phone like a computer misses the point. It is absolutely NOT important to pick a phone based on the resolution, camera or power. Battery...ok yes.What's more important are the apps it runs, how easy is the UI, stability, speaker & mic quality, etc. The things that matter in a smart phone. The ±10% speed or rez differences in various phones is irrelevant.
akdj - Thursday, November 27, 2014 - link
Huh. Amazing that year in, year out they contine breaking sales records from the previous launch customer satisfaction has remained in slot #1 for damn near every quarter since 2007 and as far as 'better' phones, even the connotation being subjective ....ultimately and objectively there isn't a "better phone". Just different now2007/08 and the introduction of the SDK & the App Store completely changed a massive, easily one of the top five, maybe three 'growing' areas of our world today. Wireless comms first for voice first (remember 'Can you hear me now?' And the days of Nextel, Blackberry corporate dominance and shitty analog coverage?)
...we've moved into 'texting' in a signficantly easier way than the Nokia flip phone with 12, standard 'phone' buttons and their associated three letters. Apple introduced in '07 a game changing, corporate smashing product that continues to better iteseld with each iteration. I've owned em each and because of how our company is run...we also provide employees with iPhones/iPads while I carry both. 6+ and Note 4. They've voth got their places and the sizes of their displays is a life saver to this mid 40s guy
I can't see anything anymore when it comes to reading. Cheaters or Else...
(Wal mart reading glasses;))
BUT, today's HiDPI dispays at 5-6" in these svelte profiles and 'weight' (lack of) with their Power, speed, efficiency and reliability --- ultimately make it 'that time' in history.
Telecommunications changed the world early in the 20th century. An extension of Moorse code. Voice to voice. Operators and analog switch boards and Mama Bells reign/monopoly on America's 'booming' new technology. All analog. All switched on site. Patch cords that my grandmother ran for almost forty years and plenty of advancements ...all the way until 'digital" phone lines were installed and the history of the 'switcher' is just that. History
Which two birds one stone BS, valnar underneath is tells is the 'very foundation of (sic) article....'
And I quote, "Treating a phone like a computer MISSES the point". They're VERY MUCH a computer, that fits in your pocket and performs much faster than computer we were building and drafting, coding and editing, emailing and surfing, playing games and 'communicating' with not JUST voice but video, text 'artistic creation!'
To dismiss a smartphone as inferior to a computer in ANY way shows a significant generational gap
When your mobike, wireless provider allows for the speeds of LTE (I'm routinely between 35/40Mb/s down and 40150 UP!
That's ubelievable when I think back to my IIe, Ultima I, II, III ...Booting to the promot 'BRUN ..xxxxx'
To 33!& 54 baud modems, the handshake noise like yesterday and was floored with the performance of SSD va HDD. Bluetooth's progression and the idea of an IPU, MPU....gyros and accelerometers ...if you'd sit back five minutes and think about their sheer 'abilities', other than 'Us, and these that frequent Anand's site ...and enjoy technology, the mass population is easily taken care of with 95-98% of all comouter tasking they were doing in 2010 on 110/220 (plugged in) ...
...Today being done on a gram measured in grams, a few hundred at that and fit in your pocket. They're reliable. They aggregate, integrate and oranizate;) everything about my life and 27 year business
As a pilot I can't begin to describe the differences between gettin my pilots license in 1987 and today. From GPS to LTE, TCAS to ADSB ...planning my trip and checking real time weather, calculating fuel and picking my diversions if needed. Jep charts n plates and app/dep up to the minute changes to your approach or arrival ...hell, even with an app, Flight 24 I bekeive...if you've got it you can follow a loved one all the way through to landing and gate release. Leave your house with perfect timing lol
Honestly, there just AREN'T 'way better phones'. Apple, HTC, LG, & of course samsung have helped each other
For me, I wouldn't be caught without both. I want to know the differences, what going to help me and be the most compelling reason to choose that platform, OS or Eco system
They ARE computers. Possibly you didn't ride DOS, the intro to 8086 and 8/16/32/64 bit programming and hardware but the amazing Moore's law has taken over. I, for one, couldn't. E happier.
akdj - Thursday, November 27, 2014 - link
"And I quote, "Treating a phone like a computer MISSES the point". They're VERY MUCH a computer, that fits in your pocket and performs much faster than ThE computer(s) we were building with and drafting (the initial CAD, paint,motion and still editing), coding and emailing surfing or producing a song, video (or both) in Los Angeles at a studio or your home swimming pool , playing games and 'communicating' with not JUST voice but video, text 'artistic creation' and SOOO much easier than a 'computer' in SO many cases, situations and emergencies and for the vast majority of our population today than yesterdayIF ALL you need is a phone, I'm with you. There's a better flip phone with those dozen digits, # & * as well as the 'green' & 'red' buttons on top and middle 'select'
If you're going to use your phone for more than calls, indeed, you'll find your iPhone,mS5 G3 or the latest Lumia to be a HELLUVA lot closer to a comouter than you're implying.
That said, if this is an extremely rare circumstance and you're working opposite me with my 4k conversions and encoding, I concur;)
There afain though ...our last two docs have used footage from iPhones and Androids (not a WinPhone yet unfortunately ...but I'm one of nine peeps that I think enjoy Win8.1. I'm OS X based and only own two Windows machines now...but I digress, my point was even my iPhone works perefectly on Win 8.1 ...as does iTunes! I'm pretty floored how quick it (now is, I left to OS X personally and with the business after a really bad crash in Vista in 2007---& hadn't looked back until earlier this year when I needed a Win rig. Bought an HP 2/1 slab or attachable and all aluminum body core i5. It's pretty cool having CS6 suite on a (albeit extremely large and unwieldy) tablet ...
I am rooting for all of them. That said, Mt View and Cupertino have vertical and horizontal aggregation and integration. Google doesn't. The former two's run deep and have history, trust ... Obviously fans with zest but IF a phone isn't s computer, Android/Google better spens some serious time on Chrome;)