iPad Air M2
Apple’s iPad line up, as mentioned in my iPad buying guide has become pretty complicated over the past few years and has grown exponentially. A while back, I was working on a M1 iPad Pro 12.9”with the Magic Keyboard, as a laptop replacement. I had even sold my MacBook Pro, as I just had stopped using it and didn't see the need for both. Unfortunately, the limitations imposed by iPad iOS began to irritate and I decided to move back to a MacBook. I am now writing this on a M3 MacBook Air, which cost about the same price as an iPad Pro would have with the 512gb storage and magic keyboard. I love being back in full Mac OS land and all the benefits that come with that. I am not in the camp, who want to bring Mac OS to the iPad as I think they are very different devices, which Apple has blurred the lines between more and more to push iPad sales.
The iPad Air comes in two different sizes (11”and 13”), which is the first time Apple have given us a choice of a larger screen size, in a ‘lower end’ model than the pro. I say ‘lower,’ but the Air carries an M2 chip, so it is a powerhouse and will easily handle most tasks you can throw at it. The ‘Pro’ line up, skipped the M3 and went all the way to the M4, which makes them extremely overpowered for a tablet. The Air I feel, offers a really nice middle ground and brings the iPad back to what it should be, something to compliment your Mac, but has the capabilities to be independent when you need it to be.
I used to be a ‘big screen’ tablet kind of guy, but have recently switched to the iPad mini 7 (after a stint with a Pixel Android tablet). I absolutely love the Mini iPad and how well it fits in to my workflow as a creator, with the Mac. I tried both sizes of the Air and I would easily recommend you go for the 11” screen, if you are going to be using it alongside a Mac. The 13” is a good option still, if you don't use your laptop regularly and watch a lot of movies etc as it gives you that larger portable screen experience. Both screens don't offer pro-motion, which is Apple slang for a refresh rate of 120hz. You are stuck with a 60hz refresh on both displays, which is criminal at the prices Apple are charging. However, most people will simply not notice the difference in day to day use. I did put the Pro alongside the Air and it is noticeable when compared closely, but I still think the screen is fine for the average user, which the Air is aimed at.
Before we go any further, please consider that you can pick up a M2 MacBook Air for £999 (at the time of writing). The 13” iPad Air, with the magic keyboard, you are looking at £900. So for, £100 difference, you can have a laptop, running a fully fledged version of Mac OS, with more ports and larger battery. I really think the MacBook Air represents better value for money, if you are planning on using the iPad as a laptop replacement (of course you loose the ability to detach the screen). So I would only consider the iPad over the MacBook Air, if you need the ability to use it as a tablet (ie without the keyboard and Apple Pencil etc). Of course, you can save yourself £250 and just buy the tablet and use any third party bluetooth keyboard, but it wont look as sleek. I don't think a lot of people think about this when they pick up a tablet, as Apple wants it to be an laptop replacement, which in my opinion, it shouldn’t be. Steve Jobs certainly never intended this, when he launched the iPad. He had visions for it to be used alongside the Mac and iPhone to enhance our productivity.
Let’s get back to looking at this as a tablet, rather than a laptop replacement. The iPad Air is a great mid-range tablet. It offers good value for money (discounting the magic keyboard) and excellent performance. I tried Final Cut Pro with the Apple Pencil Pro and even with complex timelines, I didn’t notice any significant lag and it rendered video pretty quickly, which isn't something most users will do with this iPad. Capability wise, it will be fine for most people’s workflows (unless you are creating complex 3D models etc), so I think the Pro is now aimed at a very niche market, more than ever. Only look at the Pro, if money is no object or you know you need it (you know who you are)!
We also need to talk about the elephant in the room Apple Intelligence. Now this has recently been launched in Beta form, but is still far from complete and doesn’t really compete with Google or other Android platforms. Siri is much better than it used to be and all the ‘M’ iPads get Apple Intelligence, so are future proofed. This leaves out only the iPad 10th generation, which will surely get an update soon for this reason. I will write an article on this soon as I think it deserves a full page of its own and how it compares to Google.
The iPad 10 is still worth a look as a children’s tablet or something for simply watching TV on. It has an outdated A14 chip, from the iPhone 12 so only consider if you need a budget tablet as it wont handle anything outside of this. The iPad mini A17 is now a good option as it offers decent performance in a compact form factor, so it can fun the new Final Cut Pro and also multi-camera option etc. I also tried running Resident Evil 7 on it, which it did do, but not very well. It does show how powerful Apple’s Mini tablet has become though and is well worth looking at! The mini will also get access to Apple AI, which is the main reason for the update.
Ultimately the Air, with its powerful chip and excellent LCD retina display offers a great tablet experience and I would recommend picking up the £599 11” model as 128GB of storage should be fine as a general use tablet and you can plug in an external drive or use iCloud. If you start looking at the magic keyboard, please do stop and ask yourself if the MacBook Air would be better for you, as you get so much more for your money.
