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iPad iPad 4 > iPad Air, in some respects
- Thread starter Yr Blues
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The iPad 4 was/is undoubtedly the best version of that form factor.
IMO: iPad 4 > iPad 2 > iPad 3 > iPad 1
I'm very happy with mine. I just wish I'd got the 64GB capacity. I may be forced to upgrade come the fall...
IMO: iPad 4 > iPad 2 > iPad 3 > iPad 1
I'm very happy with mine. I just wish I'd got the 64GB capacity. I may be forced to upgrade come the fall...
Being a fan of the mini for my "up-to-date" iPad.....I've wanted to pick up a full-size for a little while. This announcement means I'll be picking one up the second they go on sale somewhere (hopefully for $299 - $349)!
Still prefer the mini on the go, but at home I'd like to have the regular iPad for the kitchen and browsing on the couch.
I'm an
junkie....what can I say!
If price was no option though, I'd be all over the Air - so I can't agree with the OP. Just that the iPad 4 is much more likely to go on sale and for the price points I mentioned above, its an absolute no-brainer.
Still prefer the mini on the go, but at home I'd like to have the regular iPad for the kitchen and browsing on the couch.
I'm an
junkie....what can I say!If price was no option though, I'd be all over the Air - so I can't agree with the OP. Just that the iPad 4 is much more likely to go on sale and for the price points I mentioned above, its an absolute no-brainer.
I disagree. The Air is much better in every respect and is a definitive improvement, especially because of its weight and size.
The iPad 4 was/is undoubtedly the best version of that form factor.
IMO: iPad 4 > iPad 2 > iPad 3 > iPad 1
I'm very happy with mine. I just wish I'd got the 64GB capacity. I may be forced to upgrade come the fall...
*sigh*
Yup. I'm with you. Never again am I going with 32GB. When I upgrade my mini, I'm going all out. 128GB with LTE. I miss having the connectivity (personal hotspot is just too cumbersome) and I hate having to pick and choose between keeping certain games on my iPad versus movies.
I travel a bunch and its nice to have options. Especially when MFi controllers come of age - I'm not going to want to delete games because I'm out of space.
I would agree with the OP, there is a certain dense feel the Air is missing, it feels rather hollow and empty on the inside. This for me gives the iPad4 a more premium feel, the Air also has somewhat of a sponge feel too its screen.
Its not a huge difference and I would recommend the Air over the 4 any day, the lightness is a joy, the A7 SoC is stupidly fast (GPU has less memory IIRC so it won't win every benchmark).
Right. I bought a 4 for the wifey a few months ago and while it's a fine device it feels like I'm holding a patio stone versus my Air. The Air is a faster device overall too. The 4 is a beast but the Air is the queen beast.
I have both a 4 and an Air, and since both are in cases I feel no difference in quality. What I do feel is a weight difference.
I agree with this one. The air also seems a tad pliable. I also notice if I pick it up quickly and my thumb hits the screen hard that the screen will morph colors. Never noticed that on my iPad 3/4.
I'm not sure how "heavier" became synonymous with "quality." The Air is awesome. There is nothing cheap feeling about it. It's nicer to hold and use (in my opinion), it's faster, and the speaker sound quality is notably better than previous models.
Weight and heft have also been synonymous to quality with premium products. Things like watches feel more premium when they have a good amount of heft too them.
I don't think anyone is saying the Air is worse then the iPad, it is just that added density of the iPad 4 gave it a nice premium feeling. Too me the Air feels like it might be empty on the inside, the same feeling I got when I first held the iPhone 5, like there was nothing inside and it was a dummy unit.
I haven't used the iPad Air or the iPad 4, preferring the mini myself. But I have wondered if the wider bezel of the iPad4 results in fewer accidental taps near the border of the screen. Software does attempt to reject such taps, but in my experience on the mini it doesn't always work the way one might wish, so the wider bezel might be an advantage.
Try using a case.
I dislike thin bezels on monitors and TVs, but on portable devices they are used for a reason.
Have both. Totally disagree. The iPad 4 form factor feels antiquated in comparison. It's heavy. The bezels are unsightly. It sits much further off a flat surface than the Air and hence feels less like a piece of digital paper. The screen is not quite as good. I like the leather smart cover, but the new magnetic hinge design is a huge improvement.
The iPad 4 is a perfectly good iPad, but the Air is the first iPad that feels to me like it fulfills the original iPad vision.
The iPad 4 is a perfectly good iPad, but the Air is the first iPad that feels to me like it fulfills the original iPad vision.
I've felt this way too. My iPad Air does not feel nearly as nice as the iPad 4 I have. The screen feels far too cheap in comparison. It's not just heavier.
The screen isn't IGZO and has better uniformity (it did take me 2 shots to get a nice one, but it's 100% unlike an iPad Air which always has the bookspine to some effect, and tint).
The aluminum backing is nice on the Air too, but far more durable on the iPad 4 and doesn't dent nearly as easily, etc.
I would rather get the rMini out of the Air and rMini. What people may not realize is that I think Apple has not made the iPad Air to replace the iPad completely. When the Pro comes out, it will be the successor in terms of build quality and materials. If we compare the MBA to the cMBP, it feels similar to the iPad 4 vs Air. The rMBP was to follow which was the true successor to the MBP.
The screen isn't IGZO and has better uniformity (it did take me 2 shots to get a nice one, but it's 100% unlike an iPad Air which always has the bookspine to some effect, and tint).
The aluminum backing is nice on the Air too, but far more durable on the iPad 4 and doesn't dent nearly as easily, etc.
I would rather get the rMini out of the Air and rMini. What people may not realize is that I think Apple has not made the iPad Air to replace the iPad completely. When the Pro comes out, it will be the successor in terms of build quality and materials. If we compare the MBA to the cMBP, it feels similar to the iPad 4 vs Air. The rMBP was to follow which was the true successor to the MBP.
can you elaborate on this? most reviews say the 3 fold smart cover seems to tip over more than the 4 fold version.
I don't find any significant difference in how stable the 3 or 4 fold version is (ie. they both suck in that respect). They are both at a terrible angle for video chat.
The new model though has a hugely improved magnetic hinge. It is much, much stronger - you can easily pick up the iPad by the cover and it takes effort to get it to let go. It's not metal so it doesn't mar the surface, and in use it just feels much more like a permanent part of the iPad. I prefer natural materials, but the new poly has a very good feel and holds up a whole lot better than the leather.
Almost complete disagreement here. I upgraded from an iPad 4 Wifi to an iPad Air Cellular.
Yes, the iPad Air feels a bit less "stiff" than the 4. But pretty much everything else is an advantage. Slightly smaller, much lighter, faster, and the new leather smart cases, though expensive, are the nicest looking cases I've ever seen for any product, ever.
Very happy with my Air. I bought it almost entirely to upgrade to an iPad with a cellular chipset and GPS, and am finding myself loving all the other changes too! I went from "this is awesome I have cellular now" to "this iPad is so much better than my old iPad 4"
Yes, the iPad Air feels a bit less "stiff" than the 4. But pretty much everything else is an advantage. Slightly smaller, much lighter, faster, and the new leather smart cases, though expensive, are the nicest looking cases I've ever seen for any product, ever.
Very happy with my Air. I bought it almost entirely to upgrade to an iPad with a cellular chipset and GPS, and am finding myself loving all the other changes too! I went from "this is awesome I have cellular now" to "this iPad is so much better than my old iPad 4"
Right. I bought a 4 for the wifey a few months ago and while it's a fine device it feels like I'm holding a patio stone versus my Air. The Air is a faster device overall too. The 4 is a beast but the Air is the queen beast.
I never felt that way. The difference of .44 lbs (or whatever it is) was slightly noticeable; but, it may vary from people to people. My hands are also huge (XL gloves barely fit me to give you an idea) so the 4 feels a lot better in my palms.
I love the uniform bezel. One of the Main reason I snagged up the 128GB 4 before the Air dropped.
I remember the jokes in the beginning about the iPad looking like a big iPhone. The air lives up to that joke.
I remember the jokes in the beginning about the iPad looking like a big iPhone. The air lives up to that joke.
Quite the contrary ... and I owned both.
More durable ? Based on what ? Same materials (aluminum plus glass), the only fact of being heavier and bulkier doesn't mean is more durable ...
The A6 seems to produce more heat than a7 , and that's not good speaking about durability ...
What does "leather Smart Cover" means ? There was one for the iPad 4 and there is one for the Air.
Screen isn't more or less rigid: it's just thinner to be lighter. There aren't widespread reported cracks on the iPad Air displays, so this hardly is a defect.
Uniform bezels ? The iPad 2-3-4 bezels were just huge. A lot of wasted space (and weight). iPad Air and Mini have the right compromise.
Colors are a totally subjective matter, so we can't discuss about it.
Yes, the differences are subjective. For instance, I like the uniform bezel. You don't.
There are no leather Smart Covers for the Air. They do have leather Smart Cases.
I prefer the leather Smart Cover for the 4. However, I don't like the metal hinge that the new ones cover completely.
A cover could be subjective, but a bigger bezel is just something that makes the iPad 4 bigger than the Air, with the same screen dimensions, so I cannot see how could it be something better.
I use the Tech21ImpactMesh for iPad Air (Smoke colour) with the Air and it feel robust and firm.