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I don't want to tell you how to spend your money, but I definitely have to recommend the Air 2. The hardware is the most amazing I've seen out of Apple, thin thinness and lightness seriously makes a difference, and so does the RAM. I'd say just go all in, you'll love it.

Thanks for reinforcing that I made the right decision. I have a silver 64GB one coming here this week and I am super excited to give it a whirl after all the positive things I have read here.
 
Thanks for reinforcing that I made the right decision. I have a silver 64GB one coming here this week and I am super excited to give it a whirl after all the positive things I have read here.

iPad Air 2 is the closest thing to a laptop replacement that I have ever used. My rMBP has become my Desktop. I carry my iPad Air 2 everywhere with my bluetooth keyboard. I probably use it about seven hours a day.
 
I have had a total of 4 iPads - iPad2, iPad 4th gen. iPad Mini, and iPad Air

I'm not buying another one until it is more multitasking capable.

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Me too. After owned three iPad this time I really want a USB connection and a more productive tablet.

That's where I'm at too. I have owned 4 iPads. and I really want something more productive for the money. Microsoft's new surface 3 maybe?
 
I love iPad Air 2 and see no reason why I would upgrade. But then again, it depends on what app developers start coming up with as well.

I enjoy my Air 2 as well.. And I don't see how they can improve on the hardware, it's already as thin as it can be. Possibly have slightly less bezels, unless they improve on iOS specifically for the Air 3.
 
Thanks for reinforcing that I made the right decision. I have a silver 64GB one coming here this week and I am super excited to give it a whirl after all the positive things I have read here.

It's amazing. I don't use my Mac at home anymore.
 
Do any of you who are boasting about the air 2 have the screen distortion problem that's posted about pretty prominently here?
 
I don't see how they can improve on the hardware, it's already as thin as it can be.
That's what's regularly said about various Apple products. And so far Apple has a good history of proving those statements wrong again and again :)

Don't expect revolutionary changes, but rather evolutionary.

Besides the already mentioned haptic feedback and forcetouch, options would be a significant increase in battery time and/or recharging time, integration of TouchID into the screen, further weight reduction, better suitability for use in direct sunlight (e.g. transflective screen) etc. etc.
 
Do any of you who are boasting about the air 2 have the screen distortion problem that's posted about pretty prominently here?

What is the screen distortion problem? I have an air 2 and haven't noticed anything different in this screen than every other one i've had
 
Do any of you who are boasting about the air 2 have the screen distortion problem that's posted about pretty prominently here?

I produced screen distortion on my Air 2 once by pressing on the back, but it has never happened during normal use.
 
No distortion on my Air 2 unless I'm pressing pretty hard on the screen. Like if I was 'scrubbing it' to clean it. My iPad 4 did the same thing.

Holding it and in normal use my Air 2 is perfect.
 
iPad Air 3 May be the next underpowered iPad. iPad 1 was gimped by lack of RAM. iPad 2 is the iPad that will not die. iPad 3 was gimped by lack of CPU and GPU power for the retina screen. iPad 4 is still doing pretty well. iPad Air (and mini 2/3) are HORRIBLY gimped by lack of RAM and lack of CPU and GPU power. The mediocracy of iOS 8 May be what's crippling them though. iPad Air 2 is very, very powerful, has 2GB of RAM when the iPhones that came out with it have half the RAM still. Much more powerful than those devices as well, with a 1.5 GHz triple core CPU. iPad Air 3 May see only a marginal spec increase with like a doubled screen resolution, or something. That would continue Apples streak of only making every other iPad worthwhile.
 
What can they really do though? The iPad is a mature, dare I say complete product as it is now. That's fine but it does affect sales since most of us are content to keep our ipads for many generations before upgrading.

What I don't want is for them to mess with the foundations of the device too much. It's a perfect tablet experience, IMO. If they try to make it too much like a laptop or whatever then you lose some of what makes it a great tablet.

It's a tough spot though.... As you said, they have to keep it fresh but they also have to be careful not to go overboard. The next 2-3 years will be interesting for the iPad as other products like the surface also mature and get better.

The iPad's hardware is mature, the software is a joke.

No, I don't want OS X or features that make the iPad a laptop. What I want is iOS to be optimized for the iPad.

The Music app? Give use album icon view vs that stupid list.
The App switcher? Shows the same info as on a 3.5 screen. Why not show 4 thumbnails per page.
Split screen or pop over menu? I'd like to be able to send an iMessage without freezing the video.
 
The iPad's hardware is mature, the software is a joke.

No, I don't want OS X or features that make the iPad a laptop. What I want is iOS to be optimized for the iPad.

The Music app? Give use album icon view vs that stupid list.
The App switcher? Shows the same info as on a 3.5 screen. Why not show 4 thumbnails per page.
Split screen or pop over menu? I'd like to be able to send an iMessage without freezing the video.

Don't forget 9 apps per page in folders
 
The iPad's hardware is mature, the software is a joke.

No, I don't want OS X or features that make the iPad a laptop. What I want is iOS to be optimized for the iPad.

The Music app? Give use album icon view vs that stupid list.
The App switcher? Shows the same info as on a 3.5 screen. Why not show 4 thumbnails per page.
Split screen or pop over menu? I'd like to be able to send an iMessage without freezing the video.

It really is ridiculous. The reason iPad sales are down so much is because all the features on iPad are right there on iPhone as well. Well, I guess you can't close apps, open the switcher, or switch apps with gestures but everything else is the same pretty much. Yeah, there are a hand full of apps that are iPad-only but the average person is not going to really be affected by that at all.

They need to redo the UI for iPad, but in A SMART AND EFFICIENT WAY. It needs to be smooth, it needs to be fast, it needs to be intuitive, yes, even on older iPads. iOS on iPad is currently an afterthought, it can clearly be seen in the dreadful UI performance and quirks. Oh, and how iOS on iPad has been behind since the very beginning. iOS 7 wasn't available for iPad until beta 2.

I don't think they need to entirely reconstruct the feature set, they just take advantage of the dang screen. A couple new and exclusive features would be nice though, like two apps running at once.

They should split iOS. iOS for iPhone can be on a September schedule, coming out with the new iPhones, and iOS for iPad could be on a November schedule, coming out with the new iPads. I'm sure this extra two months would be good to iron things out on iPad, when the "iPhone iOS" is already done and out to the public. They can focus on cleaning up on iPad rather than doing both betas at once if you get what I'm saying. I'd be fine with having to wait for a major iOS update on my iPad if it actually was executed well, not stuttering from every little thing, needing restarts, UI just generally being glitchy... Your thoughts?

Oh, one more thing, it's related to the iPad hardware... They need to quit with the "every other iPad" pattern. iPad 1 was screwed over by 256MB of RAM. iPad 2 is the iPad that won't die. iPad 3 wasn't ready for the Retina Display. iPad 4 is still doing pretty good. iPad Air is screwed by both CPU power and GPU power, plus the RAM is not enough either. However iPad Air 2 came in and just went insanely good with the specs, that is likely to be the next iPad that won't die. If they come in with the iPad Air 3 and do something stupid like double the screen resolution and give only marginal spec increases, I will be pissed. That would make the next iPad a "dud" iPad. I'm looking at getting the iPad Air 3 but if they do something stupid again, I'm out. May even get an Air 2 at that point. It would be like the iPad 2 vs iPad 3 way back when. The benchmarks were actually slightly lower on the iPad 3, and there were apparently overheating issues. Only things you were really missing out on going a generation back was the Retina Display and Siri. You would have a lighter, thinner iPad, it would be slightly faster, and it would cost less. Sounds pretty good to me.
 
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Your thoughts?

I completely agree. The iPad started out as a big iPod Touch. Then, slowly with iOS 5 and iOS 6 the iPad began to grow into its own device. It had more apps in the multitasking bar, it had more controls if you swiped to the right, it had better tab management, and it had the icons in the music app as well as more icons per folder page.

Then iOS 7 dropped and ripped all that way and gave iPad users a blown up phone experience. I was sympathetic because that was a big change and obviously the iPhone took precedence. I though surely iOS 8 would be for iPad, but nope. The only app where real progress was made was in Safari (sidebar and tab view), but they crippled it on my iPad 3 with terrible performance.

As it stands right now the iPad is just a big iPod Touch with a few exclusive (and great) apps. That's all it will take to make a successful product, but not a record breaking one. If the iPad continues like it is it will decline until it hits a plateau with most upgrades every 3/4 years. There really is nothing driving sales.

With the new MacBook, there will be even more pressure on the iPad as the rMB price fall. I'm also not sold on the iPad Pro because Apple just put all the feature people are claiming for in a 12/13" package and leave all the 9.7" device users with a thinner device with "All day battery life" of 8 hours.
 
I completely agree. The iPad started out as a big iPod Touch. Then, slowly with iOS 5 and iOS 6 the iPad began to grow into its own device. It had more apps in the multitasking bar, it had more controls if you swiped to the right, it had better tab management, and it had the icons in the music app as well as more icons per folder page.

Then iOS 7 dropped and ripped all that way and gave iPad users a blown up phone experience. I was sympathetic because that was a big change and obviously the iPhone took precedence. I though surely iOS 8 would be for iPad, but nope. The only app where real progress was made was in Safari (sidebar and tab view), but they crippled it on my iPad 3 with terrible performance.

As it stands right now the iPad is just a big iPod Touch with a few exclusive (and great) apps. That's all it will take to make a successful product, but not a record breaking one. If the iPad continues like it is it will decline until it hits a plateau with most upgrades every 3/4 years. There really is nothing driving sales.

With the new MacBook, there will be even more pressure on the iPad as the rMB price fall. I'm also not sold on the iPad Pro because Apple just put all the feature people are claiming for in a 12/13" package and leave all the 9.7" device users with a thinner device with "All day battery life" of 8 hours.

I think the verge but it Nicely with their review of the ipad air 2:

"I said it in last year’s iPad Air review and I’ll say it again: it feels like Apple is so content with its commanding lead in the tablet market that it’s willing to let the iPad’s superlative hardware sell itself instead of figuring out new places for it to go. For better or worse, Apple’s allowed the iPad to become the giant iPhone its critics have always insisted that it is, and in a world with giant iPhones that’s a tough spot to be in."

I'm getting the Ipad air 2 tomorrow, However even If i'm buying it, right now I know it is apples software, not the hardware that is holding the Ipad Back.


With the Hardware it has right now, Apple could do so much more to the ipad Software it's not even funny.

The software in it, needs to be more features and Mac like IMO. Give it multitasking similar to the note series ( But better and more simple and fluid to use) Give it a file system ( Even if it's locked down).

Why does the notification panel swipe down the whole entire screen? Make it similar to OSX.

Make the applications more in depth like the OSX counterparts. With similar design language and features.

Give it a launcher pad app, So I don't have to have all the applications on my home screens.

Give it On screen midgets So I can glance at any information when I'm at the Home screen.

The Ipad IOS software right now is TOO simple.
 
The Ipad IOS software right now is TOO simple.

I completely agree. The iPad is nice and can be very useful and productive for certain asks, but there are so much potential missed.

I remember the Air 1 review (which your quite references) mentioned that. There was so much power in a sleek body, and little amazing software to take advantage it.

This is why I'm considering a rMB over updating my iPad 3 to the Air 3.
 
I don't know, buy an ipad air 2 in the next days or wait for the ipad air 3.

is the ipad air to thin? or have stability problems? need help buy or not to buy :rolleyes:
 
To the people saying that the Surface 3 is well-priced: don't forget that the keyboard type cover and stylus are extras.

I know the cover retails at triple-figures (I think £110) and the stylus is £50, so by the time you've added either of those on it's a much higher price. OK, it does more but it makes it a much more expensive proposition for the full experience. That said, I am very tempted as an upgrade for my iPad 3. I'm going to hold on and see what the Air 3/iPad Pro and Surface 4 offer before I commit.

Also, there's the question of leaving the apps behind from the iPad. You really can't compare the Windows Store offerings at the moment, so I'd almost still need to keep the iPad around for the few key apps I rely on.
 
I don't know, buy an ipad air 2 in the next days or wait for the ipad air 3.

is the ipad air to thin? or have stability problems? need help buy or not to buy :rolleyes:

I'd wait for the iPad Air 3. It's not that the Air 2 is too thin, it's the poor engineering regarding the screen distortion that needs to be redesigned.
 
I completely agree. The iPad is nice and can be very useful and productive for certain asks, but there are so much potential missed.

I remember the Air 1 review (which your quite references) mentioned that. There was so much power in a sleek body, and little amazing software to take advantage it.

This is why I'm considering a rMB over updating my iPad 3 to the Air 3.

The iPad doesn't do much more than what my iPad 2 did when I bought it... Thats why I don't need to update. The iPad Air 2 just does the same things as my iPad 2 only faster.

My $99 Windows tablet is more productive than my iPad 2. It can propeller manage files + do multitasking.
 
The iPad doesn't do much more than what my iPad 2 did when I bought it... Thats why I don't need to update. The iPad Air 2 just does the same things as my iPad 2 only faster.

My $99 Windows tablet is more productive than my iPad 2. It can propeller manage files + do multitasking.

That's one of the main reasons I returned my iPad Air 2.

One thing that could tempt me to update would be a better screen. Not a higher resolution, but a "Retina HD" display with enhanced contrast and all the other benefits.
 
The iPad doesn't do much more than what my iPad 2 did when I bought it... Thats why I don't need to update. The iPad Air 2 just does the same things as my iPad 2 only faster.

My $99 Windows tablet is more productive than my iPad 2. It can propeller manage files + do multitasking.

I don't know. With apps like Office for iPad, Google apps, Dropbox, and Wolfram Alpha, my iPad is more productive than ever before. Other than heavy work apps like AutoCAD and games, my iPad can pretty much do most of the basic things my rMBP does. File management and multitasking is definitely something the iPad lacks, but unless that Windows Tablet is running full Windows 8.1 I can't see how much more productive it can be with the rather lacking selection of apps

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iPad Air 3 May be the next underpowered iPad. iPad 1 was gimped by lack of RAM. iPad 2 is the iPad that will not die. iPad 3 was gimped by lack of CPU and GPU power for the retina screen. iPad 4 is still doing pretty well. iPad Air (and mini 2/3) are HORRIBLY gimped by lack of RAM and lack of CPU and GPU power. The mediocracy of iOS 8 May be what's crippling them though. iPad Air 2 is very, very powerful, has 2GB of RAM when the iPhones that came out with it have half the RAM still. Much more powerful than those devices as well, with a 1.5 GHz triple core CPU. iPad Air 3 May see only a marginal spec increase with like a doubled screen resolution, or something. That would continue Apples streak of only making every other iPad worthwhile.

iPad Air 2 is definitely the next iPad 2. I can't think of a more future proof device at the moment in the iOS realm, which is why I went all in and upgraded from the horrible mess that is the iPad 3.
 
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