iPad Air Graphics Performance 40-70% Better Than iPad 4

iPad Mini with Retina vs. iPad Mini 1 = 58723482395% better.

The jump in performance will be mind-blowing, no doubt. Some current iPad mini owners must feel bad that their iPad mini was more of a test for Apple to gauge the market.
 
I think I'm gonna get this. I don't care if it lacks with Touch ID. It's better for a phone to have that kind of security instead of the iPad 'cause it's more portable and I use it more in taking photos, videos, and of course, texting. iPad's for reading books, great web browsing, games, watching movies/tv shows, etc.. I don't think the iPad needs the Touch ID.
 
So instead of wanting it for its screen, light weight, fast speed, and thin profile in order to view the web and consume content...you want it so you can keep scanning your finger? Why punish yourself for an entire year just to get Touch ID?

For most users, because its cheaper to wait...

The light weight is a seriously big draw though. But just not enough to have to upgrade every year. Or 2 years for that matter, if all you use it for is surfing the web.
 
All that power for people to play the insanely graphically intensive game titles like angry birds and candy crush!

Oh sorry, I forgot Infinity Swipe 3 with its "console-level experience." :rolleyes:
 
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You kids and your fancy new iPads. I'm still sailing along nicely with my iPad 2. Can't justify the expense of a new 32gig model over this one.
 
dang, the new iPad...wait, the iPad Air is FASTER?

craziness

Smart comment...

Anyway, it is impressive when you take into account HOW much smaller and HOW much faster it is. But like I said, no one will realize the speed gains.

Apps are developed for the lowest common hardware denominator, even Apple's. And Apple still sells the iPad2, so case closed.
 
The jump in performance will be mind-blowing, no doubt. Some current iPad mini owners must feel bad that their iPad mini was more of a test for Apple to gauge the market.

I wouldn't go that far. It is priced $100 cheaper, or 25% so you get what you pay for. You get a serious drop in quality when your price is reduced by that much. Like the difference between a $38,000 car and a $51,000 car.
 
Its pretty incredible, Apple just last year had to develop a special "X" chip with quad core graphics for the iPads Retina Display. Now the regular old A7 that is also in the iPhone 5s is able to double the A6X performance. To me thats remarkable.

Even more remarkable, the A7 in iPad Air is significantly more powerful than the chip that shipped in 2010 Macbook Airs. Think about that. In just a few years, we now have something more powerful, with a Retina Display and significantly more powerful graphics, in something that weighs only 1 lb has 10 hour batt life and costs half the price of what that MBA cost in 2010.

I find the exponential trajectory of ARM performance in the last few years to be staggering. Anyone thinking Apple has any intentions of putting Intel inside an iPad is not looking to the future. Yes, Intel processors are still much faster, and they are making great strides with energy consumption. But given the exponential rate of ARM performance, how long until ARM eventually catches up? Especially in the crucial performance-per-watt metric so important to these lightweight mobile devices. It seems like graphics performance is already well on its way to surpassing Intels integrated GPU efforts.
 
So instead of wanting it for its screen, light weight, fast speed, and thin profile in order to view the web and consume content...you want it so you can keep scanning your finger? Why punish yourself for an entire year just to get Touch ID?

Touch ID. Gosh, how can I ever live without it. Yawn....
 
What makes the iPad air faster than the 5si thought they were the same processor and graphics? Are they clocked higher or something?
 
I want to know why this bit from the AnandTech review hasn't received more news coverage:

In general you’re looking at a 20 - 30% increase in memory footprint when dealing with an all 64-bit environment.

IMO that's kind of a big downside.
 
Well Apple does have a history of releasing slower products **cough** iPad 3, iPad Mini **cough** iPhone 5c ** cough

The iPad 3 had the same, fast (at that time) A5 chip with quad-core graphics to handle the Retina Display, hence the X in the A5X. The iPad Mini was an entry tablet that had the same specs as the iPad 2, which weren't bad at the time although it could have used a Retina Display. Finally, the 5C is just the iPhone 5 in plastic and a new front camera and radios, which is still very fast.
 
Reading about this is starting to tempt me to do a double upgrade, both i Air and the Retina Mini. Two different uses for me. Mini for ultimate portability meaning I can take subway without a briefcase for my tablet. But i Air for the full tablet experience at home or when traveling longer distances.

But since I'd probably get 32GB with cell service, we are talking about a good chunk of change to drop on both of these.

Hopefully this fever will pass and I will come to my senses and just get one of them. I guess it will be the retina Mini as I'm pretty much done using my Nexus 7 (and frankly can't even find it right now :mad:, it is probably stuck in a drawer somewhere).
 
It's all meaningless when the game library on iOS is full of "tap here to win" games.
That's like reducing console games to "press this button to win" games which is to say it's not even remotely close. That said, I would otherwise agree that these numbers will mean more when Infinity Blade isn't more or less the only game with leading edge graphics on the App Store.
 
Not sure why they included the Nvidia Shield. It has a 5in. screen and is mainly a gaming device. Also, how come they left out any Samsung devices.
 
I'm not. The Tegra 4 debuted back in January 2013. The A7 debuted ~8 months later.

The rate at which mobile chips are going I would very much expect that.

I'm sure whatever Nvidia has next Tegra 5/Logan will move things along. not sure if the gap will be like it is between A6X and the Tegra 4.

But then Apple will have its turn with the A8 or whatever they wish to call it.

You would have thought that Apple would be left in the dust GPU wise by a dedicated gaming device of any kind, as it usually is. I'm pretty surprised to see it literally on par with the Shield, but would be nice to see more proper games to take advantage of it.

There's only so many times I can replay Infinity Blade and Walking Dead.
 
So instead of wanting it for its screen, light weight, fast speed, and thin profile in order to view the web and consume content...you want it so you can keep scanning your finger? Why punish yourself for an entire year just to get Touch ID?
Because it doesn't matter to that commenter that you don't care for Touch ID? If his current iPad functions fine albeit a touch slow then why spend $500 now when 6 months from now the 'iPad Air 2' will have what he wants, Touch ID, and better processing and graphics due to its A7X processor.
 
I want to know why this bit from the AnandTech review hasn't received more news coverage:



IMO that's kind of a big downside.

And it has a worse camera too and a smaller battery.

Funny how they failed to mentioned these. Had to wait until people got it in their hands, and by then it's too late.
 
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