Apple iPad Air ME898LL/A Review

Apple opened up the big bag of iTricks once again to craft their fifth-generation tablet, borrowing the concept and moniker of the MacBook Air, as well as the iPad mini's thinner iPhone inspired design. The results include the new iPad Air branding, some welcome design changes, internal upgrades, and Apple's latest iOS 7 mobile operating system —all at the same price point as the 2012 iPad 4.

A thinner iPhone inspired design
The Apple iPad Air ME898LL/A features a new streamlined design based on the style of Apple's popular iPhone. However, the first tablet to actually appear with this new look was the original first-generation iPad mini. At that time the iPad 4, which debuted alongside the mini, still featured the bulkier full-size iPad design from several years ago.

The left and right side bezels of the Apple iPad Air ME898LL/A have been reduced in size by more than 40 percent resulting in a sleeker looking narrow appearance. Apple also reduced the thickness and weight of the tablet so the iPad Air measures 20 percent thinner and 28 percent lighter than the iPad 4.

Aside from the cosmetic changes the iPad Air ME898LL/A still features a unibody construction and sturdy light-weight aluminum shell like the past generations that came before it. The overall layout is also the same with the home button located just under the display and Apple's 8-pin lightning port nestled between two stero speakers along the bottom edge, with the others arranged along the top edge and sides of the tablet.

Retina display
By far one of the more popular features since the launch of the iPad 3 has been Apple's high-resolution Retina display. The Apple iPad Air ME898LL/A features the same superb technology —a 9.7-inch LED-backlit Retina display with a high-definition 2048x1536 resolution.

The Retina packs an impressive 3.1 million pixels and has a 264 pixels-per-inch density. Viewing angles are nice and wide. Colors appear true, rich and vibrant. Graphics and text still look as sharp and detailed as ever, and movies play at full 1080p HD-resolution on the iPad Air. The overall quality the Retina offers remains unmatched even over a year later.

Twice the performance of the iPad 4
At the core of the iPad Air ME898LL/A is Apple's new A7 chip set featuring 64-bit desktop-class architecture and advanced quad-core graphics. The A7 chip is a huge improvement over the previous generation's A6 chip set —effectively doubling the processing performance and graphics power of the iPad 4! The iPad Air's system memory has been updated from DDR2 to the faster DDR3 RAM type. The performance boost from the updated hardware is very noticable on the iPad Air ME898LL/A, resulting in decreased load times, faster browsing, and generally much smoother operation overall.

Apple iPad Air ME898LL/A Specs:
Brand: Apple
Series: iPad 5, iPad Air
Release Date: November 2013
Model: ME898LL/A
Dimensions: 9.4x6.6x0.3in (240x170x7.5mm)
Weight: 1 lbs (469g)
Display: 9.7in IPS Retina
Resolution: 2048x1536 (QXGA), 264 ppi
Processor: Apple A7 Dual-core 1.4 GHz
Graphics: PowerVR G6430
Memory: 1 GB DDR3
Storage: 128 GB
Camera: 1.2 MP FaceTime (Front), 5 MP iSight (Rear)
Wireless: Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n MIMO Wifi, Bluetooth 4.0
Battery: 8820 mAh Lithium-Polymer
Battery Life: 10+ Hours
Operating System: Apple iOS 7

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New MIMO WiFi technology
Apple has also updated the WiFi on the iPad Air ME898LL/A to include multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) technology. With the addition of a second WiFi antenna the iPad Air ME898LL/A now supports an increased data rate of up to 300 Mbps —that is twice the WiFi speeds of last year's iPad 4! Apple also expanded their support of LTE bands on iPad Air models with cellular capabilities.

All day battery life
You can expect the same all day battery life on the Apple iPad Air ME898LL/A that previous generation's have enjoyed. The actual battery size has decreased however, from the much larger 42 Whr battery of the iPad 4, to a smaller 32 Whr size. The result is a 24 percent decrease in overall battery volume while maintaining Apple's 10+ hour battery life standards, all thanks to the iPad Air's more power-effecient A7 chip.

Apple's latest mobile operating system
The iPad Air ME898LL/A comes with Apple's latest iOS 7 mobile operating system with integrated apps pre-installed. Apple's iOS 7 made its debut, shortly before the release of the iPad Air, with a newly redesigned interface and comes with over 200 new features and updates. Apple updated iOS's multitasking features and included several new apps and updates such as Control Center, Notification Center, AirDrop, Safari, Siri, and iTunes Radio.

Choose from over 500,000 iPad apps
With the Apple iPad Air ME898LL/A you have access to over 500,000 apps designed specifically for the iPad. Apple's App Store offers a massive library of apps and is constantly expanding and growing with new things to see and do all sorted into its 24 various categories. You can quite literally find it all here! No matter what your interests or needs are, Apple's robust App Store has you covered.

Next generation iWork and iLife apps
Apple has updated their iWork and iLife software suites and offers the downloadable app bundle for free for iOS 7 users when you purchase the iPad Air ME898LL/A. The iWork software bundle includes several useful productivity related apps for creating, editing, and sharing documents. Whereas the iLife suite provides a set of apps designed for creating, organizing, and editing photos, videos, and music.

Apple iPad Air ME898LL/A Reviews
—"Longer lasting power, faster, lighter, with free top quality apps to download!"
—"Apple still rules the tablet world."
—"Great replacement for a laptop when traveling."
—"Beautifully built, incredibly fast, the best tablet computer ever!"
—"Best full-sized tablet on the market."
—"iPad Air was a great buy! You won't regret it!"
—"The best iPad yet!"

Read these Apple iPad Air ME898LL/A reviews on Amazon.com