Kerry Dawson:
It is probably one of the most exciting devices to have emerged from Apple for a while. Although the iPad Air has predecessors and nobody can say it doesn’t have a great lineage to call its own, it stands unique in its line.
Agreed. (Via Ben Brooks.)
David Chartier:
I’ve used an iPad 1, 2, and 3 for writing, creating media, and reading, but last year I switched to an iPad mini and gave up that glorious retina display for a single reason: weight. […] After spending a weekend with a 128GB silver iPad Air (T-Mobile), I think this is the quintessential iPad.
The iPad Air is a great improvement overall but, by and large, the dramatic weight loss and thinner bezel are the stars this year. These things are so important, Apple changed the device’s name so you can’t miss them.
After a few days, the iPad Air still feels shockingly light. It’s pretty amazing. And it’s funny how “huge” my iPad 3 feels now compared to the iPad Air.
It will be interesting to see how things shake out once the Retina iPad mini ships and people have had a chance to use and compare both. I am extremely impressed with the iPad Air, but I’m going to try and hold off from making any definitive statements until I’ve had a chance to use the new mini as well. I have a feeling it will be equally if not more impressive than the iPad Air.
Ben Bajarin:
The iPad is not computing dumbed down; it is powerful computing simplified. […] For many consumers the iPad Air will be the most empowering personal computer they have ever owned.
It’s getting to the point where, for many people, the greatest hurdle to using an iPad as their main personal computer is nothing more than their own prejudice and/or general resistance to try something different.