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A first look at the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3
Unlike last month's Apple event, today's shindig was held in a tiny auditorium on the company's campus, nary a single gigantic white box in sight. Arguably, the size of the venue matched the importance of the products being announced -- minor iPad and iMac refreshes don't exactly command the same kind of attention as revamped iPhones and Apple's introduction into the wearables market. This doesn't mean the latest version of the iPad Air and iPad mini aren't worth a closer look, of course; they may be just another iteration of the series, but if you're in the market for a new tablet, there are a few new features to be aware of.
Engadget UK giveaway: win an iPad Air courtesy of Misco
You lucky devils, you. Last week you were in with a chance of winning a free Galaxy S5, and today we've only gone and got ourselves an iPad Air to send someone's way. It wouldn't be possible without the generosity of our pals over at Misco, an IT service provider and online retailer of all things computing. They've supplied us with a "Space Grey," 16GB WiFi version of Apple's latest full-fat tablet, meaning you can potentially save yourself £400 with a couple of clicks. Anyone can submit up to three entries via the Rafflecopter widget below, and we'd recommend you give the rules a quick scan while you're down there. Godspeed. Winning: congrats to X. Qi from London!
Gaming deals of the week: 3.12.14
Sometimes you just have to wait until a retailer tosses together a bunch of tech that you're eying before you make the leap. In terms of new gaming consoles, today could very well be the day. There are tempting bundles for both Xbox One and PS4 on the other side of the jump, alongside two other entertainment-minded gadgets to help boost those high scores. If there are other gaming devices you're after that we haven't included here -- join us and add them to your "Want" list. Every time there's a price cut in the future, you'll get an email alert!
IRL: the iPad Air
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. By now, we've written nearly everything there is to say about the iPad Air, but that doesn't mean we can't revisit it here in "IRL." In particular, our own Jon Fingas bought one to see if it was lighter and faster than his third-gen model. Surprise: it is.
iPad Air review
Remember "thinnovation"? That was Apple's tagline when it first introduced the MacBook Air, a laptop so skinny it could fit in a manila envelope. Six years later, the company did something similar with its tablet lineup by introducing the iPad Air. As its name suggests, the Air comes with a revamped design that sheds almost half a pound of weight, along with a couple millimeters of thickness and a significant amount of bezel area. At the same time, it maintains the same 9.7-inch Retina display that defined the last two iPads. While that's impressive enough in its own right, Apple also managed to make the device more powerful, thanks to the same A7 chip that already powers the iPhone 5s. The one part of the iPad Air that isn't any thinner or lighter is its price, which starts at the usual $499 for a 16GB WiFi-only model. From there, the MSRP goes as high as $929 for the most expensive configuration (that's the WiFi + Cellular model with 128 gigs of storage). As always, the Air is entering a highly competitive market just in time for the holidays. So will its strong performance and super-thin frame be enough to make you upgrade come November 1st? Or is it simply not thinnovative enough? Read on to find out.
Take two tablets: Will the iPad Air and Retina iPad mini cure Apple's market share slide?
Apple put up some impressive numbers today: 170 million iPads sold to date. 475,000 iPad apps available. $13 billion paid to app developers. Yet those numbers only tell part of the story. While the iPad may continue to be the top-selling tablet line, it no longer dominates the market the way it once did. A year ago, 60 percent of all tablets sold were iPads, according to numbers from IDC. By this summer, that number was down to 32 percent, with Android models soaring from 38 percent to 63 percent. Even Windows models jumped from just 1 percent of the market to 4 percent -- and that was before Microsoft slashed the prices of older Surface models and released its second-generation tablets.
Apple unveils the 1-pound iPad Air with a 9.7-inch Retina display: shipping November 1st for $499
Speaking at today's launch event in San Francisco, Phil Schiller announced the next iteration of the company's tablet. It's thinner, lighter and more powerful -- hence the new name: the iPad Air. (No more of that "new iPad" nonsense.) And Cupertino takes that moniker seriously; this slate weighs just one pound (down from the fourth-gen model's 1.4 pounds). It also boasts a 43-percent thinner bezel and a 20-percent thinner profile; it's just 7.5mm thick this time around. As expected, the new iPad Air sports a 9.7-inch Retina display. 64-bit architecture is on board with more than 1 billion transistors, and there's an A7 processor under the hood along with an M7 motion chip. Schiller says this guy is eight times faster than the first-gen iPad (we'd hope, to be honest -- that was three years ago!), and graphics are 72 times faster. Thanks to MIMO, you should enjoy faster WiFi, and look for expanded LTE support from international carriers as well. The 5-megapixel iSight camera is capable of shooting 1080p video, and the FaceTime camera on the front includes "larger pixels" and a backside-illuminated sensor for better image quality. Additionally, the iPad Air sports dual mics. As far as battery life goes, expect about 10 hours. Finally, as many have been quick to point out, the iPad Air does not include the Touch ID fingerprint sensor that debuted on the iPhone 5s. That feature was met with plenty of backlash; it's unclear if this is why Cupertino opted to leave it out. The Air will ship on November 1st to several countries, including the US, UK, China and Japan. Notably, this is the first time China will get the iPad on launch day. When the tablet is available, you'll have your choice of silver, white, grey and black color options. Of course, the Air isn't the only new iPad shown on-stage today; Apple also introduced the iPad mini with retina display. Stay tuned -- we'll be back with hands-on impressions shortly!
