Although I haven’t yet clapped eyes on the new Air, I know someone who has. My friend Janice has now arrived home and had a chance to play with the new device:
Now back home and seriously impressed with the new iPad Air. In its case it weighs 600 grams while the mini in its case weighs 425g. As the new mini is reputedly slightly heavier than the old one, it definitely makes the purchase of the Airir a best buy. The leather case is very light and doesn’t add any bulk to the iPad. It feels very nice too, with none of those nasty sharp edges of the old synthetic iPad case. I am more than happy to get back to both the larger screen and the retina display, which I seriously missed on the mini.
I picked mine up on Regent Street this mornign and agree with Janice on the Air, it just feels incredibly well balanced, light (in one hand) when held at different angles and a huge step up from my iPad 3.
I considered the Mini but ultimately the weight of the Air felt good and I’d miss the real estate when watching Plex/iPlayer.
I went for the basic Smart Cover in black and it’s svelte (no separate magnetic attachment, all built into the cover), will check out the leather one at a later point.