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When I’m not writing for TechRadar, I run a movie production company, and the iPad Pro 12.9 I use for that is a vital tool. It’s perfect for every step of the creative process, from writing documents and scripts to annotating PDF files, taking notes, and drawing storyboards. Basically I’m the exact type of user that Apple has in mind for this type of whiteboard.
However, the new iPad Air 4 has led me to reconsider that last stance: It has basically all the features a creative person would want from a tablet, but without the unnecessary extras, and without that high price tag that can put a lot of people (dying starving artists can’t buy tablets over $ 2,000).
IPad Airs haven’t had this effect on me before; in fact, I have completely ignored them in the past. They used to be Apple’s awkward middle child, not as big or powerful as the Pro line, not as portable or as affordable as entry-level devices, but the iPad Air 4 is a huge departure from this.
The iPad Air is an iPad Pro Lite
All the best parts of the iPad Pro models are in the iPad Air 4.
Probably the most useful is peripheral compatibility. The iPad Air 4 works with the second generation Apple Pencil, also known as ‘the only version of the Apple Pencil you should use’, and the robust keyboard folios and Apple Magic Keyboard, which provide much more versatility when it comes to the angle from the screen. Using these two turns an iPad from a great phone into a productivity powerhouse.
The edge-to-edge display on the iPad Air is great too, helping you maximize screen real estate without cramming into a huge slate. Before you had to buy an iPad Pro for this type of screen, but not anymore.
I can’t stress enough how useful a USB-C port is too – iPad Pros used to be the only Apple tablets with this type of port. USB-C allows much faster charging than Apple’s proprietary Lightning cable, but also faster data transfer.
When you’re moving 100GB video footage from an external hard drive to an iPad for editing, this type of port makes a dramatic difference in how long it will take.
No more unnecessary functions
Not only does the iPad Air now have all the key features of the iPad Pro, it has also removed some of the egregious extras that few people want to pay for.
There is no LiDAR scanner on the back, which is used for AR tools, but how many professionals or creatives really need to use AR for their jobs? Some, sure, but definitely not many.
The iPad Air doesn’t have a variable refresh rate like the iPad Pro, and I’ll probably miss this feature. This allows the screen refresh rate to move between 120Hz and 60Hz depending on what you are doing.
At 120Hz, the screen refreshes 120 times per second (and thus creates smoother-looking movement), but only a few apps support 120Hz, so I’ll rarely notice the difference.
The iPad Air 4 is smaller than an iPad Pro, which you can get in 11 or 12.9-inch versions. I use the latter, and while I appreciate the extra screen real estate, I honestly barely use it.
Documents never fit on the edge of the page, especially when viewing dashes, as they tend to be a narrow column. You could probably transition to the 10.9-inch iPad Air without noticing much of a difference.
I would imagine that an ‘iPad Pro’ would have more processing power than an ‘iPad Air’, given that the latter is the high-end type of slate, but since the iPad Air was later released with a newer chipset, this does not en That is the case.
The iPad Air 4 is now Apple’s most powerful tablet, and it will likely stay that way until a new Pro version is released in 2021.
Finally, Face ID – I can’t say how much I hate Face ID, which I have on my iPad Pro but not used on the iPad Air (that slate has Touch ID on the power button).
I found that Face ID rarely works with ease, and often I have to move to a different position for it to work, or just type my password; it is a real inconvenience. This feature works for some people, and I’ve heard that it’s not that bad on iPhones, but it just doesn’t work for me on iPads. I’ll be happy to see Touch ID make a return for these high-end slates.
Apple won’t mind
It’s funny to think who the iPad Pros are now when the ideal target audience (me) realizes that the more affordable iPad Air is now a much better proposition.
There will probably be some power users in need of LiDAR, or a higher refresh rate, or whatever extras the iPad Pro 2021 brings, but it won’t be many, and I see the iPad Air taking its place in people’s hearts.
Apple won’t mind at all – if people buy any kind of iPad they’re still making money, and as much as I’m a fan of Android phones, I’ll admit there are no Android tablets right now. They hold a candle to the top iPads (or any iPad, honestly).
Perhaps this is the first step in Apple’s plan to order its tablets and make the distinction between the four different lines (entry-level, Mini, Air, and Pro) a little more obvious; Maybe the next Pro will be a super-premium tablet, and the next Mini a really affordable one. All I know is that as a creative professional, the iPad Pro is probably not the best tablet for me anymore.
