iPad Air and iPad Air 2 buyers and owners (1 Viewer)

[Pawl]

Ron, I always purchase Sena cases for my iPhone. The leather is thin, stylish, and worth the price.

 

[Sam Posten]

To paraphrase Edna Mode: NO CASE! The air does not need it, and putting a bulky case around it defeats the point in my experience. The cover works great, they really improved the magnet system so it is almost invisibly attached.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Sam,

The thing that worries me...drops.

You gotta be a little worried about dropping that thing.

Gotta see what Apple has up its sleeve on Monday. A new Macbook Air
or iWatch would derail my iPad plans.

...plus, a fingerprint iPad model in September most likely? It may be
worth holding out a few more months.

Shall see. I will know more by the end of Monday.

 

[Pawl]

Sam, you are right. But, I don't like the new design, because it's not very stable. It tends to fall down at times. Apple needs to get back to the original case with the extra folds.

 

[Sam Posten]

I agree that the folds were better on the old one, but I don't see them coming back.

Ron: Falls have not been an issue for me. I am relatively careful with mine and yet it has taken 2 3-4 foot drops onto hard floors without issue. I'd much rather take the very slim chance of a $100 re-screening than to fundamentally ruin what makes the Air great. Just my opinion and I don't judge, but I'm really really convinced that cases on the air are neither useful or necessary.

 

[Pawl]

I'm sure Apple is going to release a newer version of the iPad cover that doesn't fall. In the meantime, let's discuss those new driverless cars where I can read my iPad Air on the go.

 

[Carlo_M]

Ron, I think a new iPad Air by September/October with the fingerprint touch sensor is the closest thing to a "lock" there is with Apple. I agree it would be worth waiting for, especially with the rumored A8 processor. A7 was so much more powerful than A6 (in fact is currently underutilized by iOS), I can't wait to see what A8 will bring.

I will say this. If they release a 256GB Air 2 with the fingerprint sensor and the A8 processor lives up to its rumored billing, I'll definitely buy myself one for personal use and keep my 16GB Air locked away at work full time. It wouldn't even have to be lighter, but chances are it will be by the slimmest of margins. Oh, and there are rumored camera improvements, from anti-shake measures to better low-light performance. But due to the size of my music/pics/movie collection, I need them to up it to 256GB. I won't buy a 128GB. I'd rather buy the rumored 12" Macbook Pro Air if they don't go 256GB.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Carlo,

Yeah, it's going to be a tough choice on whether to wait things out or not.

Oh, and there are rumored camera improvements

I think people who take pictures with their iPads look silly doing so. Never
really got used to seeing that action being done.

 

[Carlo_M]

I hear ya, Ron and I'd never consider my iPad to be a primary photo device. However, I'm also a big subscriber to the motto "the best camera is the one you have with you..."

There have definitely been times when the only camera I've had with me is not my DSLR, or even my point and shoot, but my iPhone. I can envision a scenario in the future where the iPad is the only device I have on me when I need to take a pic--at work for example, I work in an area open to the public, and often don't carry my phone with me to avoid interruptions in the workplace, but will have my iPad with me and I may end up having to use it in a pinch to take a picture.

But yeah, that scenario would be few and far between and an improved camera isn't the #1 reason for me to buy an iPad, but it certainly wouldn't hurt.

 

[Nelson Au]

I have the Apple iPad Air leather case on my iPad. Very minimal and protects the front, back and sides. I sketch and paint on the iPad and when I got the iPad Air last year, I really saw and felt a difference with the way the painting app reacts to the stylus, no lag. So I'll look forward to the iPad Air 2 and how that one handles.

 

[DaveF]

Carlo,

Yeah, it's going to be a tough choice on whether to wait things out or not.


I think people who take pictures with their iPads look silly doing so. Never
really got used to seeing that action being done.

Saw peopke and kids at Disney World using iPad for camera. It seems really clumsy and awkward to carry an ipad in an amusement park. But, whatever works.

 

[Pawl]

I work at a Hotel, and usually see business customers take photos with their iPads all the time. iPads can take great photos, actually.

 

[DaveF]

Sam,

The thing that worries me...drops.

You gotta be a little worried about dropping that thing.

I've carelessly whacked my iPad 3 into the corner of my bed frame; dented the back middle. I've dropped it numerous times, reading in bed, onto the floor (sometimes first bouncing off the bedside table). It's getting dinged, dented, scratched. And it works fine. No adverse effects.

A thin, soft plastic case will keep the iPad from getting scratched up. It might also reduce the size of dent from. But I'm doubtful that it will saved an iPad from an otherwise body-breaking, screen shattering fall.

I recommend getting a case if you like it aesthetically or prefer how it feels Or even to protect it from scuffs for ebay resale. (I have a hard-wood cover for my iPad, because awesome. And the leather case for my 5s, because I don't like the feel of the new phones). But if you really want to save it from serious trauma, you need a "grandma" case -- one of those quarter-inch thick rubberized cases build to protect an iOS device from whims of an angry god -- that is, a 3 year old granddaughter

 

[Carlo_M]

My friend had one of those grandma cases for her iPhone, like an Otterbox model. We were watching Garden State the other day and when the scene with Natalie Portman had to wear the leather helmet came on I ribbed her "hey, it's probably the same maker that designed your iPhone case!"

 

[DaveF]

My mom has one, which I understand. So does my sister in law, which I don't understand, since her kids are teens and have their own phones. I think there's a paranoia of handling a $600 palm computer.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Just realized that if I buy an iPad Air this week, I am going to have to spend
way more than I wanted....

I use the iPad in car rentals as a navigation device.

To use navigation, you need a GPS chip. Only the cellular models have it.

So, for the 64GB iPad I wanted, I now have to spend substantially more money
to get the cellular version as well.

The $160 I am getting from Gazelle for my iPad 3 may help with that.

 

[Pawl]

The regular iPad has GPS. The only problem would be finding free Wi-Fi when you're out and about.

 

[DaveF]

The wifi-only model doesn't have "GPS"--no receiver for satellite-based position. It does wifi-based location. This would be no good for car use, since you won't gave wifi for position determination or for downloading map info. Ron - why an iPad for in-car map vs your Android phone? How do you mount it?I've been using my iPhone for car GPS since 2010. I've got a windshield mount. I don't know how I'd use a 10" iPad in a car.

 

[Carlo_M]

Dave - like this

 

[Pawl]

Nice, very cool!