Apple's fifth-generation 9.7-inch tablet is set to debut in more than 30 countries, and the reviews have flowed in.
As a reminder, the iPad Air features a 9.7-inch screen with Retina Display at 2,048x1,536 resolution. The new Apple tablet is available in 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB models, but doesn't offer a microSD card slot. The iPad Air's rear-facing camera has 5 megapixels at 2,592x1,944 pixels, and the front-facing camera has 1.2 megapixels. The tablet utilizes the A7 dual-core 1.3GHz Cyclone processor and runs on the iOS 7 mobile operating system.
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According to CNET, the iPad Air was given an "Outstanding" rating with 9.0 out of 10. In regards to the tablet's positives, CNET noted the tablet's "improved" front-facing camera, stating how FaceTime looks much better. The negatives for the iPad Air includes the absence of the Touch ID fingerprint sensor and price tag of $499 for the 16GB model in comparison to rival tablets.
"Functionally, the iPad Air is nearly identical to last year's model, offering only faster performance and better video chatting," reported CNET. "But factor in design and aesthetics, and the iPad Air is on another planet. It's the best full-size consumer tablet on the market."
Similar to CNET, Clayton Morris from Fox News noted the lack of Touch ID as his biggest disappointment with the iPad Air.
"I see Touch ID as one of the most important technological breakthroughs of 2013," Morris added. "It's both a testament to how well it works on the iPhone 5s and how difficult the technology was to pull off for one product, let alone two different iPad sizes. Apple sells millions more iPhones than they do iPads, so it's no wonder Touch ID didn't make it onto the tablets. Still, I'm disappointed."
"Surprise: the iPad Air is the best iPad we've reviewed," reviewed Engadget's Brad Molen.
According to Molen, the iPad Air is the most comfortable tablet ever tested at Engadget. He noted the tablet does not feel cheap or "flimsy" despite producing a thin and light tablet with a 9.7-inch screen.
"Part of the iPad's magic is the fact that you can put it down and forget about it for days, then pick it up and still have nearly a full charge," wrote TechCrunch's Darrell Etherington. "That's still the case, and it's made all the more impressive based on the physical changes Apple has made to the case design, which theoretically should leave less room inside for actual batteries."
Vincent Nguyen of SlashGear noted the iPad Air's "beautiful" display, design, and quality of its build in his review.
"If Apple's full-sized slates had fallen into the shadow of their mini brethren over the past twelve months, the iPad Air brings the larger tablet right back into the spotlight," reviewed Nguyen, adding that the tablet is the "gold-standard" for other tablets should be judged by.
According to Damon Darlin of The New York Times, the lightness of the iPad Air makes the difference notably as the tablet won't hurt the owner as previous iPads when reclining on a seat or bed.
As Latinos Post noted, the iPad Air launch on Nov. 1 in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Macedonia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.
According to Apple's official website, the 16GB iPad Air will cost the consumer $499, the 32GB model is priced at $599, $699 for the 64GB model, and $799 for the 128GB variant. With cellular data, the 16GB model cost $629, 32GB model is priced at $729, $829 for the 64GB, and $929 for the 128GB variant.
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