Maybe it’s some sort of lame existential crisis. Maybe it’s getting older and being more frugal. Maybe it’s just the ‘shiny new’ (to me) factor. Maybe it’s because it’s BLUE! Or maybe it’s none – or all – of the above.
Whatever it is, I absolutely love the iPad Air 5th generation.
By some definitions (my own ‘imposter syndrome’ aside), I would be considered a “professional” developer, and am therefore only supposed to be interested in Apple’s ‘pro’ line of products.
For the most part, that’s true. I have owned multiple MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, iPhone Pro, and AirPod Pro devices in my life. With each product release, I have willingly – and happily – shelled out the extra money to fuel Apple’s bank account; paying more for nicer, faster, beefier, ‘pro’ features.
After all, I “need” them. Right? I mean, they are labelled ‘pro’, I’m a ‘pro’. This is the way.
Undoubtedly – and frequently – ‘pro’ products and features ARE worth it. To take one small example, AirPods Pro in my books completely justify their larger price tag vs. ‘regular’ AirPods. They provide a huge benefit, thanks to noise cancelling, transparency mode, ear fit, etc. There’s just no comparison, and that’s despite the fact that standard AirPods are amazing! But for me, the pros are better.
When it comes to the iPad, however, and my newly-discovered love of the iPad Air, that long-standing ethos has come crashing down all around me.
As I mentioned, I’ve owned and used (way too many) iPad Pro devices in my past. And they have all been great. The most recent is my 12.9” iPad Pro 5th generation. It’s an incredible device. Amazing screen! Fast! Extremely powerful! M1! PRO! And on and on. However, it’s also a massive device.
I bought the 12.9 Pro and Magic Keyboard with the intent to replace a lot of day-to-day life with a Mac, and/or to be a second screen to be used with Sidecar or Universal Control. And, to be fair, I have used it for those things from time to time. In reality, however, for the bulk of my daily use, it’s just a big, heavy, iPad. An incredible technical marvel, to be sure. But, for most of my typical use cases, it’s just a seriously big and heavy iPad.
Offsetting this, a year or so ago, I became dazzled by the redesigned sixth generation iPad Mini. Reviewers often likened it to a Mini-Pro, so it was ‘ok’ for me to own. Plus, I love all that’s new and shiny, and at the time I thought the Mini would be the perfect answer to my iPad woes: “Finally, a modern looking, small, portable iPad for me to use to consume media, browse Twitter, surf Safari, etc.”
And no question, it is all those things.
But, as much as the 12.9” iPad Pro is HEAVY, the iPad mini is TINY. My aging eyes can’t see a lot of small text on the screen (even with the font-size bumped up). And before you say it, I refuse to scale up to one of the more comically large font sizes that are all the rage with the blue-hair crowd. Plus, the way the home screen layout is sized and spaced, leaves a lot to be desired. I had hoped iOS 16 would address this, but no dice.
I used the Mini for a year or so, but every time I picked it up, it was increasingly to justify my purchase. Ultimately, I ended up lugging around the 12.9 Pro everywhere I went, and left my poor Mini waiting sadly and impatiently to be picked up off my bedside table.
Overall, I was generally happy with the giant Pro’s amazing screen. Plus, being able to see everything in crystal-clear high definition made my eyes feel young again. Without actually feeling like a dog in a room on fire, this truly was fine.
Then one day, the tech gods smiled upon me, and I had a chance to get an iPad Air for free (the details don’t matter and really aren’t exciting.)
I had been jealous of the ‘lesser’ iPads and their fun (although sometimes very pastel) colours, but clearly they weren’t for me – I was a ‘professional’, remember? But something about the Air’s thinness, bright colours, larger screen (compared to the Mini), and the very attractive price point, told me to instantly seize this opportunity.
Almost immediately after getting the Air and setting it up (migrating my less and less useful iPad Mini to a shiny new, bigger and Bluer shell), I fell in love. To this day, every time I pick up my iPad Air to use, I feel a sense of delight. True, the screen is ‘only’ 60Hz. Yes, it lacks Pro Motion. And like a monster, I have to use my finger to unlock it, instead of my face. But holy cow, I love this thing.
And that’s what brings me here to write a few words about it.
This isn’t a review. The 5th-gen Air, with its 5G and M1 processor is pushing a year old, and there have been 1000s of wonderfully written blog posts, and stylistically edited YouTube video reviews of it. That being said, if you need an iPad and can afford the 5th-gen Air – buy one immediately! What this is, I guess, is a realization that Apple knows what it’s doing.
Apple downplays tech specs and focuses more on the experience for good reason. My use of the iPad Air reinforces something I had been thinking about more and more – features aren’t everything. Given the choice for personal use, tech truly should be about how it feels to use. Megaflops and gigabloops aren’t the be-all end-all. What’s key is that you have something that lets you do what you need or want to do, and feel good doing so. Technology should bring you delight. It should make you feel satisfied and excited to pick up and interact with time and time again. If it brings frustration or doubt, the battle is lost.
My iPad use is dominated by content consumption and entertainment. So why do I care how it stacks up to a laptop? What’s a computer, anyway?
I primarily use my iPad in bed, or on the couch, so why wouldn’t I want to feel delight every time I use it? The things I thought I cared about, and previously spent extra money for – Face ID, high refresh rates, etc. – really just don’t matter in my day-to-day use.
Of course, I can tell the difference in screen quality if I immediately switch back and forth between the 12.9 Pro and the Air. But as soon as I use the Air for more than 10 seconds, that fades away. The Air has an amazing screen – not the world’s best according to the spec sheet – but it’s more than incredible for my 48 year-old eyes. Would I prefer more brightness and a higher refresh rate? Sure! Would I love to just stare into the camera rather than using my finger to authenticate? Yeah, I guess. But do I miss these things? Not for a second. The iPad Air is just a damn joy to use. It brings a smile to my face with every single use. It’s the right weight, the right size, and the overall right fit for me.
My only regret – as this was only supposed to be my ‘secondary’ iPad (I realize how entitled and pathetic that sounds) – is that I didn’t get the 256gb version.
The more I use this iPad Air, the more I want to use it, so I’m finding I’m now pushing the limits of my 64gb model. Praise be for extra iCloud storage.
So, what does this all mean, and what does it say about me?
Is this a truth-bomb slapping me in the face, confirming my inner-doubts that I am not a ‘true’ professional? No, not at all. It just means that I realized I want more from my tech. Yes, I want to be productive and need my devices to be responsive, snappy, capable and well designed (a bold colour is a fun bonus!).
But more importantly, I crave that sense of delight.
I want to look forward to using a device, not to find it a chore. Is it possible to find that in a Pro device? Absolutely! But thankfully for my wallet going forward, it’s not the only place I need to look.
With the iPad Air 5th generation, I have found a delightful piece of tech that brings me joy on each pickup. Will it last beyond the next revision of the iPad Pro? We’ll see. After all, I do like the latest and greatest, the newest and shiniest. But for now, I’m completely happy with my non-pro, iPad Air. And that’s totally OK for this ‘pro’.