The iPad Air is the fifth-generation iPad from the American company Apple Inc. It was available starting November 1, 2013, and was discontinued on March 21, 2016. The iPad Air features a slimmer design similar to that of the iPad mini. Like the iPad mini with Retina display, it features a 64-bit Apple A7 processor with the M7 coprocessor. The successor to this iPad is the iPad Air 2.
Features
Software
The iPad Air comes with the iOS 7 operating system. It is a redesigned version created by Jonathan Ive, featuring new elements such as refined typography, new icons, the use of transparency, and gyroscope-based parallax scrolling. The appearance of iOS 7 no longer features skeuomorphic elements; this is particularly evident in Game Center, where the green felt has been replaced by a white background.
The iPad Air comes with several pre-installed apps: Siri, Safari, Mail, iBooks, Photos, Maps, FaceTime, Newsstand, Messages, iTunes Store, App Store (iOS), Calendar, Music, Videos, Clock, Reminders, Contacts, Camera, Notes, Photo Booth, and Game Center. Apple also offers its own GarageBand and iWork suites for free upon activation.
Design
The iPad Air marks the first major design change for the iPad. It features a new 7.5 mm-thick design and a thinner bezel comparable to that of the iPad mini. Because its volume has been significantly reduced, the iPad Air is 22% lighter than the previously lightest iPad 2. It still has a 9.7-inch (24.6 cm) Retina display with a fingerprint-resistant, grease-repellent coating.
Like previous generations, the iPad Air features a mercury-free LCD screen, arsenic-free glass, and is BFR-free and PVC-free; its aluminum casing is highly recyclable.
Hardware
The iPad Air features many internal components similar to those in the iPhone 5S, such as the A7 chip with 64-bit architecture and the M7 motion coprocessor. It also features a 5-megapixel autofocus iSight camera with 1080p HD video recording on the back and a 1.2-megapixel FaceTime HD camera with 720p HD video on the front for video calls. It supports Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) with two bands (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) and MIMO. It has a built-in 32.4-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery that provides up to 10 hours of web browsing (via Wi-Fi), watching videos, or listening to music.
Just like previous generations, it has buttons for power on/off, sleep mode on/off, mute/screen rotation, volume up/down, and Home. On the top edge, there are two microphones and a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack. On the bottom, there is a built-in stereo speaker and a Lightning connector.
The iPad Air comes in two colors: space gray and silver. You can choose between 16, 32, 64, or 128 GB of storage capacity with optional cellular connectivity.
