iPad Air Unboxing: Lighter, Thinner, Stronger

iPad Air Unboxed!

While the new Apple iPad Air isn’t officially available in local Apple Reseller Stores yet, several online shops have already started offering it at pretty competitive prices (near SRP). Very good timing for us since we’ve been aching to buy a new iPad for a while now but we found the iPad Mini to small and the iPad 4 too heavy. The iPad Air seemed ideal since it kept the generous 9.7-inch display of the 4the generation iPad but had the design, ergonomics, and lightweight form factor of the iPad Mini. Suffice to say we ended up getting one, lol.

Before we get to the unboxing, let’s quickly recap the specifications.

iPad Air Spec Sheet

1.3GHz Dual-core Cyclone (ARM v8-based), Apple A7 Chip
Quad-core PowerVR G6430 Graphics
1GB RAM DDR3
16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB Internal Storage
9.7-inches LED backlit IPS Display
Retina Display, 1563 x 2048 pixels, 264 pixels per inch
5.0-megapixels primary camera with autofocus
1.2-megapixels secondary camera
LTE, Bluetooth, WiFi, WiFi Hotspot, GPS/aGPS
iOS 7
“Legendary iPad 10 Hour Battery Life”

Packaging and Unboxing

Peek-a-boo! iPad Air officially unboxed!

As expected the iPad Air came in your standard Apple packaging — white hard carton box with the hero product shot up front. Very minimalist and the focus is on the thinness of the product. We tore out the plastic, popped open the lid, and we were immediately greeted by the sezziest 9.7-inch tablet we’ve ever seen! We were even more amazed when we picked it up from the box because it was so light! Apple definitely hit the ball out of the park with the iPad Air in terms of hardware design.

We set aside the iPad Air first and dug deeper into the box. There’s nothing out of the ordinary here as we just get the usual Apple peripherals: Lightning Cable, Wall Charger, Manual (Quick Start Guide), and the Apple stickers. Note that just like previous iPads, the iPad Air does NOT come with earphones. You’ll have to buy those separately.

Over-all the iPad Air continues Apple’s longstanding tradition of offering memorable, emotional, and exciting unboxing experiences.

In a Different League?

We’ve actually already written a hands-on and initial review of the iPad Air when we first chanced upon it in Singapore last week. However we just want to take this opportunity to reiterate some of the points that we mentioned there. First, when it comes to hardware the iPad Air truly is in a league of its own. No other tablet comes close to how superb, aesthetically pleasing, and ergonomic the design is.

Secondly, with the iPad Air we get the generous 9.7-inch display while maintaining the thinness and lightness of the iPad Mini. It’s perfect for our needs since we use the iPad not just to consume content but also to create. It also helps a lot that Apple made the entire suite of apps from iWork and iLife free for new iOS devices, including the iPad Air. Sweet!

Lastly the iPad Air is blazing fast. We’ve never seen high graphics and memory hungry apps like Infinity Blade 3 and Dead Trigger 2 load up in an instant. That A7 chip is definitely monstrous when it comes to power.

We’re going to put this through the paces in the next few days so we can get back to you guys with the full review. Hopefully we can have it out by this weekend!

The iPad Air is already available in Kimstore. Click here for the current price list.