For a company that obsesses over making devices thinner and lighter, it must have been torture for Apple to spend nearly three years making a series of iPads that were better than their predecessors, but not smaller. Now it has.

Ten hours of battery life; twice as fast as fourth-generation iPad; light and thin

Still too big for long-term one-handed use; no Touch ID

Apple's full-sized iPad may have a brand new name, but the company's fifth iteration is all about refinement. The iPad Air is thinner, lighter and smaller than the previous model, but still manages to retain the same 9.7in screen and ten hour battery life.

Stunningly thin and light; Excellent performance; Great battery life

Increased price; Speakers easily muffled; Reflective screen

Apple's full-sized iPad may have a brand new name, but the company's fifth iteration is all about refinement.

Stunningly thin and light; Excellent performance; Great battery life

Increased price; Speakers easily muffled; Reflective screen

The iPad was always a slim tablet, but it started gaining a bit of weight in 2012. The addition of the Retina Display meant that Apple could not reduce or maintain the same weight as the iPad 2.

The iPad Air is Apple ‘s offering for those who want a tablet to get things done - creating content rather than just consuming it. The changes incorporated in this fifth-generation model are designed to make it more appealing to this group: it's faster but also more portable, with the same...

Smaller and lighter than predecessors; Significantly faster than earlier iPads; Beautiful display; Long battery life

Barely adequate RAM; Non-standard data/power port; No memory card slot; No active touchscreen

With its 1-pound weight and slimmed-down design, the iPad Air marks the biggest leap forward for Apple's trend-making slate since the Retina display. It's rightly the standard by which all other tablets will, and should, be judged.

Slim; lightweight design; Super-sharp; bright screen; Long; all-day battery life; Demonstrably improved performance

Battery takes a while to recharge; Speaker placement isn't ideal

It's hard to believe but it's been less than four years since Apple released the iPad, opening the door to an entirely new market of portable devices that, along with smartphones, has eroded the traditional PC industry in a way that most people would have never imagined a few short years ago.

Thinner and lighter, but still solidly built; Great performance with power to spare; Efficient design, runs cooler than previous iPads; iOS 7 is a worthy update and strong app ecosystem

No Touch ID; Camera is just ok; iPad mini might give the Air a run for its money

Good product

Bit heavy

The consensus is that this is the first, real successor since the last major iPad, the iPad 2. And that consensus is correct. The iPad Air not only feels different (lighter, faster, less calories) but it is different, from the way it has been designed, to the hardware lurking inside it, to iOS 7...

For a company that obsesses over making devices thinner and lighter, it must have been torture for Apple to spend nearly three years making a series of iPads that were better than their predecessors, but not smaller. Now it has.

Ten hours of battery life; twice as fast as fourth-generation iPad; light and thin

Still too big for long-term one-handed use; no Touch ID