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...

Apple first introduced the "Air" branding scheme in conjunction with its ultra-slim and portable MacBook line back in 2008. The term was meant to connote a laptop that wasn't just lighter, but also uber thin, and able to achieve epic battery life.

Incredibly lightweight with a super-slim, redesigned form factor; A7 chip, in addition to helping provide an impressive 10-plus hours of battery life, offers superb overall performance whether you're surfing the web or streaming media.

No TouchID, just a regular old home button; Despite upgrading to stereo speakers - audio separation remains poor; 5-megapixel rear-facing shooter could use an update

The iPad Air is a great tablet, yes. But is the iPad still the one you should buy Our in-depth iPad Air review looks at all the iPad Air specs, benchmarks, and our own time with the tablet to give the definitive verdict on the iPad Air.

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

Summary: Apple's large-format tablet is thinner, lighter and faster than ever, and delivers good battery life. We'd like to see the biometric home button and a wi-fi upgrade as soon as possible, but it's still a high-quality, if premium-priced, device.

Thin and light, Classy design, Fast 64-bit A7/M7 platform, Excellent LTE frequency band support, Good battery life

No Touch ID, No 802.11ac wi-fi or NFC, Expensive, especially when accessorised for maximum business productivity

This IPad DOES NOT backup to your iPhone Due to it will not upgrade to the same version as your phone. iPhone is like version 14 IPad will not go pass version 12

Imbued with first class design and aesthetics, within the full-size tablet universe, the iPad Air is second only to its newer sibling, the Air 2.

The iPad Air delivers solid performance and battery life in an attractive and impossibly thin-and-light package. The front-facing camera delivers excellent FaceTime capabilities and the Retina Display is top-notch.

No Touch ID fingerprint scanner, meaning you’ll have to type in a passcode with every unlock and a password with every purchase.

Had the iPad lost its way? Not as a range, certainly; over the last twelve months, the iPad mini has been the darling of the tablet scene, coupling affordability with convenience and build quality.

Two weeks ago I had all but written off the bigger iPad. It was too bulky and just no where near as portable as the iPad mini. Once the latter gets a Retina Display and equal hardware across the board, why would anyone consider the bigger model? The iPad Air changed my perspective on all of that.

The iPad Air improves on its predecessor in every respect - and it's still worth searching out in 2016