June 2023
My first iPad Air was free. Apparently Ebuyer have monthly draws and my name came up as the winner of an iPad Air. I hadn’t had any desires to purchase an iPad because it was out of my budget and I didn’t see any need for one but one doesn’t look a gift horse in the mouth 🙂 I made use of it best I could but it didn’t have a keyboard and mouse so I mainly used as a device for checking email and social media. Useful but not essential.
Along comes iPad Air 3rd generation and iPad OS. The new OS was apparently more “user friendly” and was designed to make it easier to use with a keyboard and mouse so I bought one. I had intended buying a keyboard and mouse to use with the new iPad Air but Apple wanted nearly as much for the keyboard and mouse as the iPad :-((
Trawling the Web, I found keyboards and “mice” that were affordable but they all had the US keyboard layout. So to date I just use the iPad Air as a very expensive social media viewer and email checker. I don’t find entering text or editing documents to be easy using the virtual keyboard and a 10″ screen but I’m sure younger people don’t find it a problem.
If I want to do anything productive e.g. inputting text, I use my Windows 10 Desktop with a proper keyboard and mouse along with a large flat screen.
The iPad is a lovely bit of kit but is probably not aimed at me. If you purchase a suitable keyboard and mouse and use it like a laptop, I’m sure it will be an awesome bit of kit for many people.
The thing is, Apple products just work, they are robust and reliable. If you purchase the model that can have a SIM installed, you’ll be able to use it when out and about. I only have the WiFi model so I can only use it when within range of a WiFi access point. When I’m away from home, I can tether it to my mobile phone using WiFi. The screen is bigger than my smart phone so this is an advantage.
When I make tea in the morning, I use the iPad as a tray for 2 cups of tea and that works brilliantly 🙂 The iPad mainly sits on the desk at the side of my Windows Desktop and enables me to keep an eye on emails and other incoming stuff. When I want to watch a bit of telly or do something in the garden, my Redmi Note 10 is with me.
Would I buy a newer version of the iPad Air? I think the answer would be no! In my case, it doesn’t really offer any benefits over my Windows 10 Desktop (other portability and robustness) or my Android Redmi Note 10 although it has a bigger screen than the Redmi Note 10.
If this is the only device you have, it is a very good choice but Android Tablets are also worth looking at and usually cost considerable less.