Apple's New iPad Air 2: Slimmer, More Powerful

October 16, 2014 - Apple's iPad Air 2 tablet (also known as the iPad 6) looks familiar but has a thinner body than last year's iPad Air. Needless to say, Apple added new features and updated most of the others. And because size does matter, the iPad Air 2 is only 6.1mm thick, less than half the thickness of the original iPad. It's thin enough that Apple calls it the world's thinnest tablet.

iPad Air 2 from Apple (click to enlarge)

Nice price: Although it's got lots of improvements, the iPad Air 2 price is the same as its predecessor. "The iPad Air 2 starts at $500 for the 16GB version," writes reviewer Eric Limer at Gizmodo today, "the same price the original Air debuted at. Bigger storage sizes come in $100 increments up to 64GB, with an additional $130 premium for LTE versions. Meanwhile the original Air is getting $100 lopped off its price, and now starts at $400."

The Verge's Jacob Kastrenakes writes that the tablet will be offered in gold, silver, and gray beginning at $499 for a 16GB, Wi-Fi only model. Apple is also offering models with additional storage, selling 64GB for $599 and 128GB for $699. A version of the tablet with LTE is also available, with each model being sold at a $130 premium to the Wi-Fi version."

Check out the video review from Mashable, below. More after the video..... 



The iPad Air 2 has an exciting new camera, too. It's now got an 8 megapixel sensor with 1.12 micron pixels and a lens with an f2.4 aperture, reports The Verge.  "It's able to record 1080p video and slow-motion video, camera panoramas, take photos in burst mode or time lapse mode — all of which have been previously introduced on iPhones. The front camera has a new sensor too and a larger aperture of f2.2."

Another exciting new feature: The touch ID fingerprint sensor. It seems that it will allow authentication of your identity only for online purchasing and cannot be used in brick-and-mortar stores. It can also be used to lock your iPad Air 2, sign in to secure apps, approve purchases from iTunes, iBooks, and the App Store, and more.

Pre-orders for the iPad Air 2 begin tomorrow (October 17), and will begin shipping out next week.