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What’s in a name, especially one as evocative as “Air”?
To me, it means light, floating, a breeze, and the distinction matters.
The iPad Air branding on the rear of the iPad Air M2.
‘There is, though, one easy-to-miss design change.
On the back, right above the three Magic Keyboard smart connectors, is nothing.
That remarkable and sturdy tablet weighed 1.5 pounds.
The iPad Air branding on the rear of the iPad Air M2.
At the time, we lauded it for its sveltness.
It’s still that way on the MacBook side, but things have gotten fuzzier in the iPad space.
Since 2024, Apple’s iPad Air has no longer been the thinnest or lightest iPad.
Apple iPad Air M3 specs(Image credit: Apple)
That distinction goes to theM4 iPad Promodels.
Introduced in 2024, the iPad Pro 11-inch and iPad Pro 13-inch use the newTandem OLEDscreen technology.
Compare this to the new iPad Air with M3.
Apple iPad Pro M4 specs(Image credit: Apple)
The 11-inch model is 6.1 milimeters thick and weighs 1.01 pounds.
The 13-inch iPad Air is the same 6.1 milimeters thick, and weighs 1.36 pounds.
Will the real Air stand up?
Apple 11th gen iPad specs(Image credit: Apple)
There is nothing wrong with the previous or this new iPad Air lineup.
What about it, though, makes it ‘Air’-worthy?
There are other, more nuanced reasons, like getting near-M4 power and a far more affordable price.
After all, the iPad Pro starts at $999 for the 11-inch model.
The new iPad Air M3 starts at just $599.
