The iPad Air is the mid-range of the iPad line — more powerful than the entry-level "iPad" but typically lacking the latest-and-greatest features of the iPad Pro. Although the iPad Pro was last updated on March 18, 2020, the third generation of the iPad Air was announced a year earlier on March 18, 2019. That is a nice version of the iPad Air (my wife uses hers every day), but after 19 months, Apple decided it was time for an upgrade. And boy did the iPad Air get an upgrade. Yesterday, Apple held an online event in which it had lots of new announcements such as two new Apple Watch models, a new entry-level iPad, new services, and more. I'll be discussing these announcements in the coming days, but today I want to focus on one that will be of interest to many lawyers: the new fourth-generation iPad Air. It has a lot more in common with the current version of the 11" iPad Pro than it does the third-generation iPad Air that it replaces, and it will be a great device for many lawyers.
Screen
The physical size of the new iPad Air is virtually the same as both the 11" iPad Pro and the third-generation iPad Air: 9.74" x 7" x .24". And all three of those devices weigh a pound. I think of this as the traditional iPad size and shape. It isn't huge like the 12.9" iPad Pro. And it isn't small like the iPad mini.
Because of larger bezels, the third-generation iPad Air had a 10.5" (diagonal) display. The new iPad Air has a 10.9" display — almost as large as the 11" display on the iPad Pro. Like the iPad Pro, the new iPad Air has a Liquid Retina display — which is excellent, although not quite as good as the OLED display on the most expensive iPhones.
The new iPad Air isn't quite as bright as the iPad Pro (500 nits versus the iPad Air's 600 nits), and the iPad Air lacks the ProMotion technology that makes moving items on the iPad Pro screen seem even smoother. Thus, side-by-side, you will almost certainly be able to tell that the iPad Pro screen is better. But the iPad Air screen should still be so good that most people won't notice the difference in regular use.
Touch ID
The larger bezel on the third-generation iPad Air provided space for a home button with Touch ID. The iPad Pro uses a thinner bezel without a button to provide more screen, so it uses Face ID to unlock. The new iPad Air uses a third technology: a Touch ID fingerprint scanner built-in to the power button. Some Android phones already feature a fingerprint sensor in the power button, and my understanding is that people like them. Hopefully that means that Apple has a good solution here.
Indeed, every time I try to unlock my iPhone while I am wearing a mask, I wish that I had a fingerprint sensor on it somewhere. Hopefully, it will not be too much longer before we can safely return to a life without masks, but in the interim, I find myself somewhat jealous of devices that use Touch ID instead of Face ID.
Pencil
The Apple Pencil is a fantastic accessory for attorneys. You can annotate documents, take handwritten notes, and more. The prior iPad Air supported the original version of the Apple Pencil, but the new iPad Air now supports the second-generation Apple Pencil, which is a big improvement. It adds the ability to tap on the side to switch tools, a flat side that you can use to magnetically attach the Pencil to the iPad to charge it (and to stop the Pencil from rolling off a desk), and even more precision. Apple Pencil 2 compatibility used to be an important reason to splurge for an iPad Pro, but now you can get that same power with a mid-range iPad.
Performance
Apple's newest processor is the A14 Bionic, and the first device announced by Apple to use it is the new iPad Air. You cannot even buy an iPhone with an A14 yet, although I expect that to change within a few weeks. Apple says that this new processor will provide a huge leap in performance, and I'm sure that is true.
How will the A14 in a new iPad Air compare to the A12Z in the version of the 11" iPad Pro that came out earlier this year? That's a good question, and we should have an answer just as soon as folks gets these new devices in their hands. The A12Z has a few features that may make it better for some uses, such as some graphics, than the version of the A14 in the new iPad Air. Nevertheless, it wouldn't surprise me if tests reveals that the two devices have similar performance — or maybe the iPad Air will be better.
Accessories
I already mentioned the Apple Pencil 2, but the new iPad Air also works with another accessory that used to require an iPad Pro: the $299 Magic Keyboard for iPad. This is the new keyboard introduced earlier this year, which includes an excellent trackpad and uses magnets to let your iPad float above the keyboard. This Magic Keyboard is a little costly and a little heavy, but I've heard from many attorneys who really love this device for typing on their iPad. It is nice that you can now use this accessory without having to purchase an iPad Pro.
The new iPad Air also features a USB-C port on the side instead of a Lightning port, another feature that used to be unique to the iPad Pro. Apple moved to USB-C on the iPad Air in late 2018, and until now, the iPad Pro had been the only iPad/iPhone sold by Apple to use USB-C. After using USB-C for two years, I'm a big fan of the technology. It is easier to find USB-C accessories than it is to find Lightning accessories, and the port is just as small and useful as a Lightning port.
iPad Air versus iPad Pro
If you are an attorney looking to get an iPad, should you get an iPad Pro or the new iPad Air? If you want the larger screen of the 12.9" iPad Pro, then you will definitely want to get the iPad Pro. I love that larger screen for reading documents, and the extra space means that there is enough space to run two apps at once without being too cramped. Plus, the extra space is wonderful for taking handwritten notes, watching videos, viewing webpages — more is better.
But if you prefer a more traditional iPad size, then you need to compare the fourth-generation iPad Air with the second-generation iPad Pro 11". Although you can buy a 64 GB iPad Air for $599, I don't recommend that size for professional use because you are going to run out of space as you load it up with documents. But the 256 GB size is a great size, and at that size, you can get the iPad Pro for $899 or the iPad Air for $749. (If you want even more space — 512 GB or 1 TB — then you will need to get an iPad Pro.)
The additional $150 for the iPad Pro gets you a slightly better screen, an additional ultra wide angle camera that is compatible with portrait mode pictures along with a better flash, four speakers instead of two, and a LiDAR scanner which improves augmented reality. I suspect that none of those will make a big difference to most attorneys. And while I would normally think that any iPad Pro would be faster and more responsive than any iPad Air, with the new A14 processor in the iPad Air, I'm not so sure about that ... and we'll have more information when the new iPad Air becomes available in October. Plus, you get more color choices with the iPad Air. In addition to the silver and space gray available for the iPad Pro, the iPad Air is available in rose gold, green, and sky blue.
If you can wait a few weeks before you buy, let's see what the hands-on reviews say before you choose between these two devices. Nevertheless, at this point, I suspect that I will recommend that most folks wanting an iPad that is around 11" get the iPad Air for $150 less and use the savings to get a $129 Apple Pencil — unless you know that 256 GB won't be enough space for you. But I've been using a 256 GB iPad for a long time now, and while I sometimes have to delete some large items that are unnecessary to make space, such as a movie that I downloaded, 256 GB is big enough for me and I load lots and lots of things on my iPad. (I see that I currently have 10 GB free.)
The fourth-generation iPad Air will be available in October, and it looks fantastic. It is an iPad that a lot of lawyers will love, whether they are being productive with, or being entertained by, their new device.
