The arrival of its mini brother has meant that the iPad maxi lost some of its headline billing - but Apple has taken the bigger tablet back to the drawing board, given it a fresh new name - iPad Air - and is hoping to prove that not everyone wants to give up on a bigger screen.
As well as improvements to its innards, in a new A7 chip and camera upgrades, the decrease in thickness and weight in the new iPad Air is very welcome, making what could have been an incremental upgrade hugely significant. The iPad Air weighs in at just 1lb (or 453g) and 7.5mm thick - a significant step up from its predecessor, and in the hand that difference is genuinely startling. The fourth incarnation of the iPad came quickly after the third - both announced last year, which may well have lessened the impact (especially given the rowdy newcomer it was announced alongside). This time around, the iPad Air is looking to make a splash and to that end we get refreshed innards that take this a big step towards being a fully-functioning PC with the integration of Apples latest physical technology.
Chipping it in
Under the hood, the iPad 5 has the 64-bit architecture of the A7 chip that debuted in the flagship iPhone 5S, but as a bigger device that power is even more important here, described by Phil Schiller on stage as screamingly fast The gap between tablets and laptops has not just narrowed but all but disappeared, and the advancements made by Apple in this area are key to its success. Also improved are the cameras - bringing a HD Facetime camera (ie the front one) and a 5MP, 1080p rear camera. Dont use the rear one, though. Seriously. Dont be that person. The cameras appeared to function pretty well in the low light of the hands-on room, but we need to get it out into the wild to give you a proper opinion.
They are certainly an improvement on the iPad 4, but beyond that its really too early to say. Although it doesnt matter as you shouldnt use the rear one. Have we mentioned that?
Past wins
Sometimes in the wash of new technology its easy to forget what the iPad already brings so its important to note that the arrival of iOS 7 just a few weeks ago have made significant improvements to the iPad universe already, bringing a welcome step away from skeuomorphism and a more modern and fresh design. And that Retina screen that has been wowing us from last year is still present and correct - and, as you would expect from a tablet - central to everything that is great about the iPad. The display is crisp and colourful, meaning that photographs are vibrant and sharp, web surfing is clear and easy and watching films is a joy. Theres no Touch ID - which is a surprise given that its quickly become a nice feature of the iPhone 5S and the A7 chip can handle it - but its not by any means critical, and well merrily take the reduction in size and weight. As you would expect with this level of power, the apps run superbly and we were flicking in and out of things like the App Store and iWorks apps without any sign of slowdown or hesitance. For many 64-bit architecture on an iPhone was unnecessary but, when it comes to the iPad, the extra oomph is a real joy, and were hoping that developers can take real advantage of the step up.
More than a name
The iPad Air is much, much more than just a name change - the reduction in the size and weight of the device improve it on a fundamental level. The biggest criticism you could level at the iPad 4 was its size and weight, and the Airs biggest difference is that its simply more of a pleasure to hold. Its now down to less than the Sony Xperia Tablet Z, and we were amazed at how easy that was to hold - but Apple has taken things to another level now. The innards and the other improvements are nice, incremental of course, but all make for a fine device.
A big step for Apples next generation of mini tablet
The new iPad mini has arrived, bringing with it a host of key changes which could well keep it at the top of the tree in the world of smaller tablets, and the big and expected news is the inclusion of the much-desired Retina display.
A much-improved screen, a huge step up in processing power (hello A7, glad to see you could join us) and connectivity, and improvements to the camera make the iPad mini 2 with Retina a hugely improved tablet on the original.
And it needed to be; Apples latest is going up against some heavy hitters in the shape of the Android-toting new Google Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HDX which are both cheaper and much improved. When the original iPad mini poked its smaller and lighter head over Apples parapet there was widespread surprise that it did not bring Apples much-vaunted Retina display. The companys bullish stance that the mini did not NEED the "resolutionary" feature brought inevitable cynicism from journalists (including us) who suggested that this argument would dissipate by the time the new iPad mini arrived. But that did not stop the original wowing the critics, including TechRadars own Gareth Beavis who awarded 4.5 stars in his iPad mini review and handed it the much-desired top spot in our Best Tablets in the World list.
Clearer than ever
Inevitably, Retina has indeed now made its way to the new iPad mini, and that makes perhaps the most obvious difference to the tablet. Retina has always held the power to impress, making the likes of the iPhone 4 a fundamentally improved handset and the arrival of the technology for the updated iPad mini is a key moment for the device. For photographers, aesthetes or merely those that like their display as crisp and clear as possible the arrival of retina is hugely important. We already loved the iPad mini but it always seemed like it was in a holding pattern waiting for a better screen, and lo and behold the new iPad mini has become a truly beautiful device, still portable, still well proportioned but now boasting a screen that is fantastic.
And it genuinely is a fundamental change for this device. Our time with the iPad mini was enough to convince us that we were right to be upset at no Retina display on the original, because its as stunning as expected on its successor. You might imagine that the improved display comes at a cost, just as its big brothers move to Retina did, adding bulk and heft to incorporate the technology and battery that could deal with the "resolutionary" screen.
But in practical hands on terms the difference is negligible, and in our time with the new iPad mini we did not find the changes made it any less portable or uncomfortable to use. Its also important to note that a fantastic high resolution screen is no longer the domain of just Apple. The Android-toting Nexus 7 2013, for instance, has won huge praise for its 1920 x 1200 screen with a staggering 323 pixels per inch, so the iPad mini simply had to see an improvement in this iteration, and Apple has provided one.
Camera
There werent a lot of differences to talk up with the iPad mini 2, with a 5MP iSight camera and backside illumination the big features once again. For the larger iPad the use of the camera is pretty divisive - and we have to confess were not the biggest fans of using a big tablet to capture moments despite it becoming a common sight. On the new Apple mini this is obviously less of an issue although many will feel self conscious at using a tablet as a primary camera. The photos that we took in our time with the iPad mini were obviously in less than ideal conditions and yet were still pretty good.
This isnt going to (nor should it) replace your primary camera, but for every-day quick snaps its a step up from the original iPad mini and perfectly acceptable. In our full review well be able to do better tests in a mix of conditions, but its certainly an improvement. While Apple hasnt fundamentally changed the design here, its still a decent enough snapper, and if youre so inclined to take pictures with a tablet.
Faster, better, etc.
The addition of the improved screen obviously makes the better camera much more satisfying, mainly because you can really see the quality (or not) of your efforts. The arrival of the A7 for the iPad mini was always likely and it should be made clear that the latest Apple chips appearance in the second iteration of the smaller slate is a massive step up, as well as helping make that screen all the better.
The original iPad mini came with the A5 chip and 512 MB RAM found in the iPad 2 - which was effectively scaled down to become the new form factor, so it was always likely that Apple would seek to update its little slate to a level where it can compete with its peers. The jump to an A7 chip makes the mini a seriously powerful device - a tablet that packs a real punch under its sleek hood - bringing 64-bit architecture and taking the iPad a step closer to the power of a laptop. In real terms, the faster processor will make a big difference to the performance and battery life and for people upgrading from the original, it should be an immediate and visible boost to the way in which the mini handles. In our time with the device it was blasting in and out of apps quickly and efficiently with no discernible problems and, thankfully, even the access to the App Store was speedy.
Faster, new camera and a fancy fingerprint reader. But is it enough of an upgrade?
The new iPhone 5S is a solid upgrade of the iPhone 5, but with a few key changes: the processor is more advanced than ever, the camera has been upgraded and most importantly: theres a fingerprint sensor. On top of that theres the added bonus of a faster GPU (to help power all those teeny tiny pixels rolling around and changing colour in the display) as well as an uprated power pack to keep things moving. And, as expected, the iPhone 5S is the poster boy for iOS 7, with the new display offering the best look yet at the new flatter, sleeker operating system from Apple. In our plays with the beta version of the OS, some elements were noticeably slow or jumpy (although this was very much because we werent on final software) but with the iPhone 5S everything just flows around as smoothly as possible. The design of the iPhone 5S isnt a great leap forward, with the chassis remaining largely the same as the iPhone 5 in keeping with Apples tradition of using the core model as the base for the sequel, before releasing a true evolution next year.
Even though we knew this was coming, we cant say that we arent a little disappointed as the rumours around the iPhone 6 hint at a dramatic redesign of the device as well as a new material type to make it feel even better in the hand.
There are three colours to choose from, with silver, gold and space grey coming in to give another option to consumers looking to mark themselves out in the iPhone game, especially at the sharp end. If youre after colour, then the iPhone 5C is your friend - that thing comes in five different options, with cases that you can stick on top too. The design of the iPhone 5S is, as we said, pretty similar to what weve seen before, so colour aside youd struggle to see if someone is packing a new or old version of the phone with the larger screen. But lets forget about all the stuff we expected and focus more on the fact that theres a fingerprint sensor in there now - were talking about biometrics that actually work with a phone. The premise is simple: you turn on the phone using the home or power button, hold your finger down on the round key and youre into the phone. Its incredibly fast, very slick and makes you feel like you dont have a passcode on there at all.
Apple hasnt just made this a one-trick pony though, as when setting up the sensor youre asked to guide your finger on and off the button in a variety of ways - this means that no matter how you jab at the home key to unlock the iPhone 5S will be able to react correctly. In our tests this worked incredibly well - Apple really has cracked the first step in biometrics on a phone, and when you compare it to Androids Face Unlock, its worlds apart, and shows the power when a phone company doesnt have to rely on such a wide spread of hardware. Granted, its only on the iPhone 5S - so an update from Android should enable the tech in phones like the Galaxy S5 and HTC One Max. But the big question in the mind of many reading this is Should I got for the iPhone 5S or get the cheaper iPhone 5?. Well, if youre looking to get what will likely be one of the best handsets on the market as well as future-proofing yourself (although youll probably upgrade your phone before Apple ceases support for iOS on the iPhone 5S) then the newer model will please you no end.
However, the iPhone 5 still comes with all the bells and whistles needed to make iOS 7 run smoothly, as well as packing a decent enough camera and screen to excite enough users, who will also get the benefit of a few dollarpounds off the monthly cost of their new device.
