What is in a name, especially one as evocative as “air”? To me it means light, fluid, a play and the distinction matters. In the case of iPad, it always meant easier than the original, or at least it did. But Apple’s recent iPad releases have muddy the definition of ‘Air’, and now Apple has made a change to the latest iPad Air M3 (11-inch and 13-inch) that makes it clear that the “air” difference is likely to hear elsewhere.
There is not much difference between the iPad Air 2024 with the M2 chip and the new Apple iPad Air M3 11-inch and 13-inch models that were revealed today except for the more powerful M3 chip. The bit of Apple Silicon meets the iPad Air with overall faster performance and better intelligence features thanks to a super -charged neural processor that better supports Cupertino Tech Giant’s Apple Intelligence ambitions.
“However, it is easy to miss design change. On the back, just above the three Magic Keyboard Smart Connectors, is nothing. In this case, nothing is anything because I noticed the absence of two words, “iPad Air” that was on the back of the M2 iPad Air.
I don’t know why Apple removed these words and Apple doesn’t tell us, but that’s a remarkable change. Here’s why.
A question about weight
It’s been 15 years since Steve Jobs introduced us to the world “Post-PC” and revealed the first iPad. The remarkable and robust tablet weighs 1.5 pounds. At that time we praised it for its saintness.
Two years later, Apple unveiled the first iPad Air, a thin, 1 pound, glass and aluminum wandered. The product adopted the air name from the original MacBook Air, an ultra-thin 3-pound laptop, which in a special theater flowering pulled Steve Jobs from a Manila Convention.
Since then, all ‘air’ products have been reliably lighter and thinner than their base and even pro colleagues. It’s still so on the MacBook page, but things have become fuzzies in the iPad room.
Picture 1 of 3
Since 2024, Apple’s iPad Air has no longer been the thinnest or lightest iPad. This distinction goes to the M4 iPad Pro models. Introduced in 2024, the iPad Pro is using 11-inch and iPad Pro 13-inch the new Tandem OLED screen technology. This sandwich two OLED panels for better colors and deeper blacks, while also eliminating the need for a backlight, making the 5.3-milimeter thickness possible. The 11-inch model weighs just below a pound (0.98 pounds), while the 13-inch Pro weighs £ 1.28.
Compare this to the new iPad Air with M3. The 11-inch model is 6.1 millimeters thick and weighs 1.01 pounds. The 13-inch iPad Air is the same 6.1 millimeters thick and weighs £ 1.36. The iPad Air is still 0.9 millimeters thinner than base iPad (which also got an update this week) and 17 grams heavier.
These are not big differences, but it is also clear that until Apple brings the tandem OLED technology to the iPad Air lineup, the tablet will still use an LCD-based liquid retina screen that requires a backlight, which of course makes it thicker than the iPad Pro.
Will the right air get up?
There is nothing wrong with the previous or this new iPad Air setup. M3 I have previously experienced in MacBook Air, is an excellent chip and offers ample support for Pro-level video and audio editing, AAA games and of course Apple Intelligence.
What about that, though, makes it ‘air’ worth? Without admitting it directly, Apple has given us a clue that maybe the ‘air’ name means less than we thought. Taking the label from this new model is a non-salt for subtle way of saying that the term does not mean what it used to do.
Choosing which iPad is right for you will no longer be, “Obviously I want the light and thin air model.” There are other, more nuanced reasons, such as getting almost 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. It’s not the thinnest or lightest iPad you can get more, but the balance between price, performance and pencil support support and the new magic keyboard may be enough – at least until Apple is ready for iPad air to regain the thin and light crown.
