M2 iPad Air (11″) Review – You’ve never got to Youtube so fast

My frustration with my iPad Air 4 and the lackluster storage (64GB) had finally crossed the line of too much to bear to the point that I had decided it better to just outright replace it with a similar model. And after generously being invited to Scarborough with my good friend David I began the search. But frustratingly it was seeming that the cost of used iPads being shockingly high for both new models (ie iPad 10 (256GB) and Used (M1 iPad Pro 11”) being more than the one I actually had my eye on given my student status I was able to get my iPad Air 6 with a lower cost than even the 2021 iPad Pro in somewhat rough shape with failing biometrics. And so on July 11th I decided to visit the Local Apple Store and get myself a new iPad Air 6.

Specifically an M2 11” iPad Air 128G (Space Grey) Along with it I got a rather interesting Case from ESR and finally I got an Apple Pencil USB C with a gift card using a student discount just so I don’t need to juggle it between the Mini and the Air I am going to take a moment to speak on this pencil as it maybe a more interesting change VS the iPad itself but I will touch on that later

So if you have had an Apple Pencil 1 OR 2 in the past here are the differences

-The most obvious difference is the way that it charges now traditionally there is a wireless charging coil on the side of the pencil or a connector permanently fixed to the top of the pencil (1st gen only) this one has a singular type C port which stands somewhere in the middle IMO (If you don’t have the cable you maybe SOL but at the same time it is the most common, Along with this it now allows you to use it as its being charged far easier as it uses a far less proprietary cable that can be run directly from the iPad). On the other hand it is less readily available but also is far less likely to have the battery degrade from constant charge (It’s happened to me before).

-Tap on the Lock Screen for Notes. I genuinely love this feature however I tend to use this feature most often on my 6th Gen iPad Mini (Primarily because of the fact that it fits in my pocket and is my favorite notepad) But with the control center shortcut, the hot corner and not to mention the cost savings the trade off still feels worth it to me)

-Finally the last and the most notable trade off in my eyes double tap for tools (Mind you this was only featured on the pencil 2) However I feel the mention of this is greatly warranted because of the fact that it is a feature that I have build a muscle memory to so subconsciously. Where when I make a mistake writing even weeks later I am trying to tap the side to no avail. But for the infrequency of my use along with it being more or less a gift for buying an iPad I feel it is strong for casual users and especially those using the iPad 10 as it feel as if it is the logical successor to the Apple Pencil 1 rather than the Apple Pencil 2.

Now Back to the iPad.

I hope the Title was intriguing enough. But it is similar to how I feel. Apple’s Marketing is pushing that this is an Amazing iPad with a desktop class SOC but my issue is that my iPad is seldom used in the way I use my laptop or desktop. Now while it’s not a stretch to say I use my iPad to bridge the gap I am still feeling the gap was at least 79% Bridged with my previous iPad Air 4.​​ They put a rather heavy focus on the M2 Chip when in reality that was not even the 3rd most important spec I was after with this iPad and while no doubt it is a legitimately cool idea. To what avail is this extensively utilized? At least in my use case it isn’t entirely common for me to use it to the fullest. And it is not entirely for lack of trying it’s just a matter of what it can be used for not matching up with what I want to use it for. For example I attempted to create the cover photo for this very article on my iPad (Made in Adobe Photoshop CC) (Partially to test AI rendering on the iPad as well as to challenge myself. I wanted to see how Photoshop had enhanced since I got my iPad Air 3 and while it was better I ran into an issue while I would say about 82% of what I can do on my laptop was able to be done. However this is not all sunshine and roses as the photo may have suggested. Primarily the biggest slow down was partially the learning curve, but also the missing shortcut keys. I tend to use the keyboard more than the mouse with photoshop that I have built a muscle memory to (Since CS2 on Windows and CS6 on Mac) and it is the main reason I begrudgingly renew the terrible subscription with a company I hate with license terms I hate even more. And while it is better and more responsive than I recall I still wasn’t pleased with what the end result was and moved it to my Laptop to touch it up, But within that simple action it made me recall just why I still use an iPad. The original concept was when the inspiration struck. I was in bed and did not feel like getting up… But I was able to get a remarkable start just on the iPad alone like far more than I would have been able to do otherwise on my phone but the other thing that I love it for is as a media consumption device. I really do enjoy it as a Media consumption device and with the productivity of the new Stage Manager and the time tested 2-3 Window mode is still superior to me than anything else mobile. And this is still why I buy and keep an iPad around it fills such a unique void in between my phone and computer that it had become such a valuable tool to me where on my trip I had not needed my laptop at all on a week long trip away from my desk even with server management I was able to use my iPad to remote into it and install updated and run some management tasks. And to do this with a battery that is far greater than any other mobile device i’ve owned I will admit before I bought this I strongly considered an iPad 10 as I was sure this was going to chew through battery but in the end the worry was misplaced its battery is one of the strongest I’ve seen to this day. I have not had a battery this strong since my iPad 4, Not iPad Air 4 not iPad Mini 4 the iPad 4 (2012) and in turn I also have been bestowed with some next level performance. Now as I mentioned the iPad Air with the M2 is rather overkill for what the iPadOS is capable of however I have found an even cooler is that I am able to install VMs on the iPad and this had proven useful to run some Linux desktop applications on it and it had offered a next level of utility beyond what I would’ve expected for an iPad. Along with this I do feel obligated to mention that literally everything this iPad does I am all but certain that my old iPad was able to do as well however not as well. There are two specific specs that have made all the difference (not being the SOC) the ram and the storage ended up being the most vital. Toward the end of my time with the iPad Air 4 the storage had gotten so full that I could be doing something so little as writing a message and the apps would crash due to there being no room to write to swap. But not only did the extra storage assist me with this. The additional ram has caused my iPad to be infinitely more responsive than I had ever known. And given I loved my Air 4 and just wanted to correct the storage issue. I would say I am happier with my purchase and I am hoping that iPadOS 18 and the AI features can offer me an enhancement to allow me to take advantage of my M2 in my iPad.