I wanted a tablet that would be light and easy to navigate. After numerous trips to stores to compare ease of use of all manner of brands I kept coming back to the Apple as it is so clear and user friendly.
What's on offer with this tablet?...
As weight was a deciding factor I can tell you that this good sized tablet weighs less than a kilo, whilst feeling strong and durable and looking attractive.
I was attracted to this model as it has the retina display which is even clearer and has a good sized screen without too much bevel -- 9.7".
Another attractive and necessary feature was ultra fast wireless connection and that is what I got.
Access to over 450,000 applications and access to email, internet, cloud storage -- including Amazon's Kindle and music.
Camera is 5MP auto focus and there is video facility as you would expect.
The list of technicalities goes on and I would direct you to the Apple website to take full advantage of all of that over there. I've just included what tempted me in and what was important to me at this time.
What's it like to use?...
I'd had a good play on the demo's in the Apple Store so had a good idea what to expect from this tablet. First things first -- minimal packaging that is well designed and aesthetically pleasing. Price wise this is a rather more expensive piece of kit compared with alternatives but Asda had a good offer on that my husband took advantage of when he gifted me with this.
Setting up is pretty similar to setting up the Kindle Paperwhite. You choose language and input your wireless key code and you are plain sailing from there on in. Charging is very fast. First charge was fast and subsequent charging up is impressively quick -- half an hour and all is good to go.
I'm really happy with the weight and feel of the tablet in my hands, though I was happier when I got my Tuff luv case as it can be a wee bit slippery and is ultra thin. I like that my cover protects the screen when it is off too. The tablet has a sleep function which is really handy and doesn't deplete the battery, also there is an easy swipe across the screen function that switches off completely.
There are few buttons to the side. The side ones are for volume and rotation lock, whilst the top button will switch on/off and wakes the tablet up. On the front of the tablet to the bottom centre is the the home button. I like that the rest of the functioning is touch screen -- nice smooth feel to this and the images are sharp as you would expect from the retina display.
Built in speakers provide impressive sound and the slot for the usb charger is discreet and easy to access.
I use the tablet mostly for accessing email and browsing the internet -- this is very easy to navigate and fast. I have used the tablet when in all rooms of the house and also when two laptops have been in use and the connectivity is superb.
When accessing video playback or movies the images are crystal clear and the sound is very impressive for such a slender unit. I've not had any issues with connectivity or crashes up to now.
Battery life seems to be very good, it depends on what you are doing and how often you access the tablet throughout the day but from my initial usage for internet access and playing music with some use of the camera I'm having a good few hours per day for up to five days before needing to charge up. I like that you get a charger with this, I had to buy one for my Kindle.
I have been impressed with the applications that are on offer from the Apple store. It is very easy to navigate and obvious which are free and which payable. It is fast at downloading the applications and I have yet to be disappointed with lack of choice. I was particularly impressed with the fact that I can download and access my Kindle books (done automatically) to my iPad Air -- this allows me to continue reading from where I was up to on my Kindle. It's super that I can access my music from Amazon Cloud too.
I see that the operating system is the very impressive iOS 7. This allows for multitasking with ease and also offers access to Siri, Air Drop, Air Play and Air Print. I've not used all of the facilities yet but every day I find something else that impresses me.
I wondered what it would be like to use the tablet when I was used to using computer or laptop. I've been really impressed with what I can do and the speed that I can do it. The display is notably clearer and sharper -- images are a treat to look at, so rich and clear. Speed is very impressive and I can happily compose short messages or posts but I'd have to get a keyboard for lengthier tasks.
I like that I can put my earphones into the tablet and also connect to speakers to access my library of music. It feels like I have everything all in one place. I have writing applications on there too.
What's on offer with this tablet?...
As weight was a deciding factor I can tell you that this good sized tablet weighs less than a kilo, whilst feeling strong and durable and looking attractive.
I was attracted to this model as it has the retina display which is even clearer and has a good sized screen without too much bevel -- 9.7".
Another attractive and necessary feature was ultra fast wireless connection and that is what I got.
Access to over 450,000 applications and access to email, internet, cloud storage -- including Amazon's Kindle and music.
Camera is 5MP auto focus and there is video facility as you would expect.
The list of technicalities goes on and I would direct you to the Apple website to take full advantage of all of that over there. I've just included what tempted me in and what was important to me at this time.
What's it like to use?...
I'd had a good play on the demo's in the Apple Store so had a good idea what to expect from this tablet. First things first -- minimal packaging that is well designed and aesthetically pleasing. Price wise this is a rather more expensive piece of kit compared with alternatives but Asda had a good offer on that my husband took advantage of when he gifted me with this.
Setting up is pretty similar to setting up the Kindle Paperwhite. You choose language and input your wireless key code and you are plain sailing from there on in. Charging is very fast. First charge was fast and subsequent charging up is impressively quick -- half an hour and all is good to go.
I'm really happy with the weight and feel of the tablet in my hands, though I was happier when I got my Tuff luv case as it can be a wee bit slippery and is ultra thin. I like that my cover protects the screen when it is off too. The tablet has a sleep function which is really handy and doesn't deplete the battery, also there is an easy swipe across the screen function that switches off completely.
There are few buttons to the side. The side ones are for volume and rotation lock, whilst the top button will switch on/off and wakes the tablet up. On the front of the tablet to the bottom centre is the the home button. I like that the rest of the functioning is touch screen -- nice smooth feel to this and the images are sharp as you would expect from the retina display.
Built in speakers provide impressive sound and the slot for the usb charger is discreet and easy to access.
I use the tablet mostly for accessing email and browsing the internet -- this is very easy to navigate and fast. I have used the tablet when in all rooms of the house and also when two laptops have been in use and the connectivity is superb.
When accessing video playback or movies the images are crystal clear and the sound is very impressive for such a slender unit. I've not had any issues with connectivity or crashes up to now.
Battery life seems to be very good, it depends on what you are doing and how often you access the tablet throughout the day but from my initial usage for internet access and playing music with some use of the camera I'm having a good few hours per day for up to five days before needing to charge up. I like that you get a charger with this, I had to buy one for my Kindle.
I have been impressed with the applications that are on offer from the Apple store. It is very easy to navigate and obvious which are free and which payable. It is fast at downloading the applications and I have yet to be disappointed with lack of choice. I was particularly impressed with the fact that I can download and access my Kindle books (done automatically) to my iPad Air -- this allows me to continue reading from where I was up to on my Kindle. It's super that I can access my music from Amazon Cloud too.
I see that the operating system is the very impressive iOS 7. This allows for multitasking with ease and also offers access to Siri, Air Drop, Air Play and Air Print. I've not used all of the facilities yet but every day I find something else that impresses me.
I wondered what it would be like to use the tablet when I was used to using computer or laptop. I've been really impressed with what I can do and the speed that I can do it. The display is notably clearer and sharper -- images are a treat to look at, so rich and clear. Speed is very impressive and I can happily compose short messages or posts but I'd have to get a keyboard for lengthier tasks.
I like that I can put my earphones into the tablet and also connect to speakers to access my library of music. It feels like I have everything all in one place. I have writing applications on there too.
