 Tablets are for everything. They're for playing games, watching video, reading books and magazines, and all sorts of other stuff. They can even be used as drawing slates. And in spite of the outrage from tech nerds, many people actually use them as their primary cameras. Some people like to use tablets as their only computers. But for most of us, tablets are our secondary device. They complement our smartphones and laptops. A good tablet should be lightweight, fast, well built, have lots of apps available, and be easy to use. It should also easily last through a day of heavy use, or multiple days of lighter usage. If I can't use my tablet from the time I board a plane in New York to when it lands in San Francisco, it's failed. It should also have a strong ecosystem of accessories, cases, stands, styli, keyboards, and more that let me get even more use out of it. When everything is considered, it's clear that Apple's iPad Air 2 is the best tablet on the market. It's very well built, it's thinner than ever, it's lightweight, it has a fast processor, it has a battery that easily lasts for days, and it has a great high resolution screen. The screen is easy to look at for reading, but it's vibrant and colorful enough for videos to look great too. There's really little to complain about when it comes to the iPad Air 2's hardware. The Air 2 also benefits from the hundreds of thousands of iPad apps available on Apple's iTunes app store. Virtually every major app and service has iPad apps available, many of which take advantage of the Air 2's larger display. And iOS is one of the simplest and easiest to use mobile operating systems, so virtually anyone can pick up an iPad and quickly grasp how it works. There are countless accessories you can get for the iPad Air 2. You can get external keyboards, external speakers, stylized cases, and more. But the Air 2 really works great out of the box, so you shouldn't feel compelled to buy a ton of accessories. The Air 2 is pretty much everything you can want in a tablet, but if you're looking for something more portable, Apple does have another option for you. While the Air 2 is the best tablet for most people, the iPad Mini 2 offers many of the same features in a smaller size. It's smaller, 7.9 inches versus 9.7, and slightly lighter, making it easier to hold in one hand for reading. It's easier to slip into a bag or a big pocket and take it wherever you go. The Mini 2 is also significantly less expensive than Apple's flagship tablet. I find myself reading on trains and planes all the time, so it's actually the better option for me. It's not as versatile as the Air 2, but it's more portable, which is more important for my needs. You might notice that I'm not recommending the iPad Mini 3, which is actually a newer model. Between the Mini 2 and the Mini 3, the only differences are a touch ID fingerprint scanner and a gold color option. Everything else is exactly the same, which makes the Mini 3 not worth its price premium over the Mini 2. There are countless other tablets available, many of which aren't really worth your time or consideration. Samsung has dozens, literally dozens of tablets on store shelves, but they all suffer from the same software issues, which makes them confusing and frustrating to use. They are also very plastic and chintzy feeling compared to the iPad. Many have excellent displays, and some even come with smart pens for writing on those displays. But those features aren't enough to make up for the other shortcomings. Microsoft has been trying to figure out tablets for years, and its Surface Pro 3 is its best effort yet, but it's a much better desktop computer than an actual tablet. It's just too big and clumsy to be portable or comfortable to use for long periods of time. And while it can run lots of old Windows apps, there are still relatively few true tablet apps available to it. Google's new Nexus 9 is a valiant effort that's just simply overpriced for what it is. It's nearly the same cost as Apple's iPad Air 2, and actually the same price as last year's Air, but it lags behind in build quality, performance, and app selection. Most people are just better off buying the iPad. Amazon's Fire HDX is a nice tablet with a good design and a bright display, but it's hampered by a limited app selection. It's really tailor-made to present Amazon services and make it easy to purchase in the retail giant. You can actually get all of Amazon's services on the iPad and still be able to do a lot more. And that's really it. Tablets haven't really replaced the personal computer or laptop for most people, but they are great for reading, watching video, playing games, and even getting some work done. The iPad Air 2 does all of those things better than the rest, which makes it the best tablet you can get.
 Tablets are for everything.
 They're for playing games, watching video,
 reading books and magazines, and all sorts of other stuff.
 They can even be used as drawing slates.
 And in spite of the outrage from tech nerds,
 many people actually use them as their primary cameras.
 Some people like to use tablets as their only computers.
 But for most of us, tablets are our secondary device.
 They complement our smartphones and laptops.
 A good tablet should be lightweight, fast, well built,
 have lots of apps available, and be easy to use.
 It should also easily last through a day of heavy use,
 or multiple days of lighter usage.
 If I can't use my tablet from the time I board a plane
 in New York to when it lands in San Francisco, it's failed.
 It should also have a strong ecosystem of accessories,
 cases, stands, styli, keyboards, and more
 that let me get even more use out of it.
 When everything is considered, it's clear that Apple's
 iPad Air 2 is the best tablet on the market.
 It's very well built, it's thinner than ever,
 it's lightweight, it has a fast processor,
 it has a battery that easily lasts for days,
 and it has a great high resolution screen.
 The screen is easy to look at for reading,
 but it's vibrant and colorful enough
 for videos to look great too.
 There's really little to complain about
 when it comes to the iPad Air 2's hardware.
 The Air 2 also benefits from the hundreds of thousands
 of iPad apps available on Apple's iTunes app store.
 Virtually every major app and service has iPad apps
 available, many of which take advantage
 of the Air 2's larger display.
 And iOS is one of the simplest and easiest to use
 mobile operating systems, so virtually anyone can pick up
 an iPad and quickly grasp how it works.
 There are countless accessories you can get
 for the iPad Air 2.
 You can get external keyboards, external speakers,
 stylized cases, and more.
 But the Air 2 really works great out of the box,
 so you shouldn't feel compelled to buy a ton of accessories.
 The Air 2 is pretty much everything you can want
 in a tablet, but if you're looking for something
 more portable, Apple does have another option for you.
 While the Air 2 is the best tablet for most people,
 the iPad Mini 2 offers many of the same features
 in a smaller size.
 It's smaller, 7.9 inches versus 9.7, and slightly lighter,
 making it easier to hold in one hand for reading.
 It's easier to slip into a bag or a big pocket
 and take it wherever you go.
 The Mini 2 is also significantly less expensive
 than Apple's flagship tablet.
 I find myself reading on trains and planes all the time,
 so it's actually the better option for me.
 It's not as versatile as the Air 2, but it's more portable,
 which is more important for my needs.
 You might notice that I'm not recommending
 the iPad Mini 3, which is actually a newer model.
 Between the Mini 2 and the Mini 3,
 the only differences are a touch ID fingerprint scanner
 and a gold color option.
 Everything else is exactly the same,
 which makes the Mini 3 not worth its price premium
 over the Mini 2.
 There are countless other tablets available,
 many of which aren't really worth your time
 or consideration.
 Samsung has dozens, literally dozens of tablets
 on store shelves, but they all suffer
 from the same software issues,
 which makes them confusing and frustrating to use.
 They are also very plastic and chintzy feeling
 compared to the iPad.
 Many have excellent displays,
 and some even come with smart pens
 for writing on those displays.
 But those features aren't enough to make up
 for the other shortcomings.
 Microsoft has been trying to figure out tablets for years,
 and its Surface Pro 3 is its best effort yet,
 but it's a much better desktop computer
 than an actual tablet.
 It's just too big and clumsy to be portable
 or comfortable to use for long periods of time.
 And while it can run lots of old Windows apps,
 there are still relatively few true tablet apps
 available to it.
 Google's new Nexus 9 is a valiant effort
 that's just simply overpriced for what it is.
 It's nearly the same cost as Apple's iPad Air 2,
 and actually the same price as last year's Air,
 but it lags behind in build quality,
 performance, and app selection.
 Most people are just better off buying the iPad.
 Amazon's Fire HDX is a nice tablet with a good design
 and a bright display,
 but it's hampered by a limited app selection.
 It's really tailor-made to present Amazon services
 and make it easy to purchase in the retail giant.
 You can actually get all of Amazon's services on the iPad
 and still be able to do a lot more.
 And that's really it.
 Tablets haven't really replaced the personal computer
 or laptop for most people,
 but they are great for reading, watching video,
 playing games, and even getting some work done.
 The iPad Air 2 does all of those things
 better than the rest,
 which makes it the best tablet you can get.