 This is Neelai with the Verge, and this is the iPad Air 2. There's not very much to say about the iPad Air 2, but that's because there's not very much of it. The only noticeable design change on the iPad Air 2 is the removal of the side switch, which makes it slightly harder to either lock rotation or mute the volume. It's 18% thinner and weighs less than a pound. It's kind of like holding a screen and nothing else. That screen is actually the biggest and best change in the new iPad Air 2. The previous iPads had an air gap between the display and the cover glass, but the new Air 2 has a laminated display like every iPhone since the iPhone 4. That laminated display is a big reason the new iPad is so much thinner, but most importantly, it looks gorgeous. It's like you're touching the pixels directly. I did notice that the screen seems a little bit pinker than my older Air, but only when I really held them side by side or pretty much off axis. Otherwise, the whole display just looks great. Apple says that a new anti-reflective coating reduces glare by 56%, but to be honest, I didn't notice it at all. It's a little bit better if you look for it, but you still can't really use the Air 2 outside in bright sunlight. The other big change to the iPad Air 2 is the back camera, which is now an 8-megapixel sensor up from 5. Like it or not, people love to use their iPads as cameras, and Apple is really excited about it. The photos themselves aren't quite as good as the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, particularly in low light, but they're certainly on par with older iPhones and most other smartphones. I'm never going to be a tablet photographer, but I'm curious to see how app developers use this new camera. Maybe they'll change my mind. The Air 2 also has Apple's Touch ID sensor, which works just like you'd expect. Which is to say, seamlessly. You can unlock the iPad and pay for things in apps that use Apple Pay, but it's not so much of an upgrade that it's worth getting a whole new iPad for it. Keep in mind that your fingerprints don't transfer between devices, so you have to set up Touch ID from scratch, even if you've already set it up on your iPhone. Inside, the new Air has an A8X chip, the same chip as the iPhone 6, but with beefed up graphics. It's fast. Really fast. I never noticed any slowdowns, and games ran just fine, especially newer games that take advantage of iOS 8. And there's no real tradeoff between power and battery life. My review unit ran all weekend without a charge. It would also be nice if Apple took advantage of the iPad's increased power and bigger screen in a more useful way. There's nothing about iOS 8 on the iPad that really changes the experience of using the tablet. It's a little bit easier to switch from phone to tablet to laptop, with features like continuity and handoff that let you seamlessly move between apps and devices, but using the iPad itself is still mostly the same. I still wouldn't pick an iPad to be my only computer over a laptop, and I definitely wouldn't leave the house with an iPad instead of my phone. The new Air 2 is a much more powerful computer than the laptop I had just a couple years ago, but even something as simple as browsing the web isn't as full-featured or flexible. And sharing an iPad with multiple people and a family is still a clunky experience, because iOS 8 doesn't support multiple users. The iPad is Apple's most shareable computer, and the iPad Air 2 is so thin and friendly that it just begs to be passed around, but everything about iOS 8 feels like it belongs to just one person. It's a huge opportunity that Apple's just leaving on the table. And that's really the story of the iPad Air 2. It's very much the best iPad ever made, but Apple's leaving so much left undone. These are all iterative updates. There's no must-have reason to upgrade if you already have an iPad you're happy with. Holding an iPad Air 2 feels like the future. It's so thin and light it's almost impossible. But Apple has to push harder against the limits of what's possible with an iPad if it wants to finish the tablet revolution it started.
 This is Neelai with the Verge, and this is the iPad Air 2.
 There's not very much to say about the iPad Air 2, but that's because there's not very
 much of it.
 The only noticeable design change on the iPad Air 2 is the removal of the side switch, which
 makes it slightly harder to either lock rotation or mute the volume.
 It's 18% thinner and weighs less than a pound.
 It's kind of like holding a screen and nothing else.
 That screen is actually the biggest and best change in the new iPad Air 2.
 The previous iPads had an air gap between the display and the cover glass, but the new
 Air 2 has a laminated display like every iPhone since the iPhone 4.
 That laminated display is a big reason the new iPad is so much thinner, but most importantly,
 it looks gorgeous.
 It's like you're touching the pixels directly.
 I did notice that the screen seems a little bit pinker than my older Air, but only when
 I really held them side by side or pretty much off axis.
 Otherwise, the whole display just looks great.
 Apple says that a new anti-reflective coating reduces glare by 56%, but to be honest, I
 didn't notice it at all.
 It's a little bit better if you look for it, but you still can't really use the Air
 2 outside in bright sunlight.
 The other big change to the iPad Air 2 is the back camera, which is now an 8-megapixel
 sensor up from 5.
 Like it or not, people love to use their iPads as cameras, and Apple is really excited about
 it.
 The photos themselves aren't quite as good as the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, particularly in
 low light, but they're certainly on par with older iPhones and most other smartphones.
 I'm never going to be a tablet photographer, but I'm curious to see how app developers
 use this new camera.
 Maybe they'll change my mind.
 The Air 2 also has Apple's Touch ID sensor, which works just like you'd expect.
 Which is to say, seamlessly.
 You can unlock the iPad and pay for things in apps that use Apple Pay, but it's not
 so much of an upgrade that it's worth getting a whole new iPad for it.
 Keep in mind that your fingerprints don't transfer between devices, so you have to set
 up Touch ID from scratch, even if you've already set it up on your iPhone.
 Inside, the new Air has an A8X chip, the same chip as the iPhone 6, but with beefed up graphics.
 It's fast.
 Really fast.
 I never noticed any slowdowns, and games ran just fine, especially newer games that take
 advantage of iOS 8.
 And there's no real tradeoff between power and battery life.
 My review unit ran all weekend without a charge.
 It would also be nice if Apple took advantage of the iPad's increased power and bigger
 screen in a more useful way.
 There's nothing about iOS 8 on the iPad that really changes the experience of using the
 tablet.
 It's a little bit easier to switch from phone to tablet to laptop, with features like continuity
 and handoff that let you seamlessly move between apps and devices, but using the iPad itself
 is still mostly the same.
 I still wouldn't pick an iPad to be my only computer over a laptop, and I definitely wouldn't
 leave the house with an iPad instead of my phone.
 The new Air 2 is a much more powerful computer than the laptop I had just a couple years
 ago, but even something as simple as browsing the web isn't as full-featured or flexible.
 And sharing an iPad with multiple people and a family is still a clunky experience, because
 iOS 8 doesn't support multiple users.
 The iPad is Apple's most shareable computer, and the iPad Air 2 is so thin and friendly
 that it just begs to be passed around, but everything about iOS 8 feels like it belongs
 to just one person.
 It's a huge opportunity that Apple's just leaving on the table.
 And that's really the story of the iPad Air 2.
 It's very much the best iPad ever made, but Apple's leaving so much left undone.
 These are all iterative updates.
 There's no must-have reason to upgrade if you already have an iPad you're happy with.
 Holding an iPad Air 2 feels like the future.
 It's so thin and light it's almost impossible.
 But Apple has to push harder against the limits of what's possible with an iPad if it wants
 to finish the tablet revolution it started.