Apple’s iPad Air M3 is touted as the ‘iPad for most people’, and it’s being offered for just $499 shipped today, originally $599. Why? It strikes a sweet spot between performance, features, and price in Apple’s tablet lineup. Product page.
- WHY IPAD AIR — iPad Air is powerful, versatile, and comes in a choice of two sizes. Featuring the incredible performance of the M3 chip built for...
- APPLE INTELLIGENCE — Apple Intelligence is the personal intelligence system that helps you write, express yourself, and get things done...
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — M3 is a powerful chip built for Apple Intelligence that brings amazing performance for advanced creative and product...
The M3 chip delivers laptop-level performance, handling everything from casual tasks like streaming and browsing to demanding ones like photo/video editing, gaming, and multitasking with pro-level apps (like Procreate, Adobe Lightroom, etc.). It’s 15-20% quicker than the M2 in the older Air and a lot stronger than the A16 chip in the basic iPad, making it great for students, artists, and professionals without needing the more expensive M4 iPad Pro.
This chip also works with Apple Intelligence (AI tools like summarizing text and editing photos), which the basic iPad’s A16 can’t do. With 8GB of RAM and Apple’s 7+ years of software updates, it’s built to last for most people, unlike the basic iPad, which skips some features like Stage Manager.
I was tired of carrying around the heavier 12.9” 2015 iPad Pro and this iPad with the 11” screen is very clear and much lighter. I also really like the speed of the m3 chip and the AI writing tools that come with it. I use this daily for reading books,email, typing/writing and many more daily activities. I was concerned that the screen was too small but it is so clear and bright I am amazed and the size is perfect for my needs. The battery life is great and even using it on a brighter setting it lasts more than a day,” said one reviewer.
