iPad Air

[mogandave]

Just went on sale in the US. 2-4 days to ship.

[stoli]

Very informative post.

[mogandave]

Thanks for the great responce!

[thaicbr]

Just saw on facebook that they arrived at MSN telegroup. MBK.

Sent from my phone with the app thingy.

[muratremix]

No need to wait. I bought from Aobmobile.net

I paid 16,700 baht for 16Gb wifi, which is 16,500 in Thailand when sold officially.

Imported from Hong Kong and they let you inspect it before you buy (can check dead pixels).

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Bought one last Saturday in the US.

To add some information, my thoughts:

This is the first iPad I have owned. So far they always seemed too big and heavy for me. It's funny because I see review after review on Youtube from various tech sites and they all go "OMG it's so light!!!". Well, sorry. It's been years since I last even held an iPad of any kind, and picking up the Air it felt... 'Okay'. Perhaps with more exposure to previous models I might also find it light (it's all relative) but the weight seems reasonable.

Same for the size: It's the first full size iPad considered owning.

I also use a 7" Android tablet and that's of course much better as a mobile device, plus I like Android better. There is no arguing however that the full size iPad is a much better 'Family Device' to have around the house for the kids and the Mrs. (Also women don't mind carrying all kinds of stuff around in their purse, so there you go.)

Then: the camera. Again here I differ from ALL tech site reviews that all go "Well there's somewhat of a camera but what kind of idiot would actually use a camera on a tablet, that looks so retarded.". Well, I do. And I'm actually pleasantly surprised. I know it's not the latest and greatest at 5MP, but there is lots of raw processing grunt behind it so you get perfectly fine pictures when lighting is adequate, and reasonably stable video. Picture included for reference.

In hindsight I should have switched HDR on for that second picture to get better definition in the shaded parts, but it still came out okay.

Video is just fine too; should be great for basic home videos as long as there is enough light. It does some (software based) stabilization, and if you take a little care you can produce acceptable 1080p home videos. Editing software (free download) is also very good.

Another thing that's better than my (Samsung) Android device: WiFi signal reception is much better, and battery life is very good too. I'm also highly impressed with the sound quality that the tiny speakers produce, though they put both speakers on the bottom in portrait mode, which means that for (landscape) games, all the sound comes out on one end, often with your hands blocking it. I guess I could use headphones.

Needless to say iOS7 just works very smooth. And games are stunning. Just downloaded Asphalt 8 which actually had me smiling playing it.

In short this is the best personal computing device EVER made. It won't sway me away from Android as my personal device that I carry everywhere, but as a family device around the house it is epic.

Final tip: if anyone buys it in the US but you don't have a US based credit card then I would recommend to buy some Apple App Store credit (minimum $15). That will allow you to register an Apple ID based in the US, meaning you get the US app store, not the Thai one. With the Thai store you don't get certain apps, and things like recommendations, Top App Lists and reviews tend to be localized to Thailand.

Edited November 5, 2013 by WinnieTheKhwai

[JaiLai]

Thanks for the report, very helpful

[mindo]

No need to wait. I bought from Aobmobile.net

I paid 16,700 baht for 16Gb wifi, which is 16,500 in Thailand when sold officially.

Imported from Hong Kong and they let you inspect it before you buy (can check dead pixels).

Can you kindly verify the aobmobile.net again because i google it and it is shown internet traffic website. I want to order from them too

[attrayant]

http://aobmobile.net/wc/?cat=13

I don't read Thai but if you scroll down you'll see:

iPad Air WiFi (Gray/Silver) เครื่องฮ่องกง
16GB =16,100/16,100
32GB =19,300/19,100
64GB =22,400/22,400
128GB =25,400/25,400

[Somtamnication]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2492189/iPad-Air-EXPLODES-leading-mobile-phone-shop-evacuation.html