The iPad Air 4 is The Best Computer I Have Ever Owned

The iPad Air 4 Is the Best Computer I Have Ever Owned

The dream of replacing my existing computer (a reliable MacBook Air from 2015) had been going strong since my original iPad, the iPad mini 2. Even five years ago, I and many others saw the potential of the iPad to be a full fledged contender in the personal computer department. In 2015, there were many obstacles to that becoming a reality though many people found ways around them. When I bought my iPad mini 2, it had not been with the hopes of replacing my laptop at the time but really to test running all the other day to day tasks that I wished my computer of the future to have such as media consumption.

Tablets in general are uniquely suited to replace computers, and here is why:

Let’s step back in time together only one hundred years ago. People who wrote had to have pen and paper. I do not know if you have used these tools recently, but the refresh rate is tremendous. Every stroke is registered immediately with no lag. Anyways, once the typewriter came around most serious writers be they award winning novelists, journalists, or whatever, had to make the switch. This changed the posture of the writer. No longer where they hunched over their work but sitting upright at a desk, eyes straight and fingers twitching. There were really only two choices when it came to writing: typing or pen.

I adore both, but the iPad I feel is the most comfortable in between of these two methods. My iPad Air 4 (256gb, sky blue, with the magic keyboard, if you want to know) fulfills my every need and then some. I can type at blazing fast speeds, and the Apple Pencil paired with the GoodNotes app has completely replaced my paper notebooks. Not only is everything backed up to iCloud, but many of my tools (such as Ulysses where I am writing this now) are password protected. Do you know how risky it is writing ideas on paper these days? Anyone could rifle through your thoughts and you would never know. Though a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, at this point in time I trust Apple’s security enough to recommend most people going this route.

For months (friends and family can confirm) I deliberated on which iPad to buy. It was a toss up to me between the iPad 8 (recently upgraded with the iPad Air’s 3 old processor) and the iPad Pro. Why not the Air 4? I felt that every time I considered the Air I always came away thinking that Apple had designed it just to push me to the pro. So for me, it was always either value with the iPad 8, or power with the pro. As the article says, in the end I overrode my gut instincts and chose the Air. Why? Well, to make a very nerdy article short, upon further in-shop inspection it was the best of both worlds.

Laminated and larger screen than the 8, USB-C, faster processor, and magic keyboard support where the biggest factors. I do also like how my Apple Pencil gen 2 magnetically attaches to the iPad. It’s a small thing but feels really quality to me.

All this to say, I do have some slight buyer remorse because I know that the iPad 8 would have suited all of my needs perfectly and been a lower price. If you are looking for a cheap laptop replacement that you can play some games and do some video editing on, there is no reason that the 8 will not serve you fine.