steps up the tablet game and brings computing power and functionality to another level. The device that ushered in the post-PC era four years ago now seems well positioned to continue to put a dent in the PC market while continuing to dominate the tablet space.

Remember when the original iPad debuted in the hands of Steve Jobs, and he bold-facedly called it an incredibly thin and light device? Imagine what he'd say if he could see what his 9.7-inch roll-of-the-dice became just five short years later. Behold: the iPad Air. You've come a long way, baby.

Our hands-on impressions of Apple's next-generation iPad Air tablet computer

Apple iPad Air is a 9.7 inch fifth generation tablet featuring latest iOS 7 OS and A7 chip with 64-bit architecture and M7 motion coprocessor. It is available for price tag of $499 for 16GB model.

When Apple first introduced the MacBook Air, the world looked on in amazement. What kind of sorcery was this? How could Apple squeeze a 13-inch laptop into a case so remarkably slim and sleek? But now we're spoiled.

Unmatched build quality. UNparalelled customer satisfaction.

It's been tempting lately to conclude that Apple doesn't have it anymore, and tablets in particular is where Cupertino does need to silence the prophets of doom and gloom after an iPad 4 that was more like a 3.1 and a mini that should've had a retina display.

9.7" LED-backlit IPS LCD touchscreen, 1536 x 2048 pixels, ~ 264 ppi; scratch-resistant, oleophobic coating, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity with MIMO dual antennas, LTE connectivity (data only, GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS support (for the Cellular model only, Dual-core A7 64-bit 1.3 GHz Cyclone...

Non expandable memory; Price of storage climbs steeply; and storage is largely overpriced; Tied into iTunes for uploading most of the content; iOS 7 could've made better use of the bigger screen; No standard USB port; No GPS receiver in the Wi-Fi-only version

Just as the original MacBook Air redefined laptop design, Apple is hoping to do the same thing for tablets with the iPad Air. This 1-pound slate attempts to combine a big-screen experience with a design so compact you can easily use it with one hand.

I am still learning all the ins and outs of my I Pad. I am very pleased with all the extras that came with it. I love shopping on HSN.