As the fifth release in the iPad lineup, many reviewers are noting that this is the best tablet to date. Nate Lanxon to Wired UK thinks that it "feels like a milestone" and Jay Yarow of Business Insider said the iPad Air is "the best iPad Apple has ever made.

Fast performance; High-quality design; MIMO support; Beautiful display; Plenty of model options

Price; Lack of Touch ID; Mediocre camera

For a company that obsesses over making devices thinner and lighter, it must have been torture for Apple to spend nearly three years making a series of iPads that were better than their predecessors, but not smaller. Now it has.

Ten hours of battery life; twice as fast as fourth-generation iPad; light and thin

Still too big for long-term one-handed use; no Touch ID

Apple's full-sized iPad may have a brand new name, but the company's fifth iteration is all about refinement. The iPad Air is thinner, lighter and smaller than the previous model, but still manages to retain the same 9.7in screen and ten hour battery life.

Stunningly thin and light; Excellent performance; Great battery life

Increased price; Speakers easily muffled; Reflective screen

Apple's full-sized iPad may have a brand new name, but the company's fifth iteration is all about refinement.

Stunningly thin and light; Excellent performance; Great battery life

Increased price; Speakers easily muffled; Reflective screen

The iPad was always a slim tablet, but it started gaining a bit of weight in 2012. The addition of the Retina Display meant that Apple could not reduce or maintain the same weight as the iPad 2.

The iPad Air is Apple ‘s offering for those who want a tablet to get things done - creating content rather than just consuming it. The changes incorporated in this fifth-generation model are designed to make it more appealing to this group: it's faster but also more portable, with the same...

Smaller and lighter than predecessors; Significantly faster than earlier iPads; Beautiful display; Long battery life

Barely adequate RAM; Non-standard data/power port; No memory card slot; No active touchscreen

With its 1-pound weight and slimmed-down design, the iPad Air marks the biggest leap forward for Apple's trend-making slate since the Retina display. It's rightly the standard by which all other tablets will, and should, be judged.

Slim; lightweight design; Super-sharp; bright screen; Long; all-day battery life; Demonstrably improved performance

Battery takes a while to recharge; Speaker placement isn't ideal

It's hard to believe but it's been less than four years since Apple released the iPad, opening the door to an entirely new market of portable devices that, along with smartphones, has eroded the traditional PC industry in a way that most people would have never imagined a few short years ago.

Thinner and lighter, but still solidly built; Great performance with power to spare; Efficient design, runs cooler than previous iPads; iOS 7 is a worthy update and strong app ecosystem

No Touch ID; Camera is just ok; iPad mini might give the Air a run for its money

Good product

Bit heavy

At first glance, the Apple iPad Air 2 is closer to a refresh than a dramatic upgrade compared to its predecessor. From the outside, the tablet computer features the same slim design and aluminum backing used on the first iPad Air.

The Apple iPad Air 2's upgraded A8X chip provides high-end tablet performance

The Air 2 still relies on the same Retina display used in past iPads