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

Summary: Apple's large-format tablet is thinner, lighter and faster than ever, and delivers good battery life. We'd like to see the biometric home button and a wi-fi upgrade as soon as possible, but it's still a high-quality, if premium-priced, device.

Thin and light, Classy design, Fast 64-bit A7/M7 platform, Excellent LTE frequency band support, Good battery life

No Touch ID, No 802.11ac wi-fi or NFC, Expensive, especially when accessorised for maximum business productivity

Imbued with first class design and aesthetics, within the full-size tablet universe, the iPad Air is second only to its newer sibling, the Air 2.

The iPad Air delivers solid performance and battery life in an attractive and impossibly thin-and-light package. The front-facing camera delivers excellent FaceTime capabilities and the Retina Display is top-notch.

No Touch ID fingerprint scanner, meaning you’ll have to type in a passcode with every unlock and a password with every purchase.

Had the iPad lost its way? Not as a range, certainly; over the last twelve months, the iPad mini has been the darling of the tablet scene, coupling affordability with convenience and build quality.

Two weeks ago I had all but written off the bigger iPad. It was too bulky and just no where near as portable as the iPad mini. Once the latter gets a Retina Display and equal hardware across the board, why would anyone consider the bigger model? The iPad Air changed my perspective on all of that.

If you want a better iPad, the Air is for you. If you want a better iPad with a smaller screen, wait for the iPad mini with Retina Display that will be released later this month.

To understand truly what a breakthrough the new iPad is, you have to survey the crowded tablet landscape. Few tablets come close to the fit and finish, the simplicity of design and the complexity that’s built within.