So what about RAM? On modern computers, you want more RAM because it’s fast, because otherwise your computer has to swap out memory to disk, which is always going to be slower than keeping it in speedy RAM.

Storage 2 lets you keep stuff on your device. Processors and GPUs are easy to communicate-they make your device run faster or draw things on the screen faster. It’s one of the hardest computer specifications to contextualize. This is the fastest iOS device ever made-and by a long shot.Įven more significantly, the iPad Air 2’s got 2 GB of onboard RAM, up from the 1 GB that’s been a standard on iOS devices since the iPad 3 and iPhone 5. The graphics hardware has also been upgraded. That’s right, this is a tri-core processor. Unlike the original iPad Air, which was powered by more or less the same A7 processor as the iPhone 5S, the iPad Air 2’s processor is the A8X, a step up from the already impressive 64-bit A8 that powers the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.Īnd the step up from the iPhone isn’t just a slight clock-speed boost: This thing’s got an extra processor core. Apple’s continual quest for thinness remains intact 1, but the biggest improvements on this device come courtesy of features any old-school computer nerd could love, namely fast chips and more RAM. There’s a nice commercial where a laser beam cuts off part of that pencil from the original iPad Air commercial, because the iPad Air 2 is thinner than a pencil, you see.įorget all that.

Yes, Apple has shaved 1.4 millimeters off the thickness of the original iPad Air, and roughly 33 grams off the weight.

But the iPad Air 2 is better in ways other than the usual thinner-and-lighter metrics: In some unexpected ways, the iPad Air points toward a future of iOS power and productivity that hasn’t existed up until now. Maybe you’ve heard about it? It’s the iPad Air 2, and of course it’s the best iPad ever, because the new iPad is always the best iPad ever. Note: This story has not been updated since 2014.Īpple released a new iPad this fall.

Can you use a mouse with ipad air 2