iPad Air 2: Vulture chews on new Apple tablet

Wireless whirl

In line with its current Mac range and now the iPhone 6, the iPad Air 2 gets 802.11ac Wi-Fi capability. Both old and new iPad Airs have 2x2 MIMO, although maybe through the magic of beamforming we could see more stable connections over longer ranges.

Putting Wi-Fi performance to the test with a download on both models, a video file was retrieved from NAS to pad. First up,the original Air on 802.11n and 2.4GHz over a 5m range averaged a 30 Mb/s data throughput. Switching to its 5GHz radio on 802.11n boosted speed to 51 Mb/s.

The home button is also home to Touch ID

Using the iPad Air 2 on 802.11ac over the same range saw a small increase to 59 Mb/s. Then we ran the same test through not thin air but with a plaster wall in between. First Air dropped to 42 Mb/s on 5GHz. Air 2 also lost a little wireless speed but less so, averaging 55 Mb/s. Based on experience with the latest wireless protocol, versus the shambles that is 802.11n/5GHz with obstacles in the way, I’d rather expected a more pronounced benefit at greater ranges.

Looking around the sealed casework we can see various tell-tale changes in the exterior hardware. Touch ID is the real giveaway, but there’s little to say here except it works at identifying the owner’s stored fingerprint, and it works well. Pressing the button and seeing the home screen zoom into place all happens in the blink of an eye, with practically no lag, while secure algorithms decided whether you’re friend or foe.

Touch ID makes an impression - click for a larger image

There’s again a dual-mic configuration, there to enable a modicum of ambient noise reduction through phase-cancellation. These mics have inexplicably moved from the former position of top edge (held portrait) and in the centre of the plastic aerials cover, to positions that now flank the rear iSight camera.

Missing in action now though is the little screen lock switch above the volume buttons. To keep the display from spinning round unexpectedly you have to use a software button, found in the Control Center overlay you bring up by sliding a finger upwards from screen bottom.

Mic positions have shifted and are alongside the 8Mp iSight camera

Holding up a big tablet to photograph the world might seem like a sensible way to frame what you’re shooting on a big panel, but it also must go down as one of the most dorky ways to draw attention to yourself and generally annoy the bejesus out of everyone around you.

Still, if you do feel compelled to capture the moment this way, take note that the rear camera, sorry iSight camera, sees a step up from 5 to 8 megapixels. And still photos do look better for it; higher-res and a tiny bit sharper and clearer. Video shooting in anti-social tablet mode has the same full-HD output as before.