Why I Got An iPad Air

The all-too human reasons why I think the Apple Apple iPad Air is the best tablet this Christmas

{rating} The Apple iPad Air is ultra-light, slick, fast, has great speakers for music, uses the latest 64-bit technology, and has superb customer support.

The Apple iPad Air runs The Bob Dylan Bootleg App and Rolling Stone Interactive video.  That’s important stuff for a Dylan fan.

The iPad Air isn’t cheap but the iPad we bought in 2010 is still working so they have value. I can’t pry my wife’s fingers off it. At least this one has all the latest stuff like 64-bit-who-needs-it-processor and retina-my-eye display.

If you read NJN Network, or follow me on Twitter, Facebook or other social media it is plainly obvious I am a Microsoft fan. It’s logical to assume my Christmas self-gift would be a Microsoft Surface Pro.

I was ready to drop the credit card until some Microsoft executive announced the end of Windows RT.  I don’t want to waste $600 on an orphaned product.

I bought an Apple iPad Air (32 GB, Wi-Fi, White)  on Black Friday with a paltry $50 discount.

I like the 32GB model because you can never have enough memory but $700 was too much for the next size up.

I joined tens of millions of happy customers who bought an iPad Air this holiday season.

My iPad Air

Apples versus Oranges

Simply put, the iPad Air was the best tablet for the money. It was  a toss-up between the iPad Air and the Microsoft – Surface 2.  They are almost identical in weight and feel and the Surface 2 has a dandy stand that supports the tablet, reading at the table or on your lap. For a few hundred dollars more the Surface 2 Pro beats the pants off an iPad Air. It’s a real computer that integrates with SkyDrive and Office 365.

But the iPad Air is pretty cool as well.  The iPad Air speakers are so good you can actually enjoy listening to music without external speakers. They aren’t hi-fi but they are pretty good. That speaks to Apple’s continuing innovation and commitment to music with their devices and the iTunes Store.

Let’s face it: Apple invented the modern music player with the iPod and they seem to be miles ahead of the competition. Google Play – that’s a joke. Amazon.com are US only so what’s the good of that in Canada?

Microsoft and Nokia have decent music stores and music players. In fact Xbox Music is a visually better music player and supports more audio formats than Apple.

Things I hate about the iPad Air

Nothing really. I still don’t like iTunes syncing music but you get used to it. Why can’t Apple use drag and drop?

Apple iPad Air Smart Case

The iPad Air Smart Case is cool looking but a piece of junk if you use it as a stand.

The flimsy little tripod that magnetically snaps onthe Air cannot hold the tablet up. It holds the stand so that the iPad Air’s center of gravity is unstable, I was always afraid it would topple over and break. Yikes!

That’s where the Surface has the iPad Air beat with the cool built-in aluminum stand.

Microsoft Customer Service is not best-practice

Taylor Swift pic from Xbox Music captured for my Lumia lock screen

Microsoft is a couple of light-years behind Apple in customer service.

I bought a Taylor Swift song “Sweeter Than Fiction” from Xbox Music on my Nokia Windows Phone awhile back.

Something went wrong in the download. The song will start to play, stall, and then play. The song does not appear on any other Windows 8.1 device I own.

If I try to play it on my Windows tablet or computers, Xbox Music wants me to buy it again.

Aha, you caught me! I have a Dell Venue 8 Pro Windows tablet but not for my main device, it helps me to see how NJN Network is formatted on different sized screens, at least that’s what I told my wife.

I spent half an hour on the phone with Xbox Customer Service one day trying to fix the problem. Finally the nice young fellow said he really didn’t know anything about music and would transfer me to someone else but my phone ran out of battery. Do I want to spend half a day on the phone with Microsoft? Nope, it’s not worth $1.29.

Bob Dylan The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 Another Self Portrait (1969-1971)

Apple iTunes makes mistakes too but all you have to do is click on a link, send them a message and Apple credits your account.

No questions asked.

Recently I bought Bob Dylan’s Another Self Portrait (1969-1971): The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 from iTunes for $30. The next day it was on special at Nokia Music for $10.

I just emailed Apple and they gave me a store credit. They didn’t ask me to prove I removed the songs from my computer or anything. That’s customer service.

Microsoft does not seem to get the concept of excellent customer service which makes me nervous about buying a $700 Microsoft tablet. I spent almost an hour arguing with a Microsoft Store employee once about an RMA.  Argh, like most people I hate that.