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iPad Air with LTE on the way

I said I was in no hurry to trade in my iPad 4 for the new iPad Air but the speed increase and weight loss got to me.
Written by James Kendrick, Contributor
iPad Air on the way
Image: Apple

When Apple unveiled the light iPad Air I was impressed, but in no hurry to pick one up. My iPad 4 with LTE has served me well, and there was no need to trade it in for the new Air. Even so, my gadget lust soon got the better of me and a new iPad Air will be here soon.

Regular readers of this column know that I have used the iPad 4 with LTE heavily since the purchase. I have used it for work, writing over 100,000 words with it with one external keyboard or another. It worked well in every way and I've had no complaints with it.

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So why buy an iPad Air? Two reasons: the big speed increase with the 64-bit processor Apple has put in it and the smaller size and weight. I'm on record stating how important a 1 pound weight is for the iPad Air and that has been a draw for me.

The iPad Air that is on the way is configured like my iPad 4: 64GB of storage and LTE on the Verizon network. When it gets here I will put it on my Verizon Share Everything plan to replace the iPad 4.

I will use the iPad Air much the same as I have the iPad 4. It will assume tablet duties, and probably many of those now done on the first iPad mini. It's barely heavier and has the larger Retina Display, something the first iPad mini lacks.

When I find a good keyboard case for the iPad Air it will assume work duties previously done with the iPad 4. I expect it will become a fantastic writing machine and can't wait to try it.

Whatever you feel about Apple and its iPad products, you cannot deny how they retain much of their value for resale when a new model arrives. I sold my iPad 4 shortly after letting my friends know it was on the market, and got almost $500 for it. That's what put the high price of the iPad Air within my reach. No tablet from any other vendor would have gotten anywhere near that price.

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