Business Chief APAC+ANZ Magazine July 2014 | Page 33

THE BEST EXECUTIVE TABLETS little to no lag time when responding . It ’ s great for emails , social media and web browsing . The front and rear facing cameras are handy , and the video quality is pretty great . Usage is most aesthetically pleasing in portrait mode , but operating in landscape is still pleasant .
And the screen – the vibrant and sharp display is one of the best components of the iPad Air . The trade off for the display and thinner housing , however , is lower audio quality . There are just a tiny pair of speakers that play in stereo , compared to the bettersounding single mono speaker on early generations of the device .
One of the downsides to the iPad Air is the lack of functionality for a business exec , beyond browsing the web and specific business apps . However , that can be changed when Microsoft Office introduced apps for Apple devices . Although it takes a US $ 100 subscription a year , you can now access and edit documents , Excel workbooks and PowerPoint presentations from your Apple tablet . If the subscription fee seems a little steep for you , Apple ’ s answers to the Microsoft Suite ( Pages , Numbers and Keynote ) are also available for a
one-time-only price .
Unlike the Pro 3 , the iPad Air is in no way a laptop . For many , that ’ s a good thing . Tablets are expensive – especially Apple devices – and are bought usually for their functionality as a tablet . Critics would tell you if you are interested in buying a tablet like a laptop , the closest you ’ ll get from Apple is the MacBook Air . But tablets aren ’ t necessarily meant to be laptops , and for the founder of a start-up or a travelling c-level exec , the iPad Air might be just right for you .
Microsoft and Apple do not have the market cornered on high-powered , sleek tablets . There are plenty of other options out there for you . On the next page , we share the pros and cons of each of Australia ’ s other favourite – and less expensive – tablets .
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