First Impressions of the iPad Air 2: Refreshed but Not Reinvented - WSJ - WSJ

Looking at Apple's iPad model comparison page, the (original) iPad Air is now the entry-level 9.7" display option, and the iPad mini, at $249, is the low-price option (and the only iPad option without a Retina display)

"There’s talk that tablets, just four years old, are having an identity crisis.

That’s premature. I got to spend a little time with the iPad Air 2 after Apple’s event on Thursday. My first impression is that Apple wants to make the statement that iPads are something unique—not all-in-one computers or laptop replacements. They’re a kind of computer you can hold in your hands that immerses you in watching video, reading books, browsing the Web, playing games, and completing tasks that are best done with fingers on a touch screen.

And for those tasks, Apple didn’t need to reinvent the tablet but improve on it. I think they’ve done that—but there could be more, particularly where business people and younger users are concerned."

First Impressions of the iPad Air 2: Refreshed but Not Reinvented - WSJ - WSJ