IPad Air 2 and Mini 3 Review: One Thumb Up, and Another Down - NYTimes.com

Lead paragraphs from a pragmatic iPad reality check; also see iPad Air 2 Review: The Best Tablet Needs to Work Harder (WSJ) and Apple iPad Air 2 Review: It’s Better, but Is It Better Enough? (Re/code)

"Let’s get this out of the way first: Apple’s new iPads are the best tablets on the market today. The iPad Air 2, the company’s new top-of-the-line device, is substantially faster than its predecessor, which was already more powerful than just about every rival. It sports a terrific minimalist design, almost a millimeter and a half thinner than last year’s pretty skinny iPad Air. And both the new Air and the iPad Mini 3, Apple’s latest small tablet, include TouchID and Apple Pay, Apple’s fingerprint scanner and payment system, which are handy innovations that make signing into apps and shopping for goods online much easier than in the past.

So these are fantastic tablets. The question is: Do you need a fantastic tablet?"

IPad Air 2 and Mini 3 Review: One Thumb Up, and Another Down - NYTimes.com