Shawn Blanc on the iPad Air:
…I think the iPad Air is “finally” a full-sized iPad without compromises. It has a gorgeous display, excellent battery life, it’s powerful, and, of course, it’s very lightweight and easy to hold.
The iPad Air (and Retina iPad mini) mark the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next for the iPad line. And so, now that we’re here, where does the iPad lineup go next?
I think Shawn is dead on when he draws the comparison to the comprises the iPhone made until the iPhone 4. I remember the startling difference between my iPhone 3G and my iPhone 4. The 3G felt like it was chock full of tradeoffs. The 4 felt like a truly luxurious piece of art.
And the iPhone has continued to just get even better with fewer compromises. I kind of thought that the iPhone 5c would be similar to the iPhone 3G, compromising luxury for a plastic back. But when I held one at the Apple Store, it was clear to me the quality of the plastic didn't even make it feel plastic. It felt as rock solid as my iPhone 5.
So the question really is where the iPad goes next? My guess is that it is going to aggressively eat the lunch of traditional "truck" computers.