In the world of iPads, the Air is heavier than the Pro

In 2008, at the Macworld conference in San Francisco, Steve Jobs pulled the original MacBook Air out of a manila envelope, thus ushering the era of ultra-light, “Air” Apple devices.

And although some MacBook Air variants did put on weight in the following years – there’s now a larger, 15-inch variant – the company’s Air lineup more or less stayed very light and nimble.

But in the company’s most recent iPad lineup, introduced at yesterday’s “Let Loose” event, the “Air” moniker makes little sense. At the event, Apple introduced two new iPad Air and two new iPad Pro devices — both available with either an 11-inch or a 13-inch display. And this time, the Airs are both heavier and thicker than the Pros.

The new king is here, both in power and in lightness.
Credit: Apple

The 11-inch iPad Pro is 0.21 inches thick and weighs 0.98 pounds, while the 11-inch iPad Air is slightly thicker, at 0.24 inches, and weighs 1.02 pounds. Similarly, the 13-inch iPad Pro is 0.20 inches thick and weights 1.28 pounds, while the 13-inch iPad Air is 0.24 inches thick and weighs 1.36 pounds.

The new iPad Air isn’t heavy by any means, but we’re not sure it still deserves the name.
Credit: Apple

It’s also worth pointing out that the 11-inch iPad Air is just a hair (0.03 pounds) lighter than the 10.9-inch iPad, which costs considerably less (the 11-inch Air starts at $599 while the iPad starts at $349).

The new iPad Airs have a bit of a saving grace, though: They’re overall a little shorter than their iPad Pro brethren. The 11-inch iPad Air measures 9.74 by 7.02 inches, while the 11-inch iPad Pro is 9.83 by 6.99 inches. The 13-inch iPad Air measures 11.04 inches by 8.46 inches, making it both shorter and narrower than the 13-inch iPad Pro, which measures 11.09 by 8.48 inches. Those differences are small enough to be negligible in real life use, though.

It’s not a big deal for the non-nitpicking customer (that, dear reader, is not us), but it is odd. Apple’s Air devices were never just cheaper versions of the Pros, they were a lighter, thinner, smaller alternative, making you feel like you got a bit more (if you consider less weight and size to be more) for your money. Now, the iPad Air is just a cheaper, slightly heavier version of the iPad Pro. Maybe it needs a new name?