Apple’s iPad Air 2 — hands on

IS one small step with the iPad Air 2, another giant leap for Apple? Watch our video.

IS one small step with the iPad Air 2, another giant leap for Apple?

I mulled over that question as I began trying out a shiny new Air 2 this week.

There’s no doubt the Air 2 is Apple’s best iPad ever — frankly, if it wasn’t, Apple would be bonkers to release it.

It’s 1.4mm thinner than Air Mark 1, and around 30 grams lighter. That may not seem much, but you notice the difference when lying down on a couch reading the Air with your arm extended.

Perhaps the biggest advancement with Air 2 is the inclusion of Apple’s Touch-ID introduced with iPhone 5S.

You can now unlock the iPad using your registered thumb or finger print.

But the Air 2 doesn’t come with Near Field Communication — or NFC — so you won’t be able to use it at shops to make payments using Apple Pay.

With iPad sales levelling off, Apple needs to attract new users to what is a maturing iPad market.

That’s all for now. Read the full review in The Australian on Tuesday. And enjoy the video.