This collaborative space allows users to contribute additional information, tips, and insights to enhance the original deal post. Feel free to share your knowledge and help fellow shoppers make informed decisions.
Model: Apple iPad Air 11-inch with M3 chip Built for Apple Intelligence, Liquid Retina Display, 128GB, 12MP Front/Back Camera, Wi-Fi 6E, Touch ID, All-Day Battery Life — Purple
Deal History
Deal History includes data from multiple reputable stores, such as Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. The lowest price among stores for a given day is selected as the "Sale Price".
Sale Price does not include sale prices at Amazon unless a deal was posted by a community member.
A 2018 iPad is fine for simple task.These A14 and A16 have zero complaint on speed for next few years. the one pain is always storage if have apps, store 4k movie, a more games128gb is perfectly fine for 1080p movies. small for 4k movie
Why would you bother to store 4k movies on an ipad that can't display 4k content..?
My guess... Their services division has become so profitable, they are able to care less about profit on hardware. At this point they just want their devices in as many hands as possible.
Yeah, their ecosystem is obviously more cohesive than any alternative. I refused to pay the "Apple Tax" for the longest time. I still mainly use Android and Windows, but I also have a work iPhone with a personal iPad Pro and Mac Mini. If the phones were about 20% lower in price, I'd be All-In with Apple. Android just provides more choices and I can choose a phone based on what I prioritize. Apple's profit margin is the highest in the industry on devices, so they can afford to shift the focus on revenue from services.
I'm using this M3 128GB AirPad and I like it a lot - my favorite electronic gadget so far. It replaced the previous gen Air. I've used IPad Airs since generation 1.
Screen is great, size is the same as older Air so the same case can be used btw. It is faster, the base 128GB is adequate, the M3 is fast and battery lasts longer. It supports Stage Manager, which allows you Windows like capability. A VERY well designed and made device.
I've got mine on black Friday, but this price is OK for what you get.
Alright so I'm not trying to start an argument, but I have been backing up my physical media lately, and each movie is anywhere from 4 to 6 gb depending on the length of the movie. 128gb should be enough for at least 15 movies with space for OS and some apps.
But like I said, for people who don't need storage, is there a greater benefit in overall longevity of the device in having the more powerful chip?
Anecdote: I have an ipad air 4 and an old ipad 6th gen (7 years old!). I've actually been going back to using the ipad 6th gen for some things and it's perfectly usable for browsing, media consumption, and non-gaming apps.
The M3 seems to use less battery - my iPad Air M3 lasts longer than the previous gen iPad Air. Probably processor is made on a better node and more sophisticated power management.
Alright so I'm not trying to start an argument, but I have been backing up my physical media lately, and each movie is anywhere from 4 to 6 gb depending on the length of the movie. 128gb should be enough for at least 15 movies with space for OS and some apps.
But like I said, for people who don't need storage, is there a greater benefit in overall longevity of the device in having the more powerful chip?
Anecdote: I have an ipad air 4 and an old ipad 6th gen (7 years old!). I've actually been going back to using the ipad 6th gen for some things and it's perfectly usable for browsing, media consumption, and non-gaming apps.
What format and resolution are you using for backup? Standard DVDs are only 480p. When I rip DVDs to MKV, they're about 4gb, but when compressed to 480p MP4, they're less than half gig each normally. There is zero benefit to saving as 1080p since native resolution is only 480p, and upscaling is basically useless.
What format and resolution are you using for backup? Standard DVDs are only 480p. When I rip DVDs to MKV, they're about 4gb, but when compressed to 480p MP4, they're less than half gig each normally. There is zero benefit to saving as 1080p since native resolution is only 480p, and upscaling is basically useless.
i don't typically compress mine after ripping to MKV. What are you using to compress yours? I don't really care about space, I'm more interested in retaining quality.
Like
Helpful
Funny
Not helpful
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
This or a MacBook Air m2/m3 for basic photo editing? I recently got a digital camera and looking to edit photos at a basic level since I'm a beginner of course.
This or a MacBook Air m2/m3 for basic photo editing? I recently got a digital camera and looking to edit photos at a basic level since I'm a beginner of course.
Depends on your use case. I got an M4 Mac Mini for on the go editing (I travel for work with my work laptop with a portable monitor, keyboard, and mouse so for me it works out and is quite powerful, I use the monitor/mouse/keyboard on the mac mini). I would say the photo editing workflow is much easier on Macbook Air/Mac Mini than an iPad. Depends on the volume of photos you have.
Last edited by clarkkent06 May 9, 2025 at 11:43 AM.
That's exactly what I needed to know! I want an efficient workflow/process on the go. If u start taking a ton of landscape photos I want to be able to get it edited quickly or when I have downtime.
That's exactly what I needed to know! I want an efficient workflow/process on the go. If u start taking a ton of landscape photos I want to be able to get it edited quickly or when I have downtime.
I'm just a hobbyist, I'm sure there are vides on youtube and stuff that talk about the workflow. I just didn't find it very easy on an M iPad, I tried but I didn't feel as "in control", if that makes sense. You have to transfer to the iPad, edit on the iPad, then get them off the iPad to send to wherever or post. Vs mac mini, I can put my camera RAW's on an external SSD, plug it into mac mini via thunderbolt, and edit directly on the SSD without moving files anywhere. Then I can directly export JPGs to the SSD, so nothing gets transferred to the mac mini, everything resides on the external ssd.
If I want to email out, I can email on the mac mini via outlook or gmail or whatever via ssd. If I want to upload to cloud/social media, direct on mac mini from the ssd. If I want them on my phone, I can plug the ssd into my phone and transfer JPG's that way.
So I got the cheapest M4 mac mini for $500 and it's plenty powerful. It weighs 1.5 pounds so it doesn't add a ton to what I was already bringing.
Last edited by clarkkent06 May 9, 2025 at 11:49 AM.
I'm just a hobbyist, I'm sure there are vides on youtube and stuff that talk about the workflow. I just didn't find it very easy on an M iPad, I tried but I didn't feel as "in control", if that makes sense. You have to transfer to the iPad, edit on the iPad, then get them off the iPad to send to wherever or post. Vs mac mini, I can put my camera RAW's on an external SSD, plug it into mac mini via thunderbolt, and edit directly on the SSD without moving files anywhere. Then I can directly export JPGs to the SSD, so nothing gets transferred to the mac mini, everything resides on the external ssd.
If I want to email out, I can email on the mac mini via outlook or gmail or whatever via ssd. If I want to upload to cloud/social media, direct on mac mini from the ssd. If I want them on my phone, I can plug the ssd into my phone and transfer JPG's that way.
So I got the cheapest M4 mac mini for $500 and it's plenty powerful.
Yeah, this is helpful! I'm leaning further towards a MacBook Air now
Yeah, this is helpful! I'm leaning further towards a MacBook Air now
If you to end up using an external NVME SSD (I recommend this), this is the enclosure I got, it has a fan and is pretty lightweight and affordable. I tried a few others and they didn't transfer at the full advertised 40gbps, this one does. https://www.newegg.com/orico-tcm2...1DSK0Z9713
Like
Helpful
Funny
Not helpful
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
i don't typically compress mine after ripping to MKV. What are you using to compress yours? I don't really care about space, I'm more interested in retaining quality.
I use Handbrake. If you compare SD DVD video to 480p mp4, they should be nearly identical. You can probably rip directly to MP4 with some type of software or a Handbrake plugin, but I'm not an expert. I know just enough to do the job. I also like MP4 because you can put the files on a thumb drive and play it directly on many modern TVs. Obviously, if you have Blu-Ray, then you can use a higher resolution, but MKVs of BR rips are gigantic, so it's still worth it to convert to 1080p MP4.
Leave a Comment
Top Comments
48 Comments
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
I will say, I was disappointed the "magic" keyboard only came in White, so I returned it. The Logi keyboard is great though.
Screen is great, size is the same as older Air so the same case can be used btw. It is faster, the base 128GB is adequate, the M3 is fast and battery lasts longer. It supports Stage Manager, which allows you Windows like capability. A VERY well designed and made device.
I've got mine on black Friday, but this price is OK for what you get.
But like I said, for people who don't need storage, is there a greater benefit in overall longevity of the device in having the more powerful chip?
Anecdote: I have an ipad air 4 and an old ipad 6th gen (7 years old!). I've actually been going back to using the ipad 6th gen for some things and it's perfectly usable for browsing, media consumption, and non-gaming apps.
But like I said, for people who don't need storage, is there a greater benefit in overall longevity of the device in having the more powerful chip?
Anecdote: I have an ipad air 4 and an old ipad 6th gen (7 years old!). I've actually been going back to using the ipad 6th gen for some things and it's perfectly usable for browsing, media consumption, and non-gaming apps.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
If I want to email out, I can email on the mac mini via outlook or gmail or whatever via ssd. If I want to upload to cloud/social media, direct on mac mini from the ssd. If I want them on my phone, I can plug the ssd into my phone and transfer JPG's that way.
So I got the cheapest M4 mac mini for $500 and it's plenty powerful. It weighs 1.5 pounds so it doesn't add a ton to what I was already bringing.
If I want to email out, I can email on the mac mini via outlook or gmail or whatever via ssd. If I want to upload to cloud/social media, direct on mac mini from the ssd. If I want them on my phone, I can plug the ssd into my phone and transfer JPG's that way.
So I got the cheapest M4 mac mini for $500 and it's plenty powerful.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Leave a Comment