When Apple presented its new iPad Air tablet on October 22 in San Francisco, it allowed journalists to test out the new toy only briefly.
Early reviews are therefore first impressions more than firm conclusions, yet they do point the way to the product’s strengths and weaknesses.
In a "review of reviews", macworld.co.uk wrote that the most common points made in the Air's favour were: reduced weight and size, more processing power, no loss of battery life, and build quality (ie, does it feel sturdy or junky?).
On the flip side, the website said that reviewers’ most common complaints included: a sense of having seen it all before, the absence of a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, the fact it doesn’t come in funky colours, and the lack of a “smarter keyboard accessory”.
This last point was a big one for Cnet’s reviewer, Scott Stein.
He wrote: “Apple used to have its own keyboard accessory when the iPad first debuted: it was a physical keyboard dock. So, obviously, Apple’s not opposed to keyboards and iPads. I don’t even necessarily need a trackpad on my keyboard. But I do want a smarter keyboard accessory that elevates the iPad to a new level. That’s what I hoped Apple would do for the iPad Air. It didn’t happen. But, hopefully, in the future, it will.”
Stein opined that if Apple could up the keyboard, it would be closer to making the iPad “a tablet-laptop hybrid”.
Other reviews concentrated on how thin and light the iPad Air was.
Writing at techradar.com, Patrick Goss said: “It’s hard to put into words how much Apple has improved the iPad, offering a stunning level of detail and power with a build quality that’s unrivalled.
“But the reduction in thickness, and especially weight could well ensure that the iPad Air is the finest tablet on the market.”
The iPad Air weighs 453 grams and is 7.5 millimetres thick. However, to a tech outsider it is not clear why that matters. It is not as if current iPads are the size of carburetors. What’s next: an iPad so thin it can slice shawarma?
Q&A
Apple’s ads are legendary. What does it have in store for the iPad Air?
An advertisement shown at the product launch features voiceover by the actor Bryan Cranston. It shows the barely perceptible Air, obscured in profile by a mere pencil, in a variety of settings – library, design studio, boardroom, rehearsal space, lab (presumably not the sort of lab that Cranston’s character worked in on Breaking Bad). In his voiceover, Cranston says: “It’s an extremely simple tool, but also extremely powerful. It can be used to start a poem ... or finish a symphony.”
We have an idea what the reviewers are saying – but is it too early to get an idea what customers are thinking?
It’s never too early to speculate. In a reader poll on the website of the Sydney Morning Herald, 29 per cent of the 13,013 respondents said they would be upgrading to an iPad Air. That’s hardly a mania, but it does suggest Apple will have legions of its adherents reaching for a technology essential that is even thinner than the iPad Air – their credit cards.
What is the iPad Air’s price?
Apple has set the price at US$499, but already Wal-Mart has said it will cut that to $479 on its shelves. Other stores might match in order to lure Christmas shoppers.
When will we see this thing in the UAE?
Jacky’s Electronics says the iPad Air should arrive in the Emirates in December or January.
business@thenational.ae
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
