Hasta La Gadget!

Apple has released its iPad Air, and while we don’t yet know how many it sold during opening weekend (it’s likely waiting to reveal launch numbers until the iPad mini with Retina display goes on sale), we do know that it seems to be enjoying strong adoption rates. The cost of building this latest iPad should help Apple’s product margins, too, if a teardown by analyst firm IHS iSuppli (via AllThingsD) is any indication.

IHS regularly makes a point of trying to backwards engineer the cost of building a brand-new Apple device by tearing them down and looking at what goes into one. This year, it estimates that Apple’s iPad Air runs between $274 and $361, for the $499 16GB Wi-Fi only model at the low end, and the $929 128GB Wi-Fi + LTE version at the top.

As usual, margins are higher the further up the chain you go, but what’s remarkable about this device is that it actually costs an estimated $40 or so less than the third-generation iPad did (IHS didn’t revise its figures for the fourth-generation iPad release) when it first launched, at every price point and model. That’s despite featuring a much more expensive display and touchscreen assembly that combines some layers to result in a a thinner overall package. Measurement for the touchscreen assembly is now at 1.8 mm, which is down from 2.23 mm on previous versions.

There are savings in other areas, however, since the display requires fewer LED units (36 vs. 84 before) to power the screen, and that’s mostly because apart from the screen, many of the components are held over from older versions. The A7 is actually cheaper than the A5 was back in March when the iPad 3 launched, and the cellular array used in the iPad covers all LTE frequencies in the U.S., which means cheaper manufacturing costs overall since it only needs to make one version.

Apple eking out more margin on the iPad Air could result in huge upside for it going into a busy holiday season, especially if numbers prove as strong as early evidence suggests they could be. The iPad mini, too, might enjoy a boost to profit for Apple, given that it also uses the A7 and appears to share a lot of componentry in common both with the full-sized iPad Air and with its predecessor.

A new generation of full-size flagship tablets has just started with the near simultaneous launch of the Apple iPad Air and Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9. They both have top-of-the-line and state-of-the-art displays that have been significantly improved (in different ways) from the 2012 models. Here’s which one’s the best.

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Apple may indeed have attracted a much broader audience of upgraders for its redesigned 9.7-inch iPad versus last year, according to new early data from mobile app analytics firms. The iPad Air enjoyed somewhere around five times the first weekend adoption of the fourth generation iPad, according to Fiksu, and just under four times that of the iPad mini, which went on sale at the same time as the iPad 4.

Fiksu found that three days after the iPad Air went on sale, it was being used by 0.88 percent of those millions using the apps of its clients – which is much better than either the 0.15 percent who were on iPad 4 three days after its launch, or the 0.22 percent who were on iPad mini at the same time. The iPad Air has attracted more early adopters than both devices combined, in fact, which, if borne out by device sales numbers, will mean a big win for Apple going into this holiday.

Backing up Fiksu’s tail of spiking early adoption are numbers from Mixpanel, which reports that the iPad Air is responsible for 1.54 percent of all iPad traffic to its clients’ applications as of this Monday. The iPad 2 and iPad 1 seem to have suffered the biggest concurrent drops in usage percentage, indicating possibly that Apple has managed to draw in a group of upgraders who were long-time holdouts on older devices with the iPad Air.

Last year, during its launch weekend of both the iPad 4 and the iPad mini, Apple sold a total of 3 million new tablets. This year, if these adoption comparisons are correct, that number should be quite a bit higher, though there’s not always a direct relationship between usage and sales. Apple traditionally issues a release after the opening weekend of a new device to say how many it managed to sell, but with the recent iPhone launch, it waited until both the iPhone 5c and the iPhone 5s were launched before revealing numbers, since it rarely breaks out device sales by individual model.

The iPad is a slightly different story, since Apple hasn’t revealed a firm launch date for the iPad mini with Retina display yet, and since these numbers indicate it may be beneficial for it to reveal Air sales independent of the Retina mini, since both appear to be generating strong consumer demand. Either way, we’ll be sure to let you know what, if anything, Apple reveals about unit sales this time around.

Apple may have found the perfect balance with this iPad launch; a lighter, slimmer iPad Air that appeals to those who are fans of the bigger screen but who haven’t seen a real need to upgrade from first- and second-generation devices, and an iPad mini with a screen that could convince many first-gen device owners to upgrade, too. And staggering the release dates may have worked to their benefit, too – there’s less of a dilemma when one’s available on the other isn’t, and some who opted for iPad Air might later give in and find themselves buying a second device, depending on the reviews and reception of the smaller tablet.

T-Mobile is carrying Apple’s new iPad this time around and its throwing in an added incentive for customers who’re looking to pick up a cellular version of the iPad Air. The carrier is offering 200MB of cellular data free per month, undercutting AT&T’s offer of 250MB for $14.99. However after the iPad Air was released, a number of customers who picked up the tablet from T-Mobile reported that they were told they’d have to pay $10 per month to access the 200MB free data, an obvious contradiction to the carrier’s offer. That is not the case though, as T-Mobile CEO John Legere has confirmed that customers won’t have to pay a dime to access what they’ve been promised.

Legere reiterated through Twitter that every iPad Air owner will receive 200MB of free data per month, and that the $10 monthly fee is not going to be charged. He says that there was an “executional mistake” which lead to this confusion, following up the statement once again with the carrier’s commitment to providing 200MB of free data without any exceptions and strings attached. So if you’re out in the market for a cellular iPad Air, T-Mobile’s offer might entice you to opt for Magenta, the question is, would you go for it?

T-Mobile CEO Reiterates 200MB Free Data Commitment For iPad Air Customers original content from Ubergizmo.

Many have clamored to get their iPad Air today, and whilst you might not have too much trouble finding your preferred model at a nearby store, that process could become increasingly difficult as early buyers nab up available inventory. This isn’t a new problem, and one that spurred the creation of the iPhone 5s tracking […]