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Larry Magid: First Impressions Of Apple's iPad Air

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — Apple officially began selling its new iPad Air to customers on Friday. I was at the Apple Store in Palo Alto and while the store was somewhat crowded, there were no lines out front.

This is less of a spectacle than we've come to see with their big iPhone releases. The iPad Air is nice; it's thinner, lighter, and quite frankly, it feels like a lighter iPad.

The fact that it's faster isn't that big of a deal to me, because I didn't think the old version was that slow. When you're watching video in bed, it's kind of nice to have something lighter. The older version was slightly bulkier and would wear on me.

It's nothing revolutionary, but it is a slight improvement. The battery life is good, it has a more efficient processor and they start at $499 (prices can vary). It should also be noted that Apple will be keeping around older versions of the iPad that are less expensive.

Next month, the iPad Mini will be out and should include the higher resolution Retina Display.

First Impressions of iPad Air

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