This is the exciting new M1 iPad Air.
To me, this is probably the best value for money iPad that you can get right now.
But to really enjoy this iPad fully, you may need some accessories.
But don’t panic.
I appreciate that you work hard for your cash so please don’t see this video as things
you must buy all at once.
As a content creator and tech consultant, I accumulated and use multiple devices and…
I need that portability of the iPad Air… as well as tools that allow me to stay productive,
whether at home in the office or at a cafe.
In this video I will share a few ideas with you and show you how I use the M1 iPad Air
and what accessories I chose to keep me productive.
And hopefully that will help you too.
**Storage options** Starting with storage options.
As you probably already know, one of the tradeoffs of the iPad Air is storage space.
Whether you choose the 64GB which I did or 128Gb, let’s face it.
That’s not going to be a lot of storage in the long run.
By the time you add some apps and download some songs and photos, you’re not left with
a lot of space.
Which is where external storage comes in.
I use this 2TB Sandisk and this 1TB Samsung T5.
The transfer speeds on the M1 iPad Air are not as great as what you’d get on the M1
iPad Pro but here is a simple comparison of moving a large file between the iPad and the
external drive.
By the way.
I recommend deleting the Files App from the iPad.
It’s probably the most useless app you will ever see.
File Explorer or File Browser will do a much better job.
Remember we have USB 3.1 Gen 2 here on the iPad Air and not Thunderbolt 4.
This is areal use case for me, it’s a fairly large video file, about 3GB and as you can
see it took less than 10 seconds connected directly to the iPad.
I do like the cable that comes with the Sandisk
as it’s nice and short but I prefer these short cables that you can get too, just make
sure you go for the 10GB one to make sure you are getting decent transfer speeds.
There are some hubs that I recommend for the M1 iPad Pro like this one here from OWC but
the iPad Air doesn’t seem to like it, especially for large files so I will keep testing options
and will do another video when I find one.
But because the iPad Air for me is more of a on-the-go tablet, this doesn’t bother
me as it’s very unlikely for me to use this connected to a hub.
**Stands**
I do use a stand though depending on what I am doing, and this is the beautiful Satechi
stand.
It has more features than I need like a HDMI and USB ports but I mainly use it for the
SD cards to transfer photos and videos from my camera and it looks awesome.
Because it doesn’t need any power, and it folds up neatly...it’s also extremely portable.
**Cover / Keyboard** Now, the iPad is not complete for me until
you add a keyboard.
I have a couple of options here for you depending on your needs and budget.
Both are excellent options.
This is the Logitech Folio Touch keyboard.
I chose the touch option because of my previous point on mobility.
I don’t want to carry a mouse with me so having the keyboard and trackpad is perfect.
The trackpad on this keyboard is actually larger than the one on the Magic Keyboard.
This kickstand at the back is very sturdy too, which means you can actually use this
on your lap, no problem!
It has many more viewing angles than the Magic Keyboard too which is great!
And it doesn’t stop there!
The Logitech has another advantage over the Magic keyboard in that it offers you these
iPadOS specific keys at the top.
Brightness, volume, home key and search.
It’s only small things but when you are in the flow of multitasking, it’s quite
nice not to have to touch the screen at all, everything is here.
They have a sand version too which looks great, I went for the dark version.
It has a nice cutout here for the Apple Pencil which is well designed and I love the fact
you can simply detach the keys and keep the case.
So if you are really busy, someone calls you and you don’t want to take the whole thing
with you, no worries, leave the keyboard on the desk and off you go.
The Apple Magic Keyboard is… what can I say?
Worth every penny.
It’s light, it’s very stylish and the keys are extremely comfortable.
Despite the smaller size in comparison with the 12 inch version, it is still providing
a very nice experience.
I always feel very chilled when typing on this.
And just listen to the sound!
Really great keyboard.
But if I was to rank one, I’d say the Logitech Combo offers much better value for money.
Now if I am typing for longer periods, say over 3-4 hours...
I actually use my full size Logitech CRAFT keyboard paired with my Logitech MX Master
3.
As you probably already know, this combo can connect to up to 3 devices, so I can switch
between the MacBook Pro, the iPad or the TabS8 for example.
I will do another video on how I use the Tab S8 Ultra and the Dex feature but yes, the
Logitech stuff is great.
Sounds like I am doing an ad for Logitech, but honestly none these have been sent to
me, and this is not a sponsored video - I bought these all myself and it’s just very
good stuff!
The Apple Pencil is another fantastic accessory that yes.. you can live without but for taking
notes and drawing it is just perfect.
And for me, rather than using a screen protector on the iPad, I prefer to use one of these
pen tips.
I am not recommending you don’t have a screen protector but for me, I love the feel of the
glass and I personally don’t want anything between my eyes and the iPad, but that’s
just my preference.
So these pen tips are great for me.
They make the whole writing a lot smoother and less slippery.
You get a lot more control when you use these pen tips!
If I was to choose a case, then I’d go for the Mous case for protection and functionality.
I am 100% biased towards Mous products and you can watch a full review of this case that
I did, including an iPad drop test!
(Yes, that’s how much I trust them!)
And I will make sure to leave a link here for you.
**Gaming** It’s not all about work though right?
And sometimes it’s great to grab the PS5 Controller and play a few games on the iPad.
Or if you have a 19 year old like me, this is a nice way of scoring some brownie points
with your children!
Having the PS5 controller is a lovely way to play games and the screen quality is fantastic
even for more demanding games like Genshin Impact.
The audio quality is pretty good too considering the size here.
Personally I prefer to use earbuds or headphones when I am playing and for that I use one of
my favourite earbuds which are the EarFun Free 2.
I did a full review of them too, they are not expensive at all and what I really like
about them apart from the great sound quality is the comfort aspect.
I’ve tried all of the Apple AirPods and sadly just can’t get used to them.
My ears are not very Apple friendly so these from Earfun are just great, very comfy and
I can wear them for hours without feeling fatigued.
They actually have a low latency mode which is great for gaming.
It uses a bit more battery but it’s definitely worth it.
**Power options?** Talking about battery, I can’t recommend
these enough.
This is the Anker PowerCore III.
This is a 19,000 mAh delivering 60W fast charging capabilities to the iPad.
If I am really honest, this is probably overkill for the iPad.
But if you want peace of mind...
This is the one.
Perfect when you are travelling or commuting for work or enjoying the outdoors!
Anker have cheaper (and more expensive options), this one is sort of in the middle but I take
this everywhere.
Whether with the iPad Air, Pro or even the laptop.
This thing will charge at 60W so it’s good enough even for bigger machines like the MacBook
Pro!
It has saved my bacon many many times!!
The iPad Air for me is small enough that it really doesn’t need a bag but I love my
Peak design camera bag and because its so well padded it will keep my iPad Air free
of scratches and dents.
I covered this bag in more detail on this video right here but if you like iPad accessories
videos check this playlist here as well and don’t forget to subscribe for more cool
videos.
And I will see you and your smiling faces on the next one!