Most hardcore Apple fans have their own internal definition of what is “Apple-like”. You usually hear that term when Apple releases something without their normal level of fit and finish. Or when they do something seemingly more aligned to drive revenue than improve the customer experience. My definition came from the iPhone 5 era. When I took that phone out of the box, it was so light, it felt like a dummy display unit. Thinner, lighter, faster….it really did feel like one of those “only Apple” things they mention in their keynotes.

Which brings me to the latest reports about the dimensions of the upcoming iPad Pros. If these details are true, it looks like the 11-inch Pro will get a roughly 10% thickness reduction to 5.1mm. But the 12.9, soon to be 13 inch iPad Pro will be an impressive 20-ish percent thinner. One would logically imagine that this will lead to both of these tablets being significantly lighter than their predecessors. The trade off is that both devices will apparently be physically larger, but I can live with that compromise for this kind of weight loss. Combined with the performance and efficiency improvements of the M3 chip, these devices should be the most Apple-like devices we’ve seen in awhile. At least, by my criteria.

Unsurprisingly, the internet reacted with annoyance, saying the devices should actually be thicker to get better battery life. Its the same line of thinking that has brought us significantly thicker iPhones since the iPhone 6, and a significant thickness and weight increase for the latest MacBook Pros.

Why Make Devices Thinner?

Apple’s (prior) obsession with thinness isn’t just their design team showing off. They’ve mentioned before in keynotes that making devices thinner and lighter is about making them more mobile. And I think that makes sense. Sure, there could come a point where you go too far…..you might argue that happened with the iPhone 6 and the “Bendgate” controversy. That phone also had a host of other problems that made being “too thin” the least of its worries. But it’s hard to dispute that objects that take up less physical space are more portable.

For me, making devices thinner, lighter and faster is just a really impressive engineering feat. Anyone can make a device thicker, that’s easy. But that’s also boring. Making a device that’s radically thin, but still sturdy enough to actually use is peak Apple. I want to see consumer electronics push as close as possible to what we’ve seen for decades in sci-fi and fantasy movies. And those handheld devices are never thick.

What if the iPad Air was more Air-y?

In the MacBook product line, the MacBook Air is named as such because it is the thinnest and lightest laptop in the lineup. In the iPad product line, the iPad Air is a cheaper, mid-range device. It generally shares pretty similar dimensions with the 11-inch iPad Pro, and isn’t any more “Air” than its slightly bigger brother. But wouldn’t it be something if the iPad Air was reimagined as an actual “Air” device that was the thinnest tablet in the lineup? Thin enough to compete with something like the Remarkable tablet? (Looks like the new Pros will get close).

Sometimes I’d like to see the iPad Air (and a hypothetical iPhone Air) be devices that prioritize thinness and lightness over everything else. These products would be for those of us that would actually trade battery life for that additional portability. The iPad Air would be thinner than the Remarkable tablet. The iPhone Air would be thinner than the iPhone 6. I’m almost always near a charger, so battery life is not a huge priority in my buying decisions. Unfortunately, I know I’m in the minority here, and customers seem to be pretty happy with the increased battery life of the latest iPhones and MacBook Pros.

But damn that would be impressive.