iPad Air 2 sad story.

[fixerman]

As my 70th birthday is fast approaching I decided to treat myself to a new iPad Air 2, pass on my iPad Air1 to my wife and to then offer her old iPad3 on eBay. I duly purchased a 128gb gold iPad Air 2 last Wednesday. I reset and restored both of the ol iPads and sat down to play with my new toy.
Very impressed with all aspects, especially the clarity of the screen. Decided to check out some YouTube videos and was shocked to find that the audio was distorted and the whole of the iPad was subjected to an irritating vibration. Tried several audio sources to discover that the vibration was present on all. I found it most uncomfortable to hold the iPad while any audio was playing. I immediately Googled "iPad Air 2 vibration" to discover that this is a well documented issue.
I visited the Apple Store today to ask for help only to be told that they had never heard of this problem before today. They offered to send the iPad to the workshop for investigation, at which point I requested the Apple Rep to demonstrate an iPad Air 2 from the demonstration display. He played audio on all 4 display models and they were all vibrating just like mine. The only advice I was given was to wear earphones.
I requested a refund and returned home to reset the old iPads. Luckily I had not yet offered the older one on eBay.
How can Apple allow such a fundamental design flaw to go into production?

 

[chscag]

I'm not defending Apple here.... but an iPad Air 2 is not designed to play music or give the same quality sound as on other Apple devices such as a Mac. I can only imagine the vibration is due to the fact the Air is so thin and likewise for the speaker. Glad to hear you received a refund.

 

[RadDave]

I'm not defending Apple here.... but an iPad Air 2 is not designed to play music or give the same quality sound as on other Apple devices such as a Mac. I can only imagine the vibration is due to the fact the Air is so thin and likewise for the speaker. Glad to hear you received a refund.

@ Fixerman - I replaced my aging iPad 2 w/ an iPad Air 2 in December and immediately noted that I could feel the device vibrating as you described but was not that annoyed; plus, a smart cover helped - I agree w/ Chscag statement above in bold, i.e. the Air 2 is remarkably thin and not sure that speaker vibration could be easily avoided - now, a design flaw? I guess that each owner will have an opinion and a level of tolerance?

Now, as to playing music, I have well over 100 hours of MP3 files on my device, and listen to that music using bluetooth (BT) speakers (soundbar for my HDTV, headphones, and several small travel BT speakers) - I've also cabled the Air 2 to my stereo and have also streamed music using the Amazon & Spotify apps - enjoy the other features of this new toy (e.g. retina screen, lightness/thinness, fingerprint technology) to really be that bothered by the vibration. Dave

 

[chas_m]

The "vibration" in the iPad Air and Air 2 is not a flaw, it is a deliberate design choice to use the chassis of the incredibly thin machine to increase resonance and bass in the sound. I noticed immediately upon buying my iPad Air 2 that the sound was MUCH fuller than it had been with my previous unit, the 3rd-gen iPad. The quality of the sound from the iPad Air 2 is very significantly better than any I've previously heard (owned an iPad 1 before buying the iPad 3), with much more bass and a more complete range of sound -- but yes, that creates vibrations.

I can't say it's ever bothered me, but then I mostly listen to music from the iPad using headphones or connected to another sound system, so its a non-issue. If you're unwilling to wear headphones and the vibration bothers you, then I guess the option to return it is the right one for you. For me, this thing is by far the best iPad ever.

 

[fixerman]

I feel that I should respond and close off on this thread.

Let me state my position. I am not an Apple "Fanboy" who adores everything that emulates from Cupertino but I am a just a regular fan who appreciates beautiful engineering and design. I have had every iPad right from the start. I currently have an iPad air one and my wife has my previous model. My main computer is an iMac 27” and my wife has a Macbook Air. I have Apple TVs on all our TV sets. By and large I have been very satisfied with all of these Apple products.

In my opinion, and it is just that, an opinion, the iPad Air 2 is seriously compromised by the poor sound reproduction. The iPad is, first and foremost a handheld device and up to now has performed to a very high standard in this regard. I found that to use the new iPad as a hand held device was unacceptably uncomfortable. It can be said that to use either earphones or bluetooth speakers will overcome this problem but now we are getting into the area of having to find ways to overcome a serious shortfall. In every other way I was totally impressed by the latest iPad but the vibration was a deal breaker for me and it was with great disappointment I had to return the item.

And just to finish, I now have a Samsung Galaxy Pad S 10.5 which is excellent in most respects but in some respects not up to the standard of the iPad Air 2, but the sound reproduction is far and away superior.

 

[chscag]

And just to finish, I now have a Samsung Galaxy Pad S 10.5 which is excellent in most respects but in some respects not up to the standard of the iPad Air 2, but the sound reproduction is far and away superior.

And that's what choice is all about. Apple makes fine products but they are certainly not perfect in everything they do. Anyway, glad to hear you found a tablet that you like.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

The "vibration" in the iPad Air and Air 2 is not a flaw, it is a deliberate design choice to use the chassis of the incredibly thin machine to increase resonance and bass in the sound.

Only you would think something like this, chas. Only you.

I was unaware of the vibration "problem" and just gave it a whirl on my wife's iPad Air 2. Yep, it's there and I totally agree it's very disconcerting to feel all that vibrating while holding it, at least at higher volumes. Now, we don't use our iPads to listen to music, so this is a non-issue to us. I think this is more of a design compromise than a "deliberate design choice". The Air 2 is insanely light and makes my iPad 4 feel like a brick. I'm actually anxious to chuck my iPad 4 for an Air, but I'm holding off until the next gen is released.

There are some options to make this less of a problem, including using headphones for music; use a portable bluetooth speaker (JBL makes some really good ones shaped like a pill); or put it in a case. I wouldn't hold out much hope that Apple will "fix" this problem. It's an issue inherent to the lightweight, thin design and they aren't going to backtrack on this. At best, there may be some margin for adding something to dampen the vibrations some, or at least give options to dial the bass down some (easily provided with an update to iOS). Honestly, getting a case that dampens this to one's liking may be the best option for now. Well it's that; buy an older, heavier, iPad; or switch platforms, which would mean a heavier device anyway. So what difference does it make if you put a case on it an call it a day?

 

[osxx]

Being a music lover I find sound from any portable device somewhat anemic and so I always attach a set of earbuds or phones for a much better listening experience.

 

[chscag]

Only you would think something like this, chas. Only you.

ROFL! Sometimes chas can be very creative when he apologizes for Apple. This is one of his best.

 

[chas_m]

It's not an apology. I got that information straight from Apple engineer.

 

[chscag]

It's not an apology. I got that information straight from Apple engineer.

We like to tease you chas. Maybe the Apple engineer should be given credit for the apology.

 

[TattooedMac]

Hold on to your hats people, but I agree wholeheartedly with Chas on this.
Being a major step up from even its predecessor, this iPad Air 2 gives off amazing sound, considering what it is.
Let me ask you this. Have you ever had a decent set of Speakers for your home Audio ?? I have, and have to say, when these things where pumped up, I couldn't bare put my hands on them, due to the vibration, and even had to find a suitable base for them, to stop them moving across my polished floorboards.

Bigger, better speakers, give off more percussion, and because these bigger better speakers in the iPad Air 2's, as Chas has pointed out, use the body/casing of the iPad to help the sound out.

I have the BELKIN QODE Ultimate Pro Keyboard Case for iPad Air 2 and the way this works, is it has a little channel at the base of the cover, the iPad sits in, and this channel, amplifies the sound, like I haven't seen before.

I can sit this at the other end of the coffee table, and have this beautiful sound reach me, and be so very clear and deep, it isn't funny.

At the OP, all I can say is you are missing out on a great experience. I really can't think of any situation that I need the volume up that far, while I have it in my hands anyway, and this is coming form a person that isn't a fan boy . . . . Just because we defend a product doesn't make us one !!!

 

[Lifeisabeach]

It's not an apology. I got that information straight from Apple engineer.

OMG... there's TWO of you??? Look, what he calls a "design choice" I would call a "design compromise". I wouldn't want to use my wife's iPad Air 2 while listening to music. Not with how much it's vibrating in my hands. That's insane.

Hold on to your hats people, but I agree wholeheartedly with Chas on this.
Being a major step up from even its predecessor, this iPad Air 2 gives off amazing sound, considering what it is.
Let me ask you this. Have you ever had a decent set of Speakers for your home Audio ?? I have, and have to say, when these things where pumped up, I couldn't bare put my hands on them, due to the vibration, and even had to find a suitable base for them, to stop them moving across my polished floorboards.

Bigger, better speakers, give off more percussion, and because these bigger better speakers in the iPad Air 2's, as Chas has pointed out, use the body/casing of the iPad to help the sound out.
I have the BELKIN QODE Ultimate Pro Keyboard Case for iPad Air 2 and the way this works, is it has a little channel at the base of the cover, the iPad sits in, and this channel, amplifies the sound, like I haven't seen before.

I can sit this at the other end of the coffee table, and have this beautiful sound reach me, and be so very clear and deep, it isn't funny.

I totally get this (I have a respectable home theater system myself, with proper tower speakers up front, not those puny cheap "surround sound" speaker sets), but here's the problem... no one holds their home audio speakers while playing music. And truthfully, anyone who cares THAT much about the sound would be better served by remote speakers or headphones anyway.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

The Air 2 is insanely light and makes my iPad 4 feel like a brick. I'm actually anxious to chuck my iPad 4 for an Air, but I'm holding off until the next gen is released.

Well so much for me waiting on the next gen iPad. I used my wife's iPad Air 2 for a week while we were off from work. That weekend, I looked at my wife and said that I can't go back to the iPad 4, so I went out and picked up a new one. Honestly, I really couldn't. I've had the iPad 1 and iPad 4 and have always thought they were too heavy. I tried the iPad mini when they first came out, but that was too small for my liking. The Air 2 is downright perfect. I can hold it comfortably while sitting in a chair for extended periods. The older iPads would lead to muscle fatigue after a few minutes. The vibration thing is really annoying, but I don't use my iPad for music or videos, so I rarely encounter it.

 

[RadDave]

Well so much for me waiting on the next gen iPad. I used my wife's iPad Air 2 for a week while we were off from work. That weekend, I looked at my wife and said that I can't go back to the iPad 4, so I went out and picked up a new one. Honestly, I really couldn't. I've had the iPad 1 and iPad 4 and have always thought they were too heavy. I tried the iPad mini when they first came out, but that was too small for my liking. The Air 2 is downright perfect. I can hold it comfortably while sitting in a chair for extended periods. The older iPads would lead to muscle fatigue after a few minutes. The vibration thing is really annoying, but I don't use my iPad for music or videos, so I rarely encounter it.

Same here concerning the 'footprint' of the iPad Air 2 which replaced my old iPad 2 - after using the Air 2 for a few days, the old device felt like a brick!

I play just a handful of games on my iPad (mostly card & number ones) but occasionally a golf app (Tiger Woods) & an arcade pinball game (shown below) - NOW that pinball game w/ the sound up and the vibration of the device brings back my days as a kid when I loved playing the old pinball machines!

As to music, I do have well over a hundred hours of MP3 files on the device which I listen to mainly on trips but through a BT speaker or BT headphones - at home, I'll stream Pandora & Spotify to my BT soundbar on the HDTV, so 'music vibration' is just not an issue for me - if I did not have the BT options, then a good set of plug-in headphones would be my solution. Dave
.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

I play just a handful of games on my iPad (mostly card & number ones) but occasionally a golf app (Tiger Woods) & an arcade pinball game (shown below) - NOW that pinball game w/ the sound up and the vibration of the device brings back my days as a kid when I loved playing the old pinball machines!

Speaking of pinball games... are you familiar with the Pro Pinball series? Hands-down, the most realistic pinball games ever made, and that was back in the late 90's. The developers got the rights back to the series, successfully got a Kickstarter campaign funded to remaster the second table (Timeshock), and that is out now for iOS. You absolutely MUST check it out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41TPWfgoP-E

I'm anxiously awaiting them to finish remastering it for OS X so they can get started on the rest of the tables. Till then, I actually have the original Windows games running on OS X using Wineskin.

 

[RadDave]

Speaking of pinball games... are you familiar with the Pro Pinball series? Hands-down, the most realistic pinball games ever made, and that was back in the late 90's. The developers got the rights back to the series, successfully got a Kickstarter campaign funded to remaster the second table (Timeshock), and that is out now for iOS. You absolutely MUST check it out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41TPWfgoP-E

Thanks! Did check out the link and also did an App store DL of the pinball game - the graphics are spectacular - not sure what the 'paid' versions ($2.99 or $6.99 for standard & deluxe editions, respectively) add, so any input would be helpful. Dave

 

[Lifeisabeach]

Thanks! Did check out the link and also did an App store DL of the pinball game - the graphics are spectacular - not sure what the 'paid' versions ($2.99 or $6.99 for standard & deluxe editions, respectively) add, so any input would be helpful. Dave

I have the deluxe version due to backing it on Kickstarter, so I'm not sure myself what the tiers involve. I know the deluxe edition in particular adds a glass-off mode so you can move the ball around with your finger.

From the product page, it's free only until you hit 30 million points in single player. Here's the rest:

"You can upgrade at any time to either the Standard version with unlimited multi-player games, or the Deluxe version which also gives you full access to the Operator's Menu (and hundreds of settings) and the brand new Glass-Off Mode."

That operator's menu is literally like a real pinball machine, with settings like number of balls per play; ball saver time; tilt warnings adjustments; and much more. In one of the original tables for Windows (Big Race USA or Fantastic Journey), you could actually adjust the age of the table. I don't see where they implemented it yet for iOS though. Of course, paying for the deluxe helps ensure they'll be able to continue remastering the other tables.

Here's a gameplay video for Big Race USA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WTSFlg8fjw

 

[Nighthawk4]

While I was waiting for my new iPad Air 2 to arrive I dug out my original iPad (the first model - bought on the day they were released of course )

After using an iPad Mini and iPad Mini 2 for some time I could not believe how heavy and slow the original device was. I was very pleased when the new iPad Air 2 arrived. The size of the original (with better resolution) and close to the weight of the smaller device.

Much better


Not noticed any problems with the sound yet.

 

[dtravis7]

Does the IPad Air 2 give you a hand massage when you play music on it loud? Grin

Apple should call it iMassage! Grin