Apple iPad Air First Look: Fast, Fun and Gorgeous

Apple may be the producer of the most popular tablet on the market, but that doesn't mean the company is content to rest on its laurels. Unveiled on Tuesday, the new iPad Air is a thinner, more powerful version of the company's flagship tablet device.

Mashable Editor in Chief Lance Ulanoff was on site to offer his early impressions of what the new device is really like.

See also: The 25 Best Free iPad Apps

Featuring a significantly thinner form factor, the new tablet offers a perfect solution for users who want the lightness of the iPad mini without sacrificing screen real estate.

Priced at $499 for the 16GB entry-level model and $799 for the 128GB model, the new iPad Air is not only thinner than the iPad 4, but it also features a smaller bezel, making it almost a mirror image of the iPad mini.

The iPad Air officially goes on sale on Nov. 1, but in the meantime, you can watch Ulanoff put the device through its paces in the video above.

1. 

   Tim Cook on Stage

   Apple CEO Tim Cook opens the event.

2. 

   OS X Mavericks

   Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, shows off the features of OS X Mavericks.

3. 

   "Free is good."

   Federighi announced the new price for OS X Mavericks: free. It's available Tuesday.

4. 

   MacBooks

   Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, unveiled updates to the company's line of MacBooks.

5. 

   Mac Pro

   Schiller outlines off the Mac Pro's features.

6. 

   Mac Pro

   Schiller shows the Mac Pro in action.

7. 

   Making of the Mac Pro

   A video captures how the Mac Pro is made.

8. 

   iPads Sold

   Cook says 170 million iPads have been sold.

9. 

   iPad Air

   Schiller reveals the new iPad and its new name: iPad Air. It's thinner, lighter and has a smaller bezel.

10. 

    The New iPad: iPad Air

    The iPad Air will be available in white, black and space gray.

11. 

    iPad Air Specs

    The chip inside the iPad Air is the same as the one in the iPhone 5S, the 64-bit A7.

12. 

    iPad Air and iPad 2

    The iPad 4 gets discontinued, but Apple is keeping the two-year-old iPad 2 in its lineup, starting at $399 for 16GB.

13. 

    New iPad Mini and iPad Air

    The iPad mini also gets a refresh, Schiller revealed.

14. 

    iPad Mini

    The Retina iPad mini has a screen resolution of 2048 x 1536 and maintains the same form-factor as the original.

15. 

    Apple's Line of iPads

    Here are Apple's new iPads and their pricing.

16. 

17. 

    Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

    The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, the night before Apple's product launch took place here.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

Image: Carl Court/AFP/Getty Images