Apple held its Peek Performance spring event today, where it announced a bunch of new products: an iPhone SE with 5G, a new desktop Mac, and an upgraded discrete 5K display. It also announced the new 2022 iPad Air, which retains the $599 price of 2020's model and packs Apple's M1 chip — the same one that powers the newest iPad Pro and several Mac laptops and desktops.

The $599 iPad Air being as powerful as the $799 iPad Pro puts it in an interesting position. The iPad Pro has a better display at 120Hz, more storage at 128 gigs (the base Air comes with 64), and better cameras, among other relatively minor perks. Storage space aside, though, there's nothing especially Pro about the iPad Pro anymore; whatever professional tasks you're thinking about doing with an iPad Pro can now be done just as effectively with an iPad Air. The Air's also getting 5G-enabled options and an upgraded front-facing camera that supports Apple's Center Stage feature.

The new Air is a tempting alternative to even the best Android tablets, including Samsung's Tab S8 series. While the base-model Tab S8 does have a 120Hz display and comes with an S Pen for free, it costs $100 more than the new iPad Air at retail — and a lot of potential buyers prioritize Apple's tablet ecosystem when shopping tablets in this price range. There's the app situation we're all familiar with, but the iPad Air is also compatible with Apple's great accessories: any case or keyboard that fits the 11-inch iPad Pro or the 2020 iPad Air also fits the 2022 iPad Air.

As a longtime Android fan, I've never been particularly fond of Android tablets — more often than not, I find myself reaching for last year's iPad Mini over other options at my disposal like the Galaxy Tab S7 FE. The prospect of a $599 iPad with the same horsepower as my desktop computer is extremely appealing to me — and I have to think a lot of other Mac users feel the same way, regardless of what phone they carry.