iPad Air M2

The iPad Air, now available in both 11-inch and 13-inch models, caters to a variety of needs and preferences. Whether you’re a student always on the move or a designer needing ample screen space for intricate visuals, there’s an option perfectly sized for you. The 11-inch version excels in portability, easily slipping into a small bag or backpack, making it the go-to device for students who juggle between classes and study sessions across campus. Meanwhile, the 13-inch model, with its expanded display, provides 30 percent more screen real estate, offering designers and students the luxury of a bigger canvas to work on complex projects or manage multiple applications side by side with iPadOS’s multitasking features.

Designer: Apple

The 11-inch iPad Air is super-portable, while the 13-inch model provides an even larger display, giving users more room to work, learn, and play.

Beyond size, the iPad Air boasts a Liquid Retina display with advanced technologies such as True Tone, high brightness, and anti-reflective coating, ensuring everything you see is detailed and vibrant. This is crucial when precision in color and detail plays a significant part in your coursework or professional projects. The support for P3 wide color gamut also means that the visuals are not just bright but incredibly accurate, which is especially important for design students and professionals who rely on true-to-life colors for their digital artistry.

The repositioned front-facing camera is another subtle yet impactful enhancement. Set along the landscape edge, the camera automatically keeps you in frame during video calls, thanks to the Center Stage technology. This feature is particularly beneficial now that remote collaboration has become more prevalent in both educational and professional settings. Whether you’re presenting a thesis to your class or brainstorming with colleagues over a video call, the camera adapts dynamically to ensure you are always seen, complemented by dual microphones that focus on your voice while minimizing background noise.

Moved to landscape edge, 12MP Ultra Wide front-facing camera with Center Stage improves call experience.

Performance-wise, the M2 chip in the iPad Air is a big leap forward, bringing not only speed but also efficiency to every task. This chip is tailored for advanced tasks such as photo and video editing, 3D modeling, and large-scale graphic designs, all while maintaining energy efficiency for all-day battery life. This means less time tied to a power outlet and more flexibility to work in settings that inspire you, be it a quiet corner of a library or lounging at your favorite cafe.

Moreover, the iPad Air now supports not only the Apple Pencil (2nd generation) but also the newly introduced Apple Pencil Pro, enhancing its utility for both students and designers. The Apple Pencil Pro includes a new sensor in its barrel that can detect squeezes, enabling users to quickly switch between tools, line weights, and colors effortlessly—ideal for designers working in applications such as Affinity Designer 2. Additionally, its custom haptic feedback provides tactile responses to actions like squeezing or double-tapping, enhancing the user’s interaction by confirming their inputs in a way that feels intuitive and direct. The inclusion of a gyroscope allows for fine control over tool orientation, mimicking the real-world experience of rotating a pen to achieve the desired stroke or effect.

Apple Pencil Pro enhances creativity with squeeze, barrel roll, and haptic feedback for intuitive marking, note-taking, and design in apps like Affinity Designer 2.

For those who are prone to misplacing their tools, the Apple Pencil Pro introduces support for Apple’s Find My network, a first for Apple’s stylus line. Both the Apple Pencil Pro and the Apple Pencil (2nd generation) attach magnetically to the side of the iPad Air, where they also charge, ensuring they are always ready for use and conveniently stored. This versatility makes the iPad Air an even more attractive option for anyone looking to maximize their productivity and creative output, whether they are annotating documents, taking detailed notes, sketching out a design, or navigating through complex creative software.

Connectivity is also an important feature of the iPad Air’s appeal. With the introduction of Wi-Fi 6E and the option for 5G connectivity, the device ensures that you can work from anywhere without lag or interruption. This is particularly valuable for students who need to download large resources quickly or for designers who must upload high-resolution files to cloud-based platforms.

Magic Keyboard: Floating cantilever design, magnetic attachment, multiple viewing angles, integrated trackpad, USB-C pass-through charging, and full iPad protection.

Traveling with tech can sometimes feel like a balancing act between staying productive and managing your gear effectively, especially for someone like myself who’s always on the move. One of the standout features of the iPad Air, from my perspective, is its versatility—particularly the ability to detach it from the Magic Keyboard. This becomes incredibly handy during air travel. Picture this: you’re on a flight, deeply absorbed in your latest design project or perhaps the climax of your favorite Netflix series. Just as the airplane prepares for takeoff, the usual announcement comes over the PA: “Please stow your laptops.” However, thanks to the iPad Air’s detachable setup, you can continue your work or entertainment seamlessly by simply detaching the iPad from its keyboard. It’s moments like these where the iPad Air proves its worth, allowing you to maintain your creative or entertainment zone without a hitch.

In terms of the operating system, I appreciate the straightforward and efficient design of iPadOS 17. It simplifies daily tasks and enhances user interaction, making everything from navigation to app management feel more fluid. The customization options in iPadOS 17 are particularly notable; they allow you to tailor the Lock Screen on both the 11-inch and new 13-inch displays. This personalization capability lets you set unique wallpapers and choose expressive fonts that truly reflect your personal style.

As WWDC 2024 approaches, while iPadOS 17 certainly gets the job done, I’m eager to see what iPadOS 18 will bring to the iPad. Anticipating new features and enhancements that could further refine and expand the functionality of this already versatile device adds an exciting layer of potential for iPad users looking forward to the next evolution in their device’s capabilities.

Interactive widgets on iPadOS 17 are also great for productivity. Imagine being able to glance at your screen and tap a widget to immediately capture a brilliant idea in the Notes app or adjust your schedule in Calendar. This kind of immediate interaction is perfect for someone who needs to stay flexible and react quickly to changes, which is often the case in both travel and creative professions.

iPad Air with M2 uses AI for features like Subject Lift, Visual Look Up, and Live Text.

The enhancements to Messages and FaceTime add a layer of fun and convenience. With new sticker features and the ability to leave video messages, staying connected feels more personal and engaging. For professionals, the Continuity Camera feature is particularly impressive. You can start a video call on your iPad Air and seamlessly hand it off to Apple TV, making it perfect for professional presentations or casual catch-ups.

Freeform’s new tools for drawing and collaboration are a boon for creatives. Whether you’re sketching out a quick concept or organizing a project with teammates, these tools make it easy to bring your ideas to life. And for someone who frequently deals with contracts or creative briefs, the enhanced PDF capabilities in the Notes app can be incredibly efficient, allowing you to annotate, fill out forms, and collaborate without ever needing to print or scan anything.

Lastly, the inclusion of features like Stage Manager, which lets you handle multiple overlapping windows, is ideal for multitasking. This feature, combined with AI-driven capabilities like Live Captions and intelligent accessibility features, ensures that the iPad Air isn’t just keeping up with the demands of mobile professionals and creatives—it’s anticipating them.

Every Apple product I’ve used, from my M1 MacBook Pro to an iPhone 12 Pro Max or a three-year-old iPad Pro with an M1 chip, continues to hold immense value. Remarkably, there has been very little performance degradation, and none feels obsolete. This changelessness is largely thanks to Apple’s timeless design concepts, which are consistently implemented across the product line.

Moreover, the new iPad Air reflects Apple’s ongoing commitment to environmental responsibility. It is crafted with 100% recycled aluminum for its enclosure, utilizes 100% recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, and features 100% recycled gold plating and tin soldering in multiple printed circuit boards. These efforts are complemented by packaging that is entirely fiber-based, aligning with Apple’s goal to eliminate plastic from all packaging by 2025. As part of a broader commitment, Apple aims to be carbon neutral across its entire manufacturing supply chain and the life cycle of every product by 2030. These steps not only reflect Apple’s dedication to reducing its environmental footprint but also enhance the appeal of the iPad Air to environmentally conscious consumers.

Whether you’re considering an upgrade or this might be your first Apple product, you can trust that in the next year, or even the year after, you won’t feel the need to upgrade unless you choose to. Apple’s commitment to quality, forward-thinking design, and environmental sustainability ensures that its products not only meet current demands but continue to remain relevant and perform excellently well into the future.

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Here’s an unusual furniture niche: Powered behind-the-sofa consoles. Michigan-based builder Mitten State Woodworks specializes in them, offering depths as narrow as 3″, and as wide as 11″. The other dimensions are up to you and the size of your sofa.

A built-in outlet provides two standard plugs and two USB-A ports. You can spec additional outlets.

They offer them in Oak, Maple, Pine and Walnut and with a variety of staining options:

Non-powered units are also available.

Prices obviously vary according to dimensions, powered/non-powered and wood species, and are in the $80 to $200 range.

It’s an intriguing category; the “design” work is minimal, as is the construction (sadly, pocket hole screws, from what I could see in the grainy user review photos). And because of the application there’s no need to design the pieces to stand on their own. One thing I’d add, however, is some kind of felt to the back, to protect the wall’s paint. If these have such a feature, it’s not listed in the descriptions.

This striking ANC stool…

…was CNC-milled from an aluminum slab. Once the parts are folded, the diamond-shaped key is bolted into place, holding it all together.

It was designed by Swiss design consultancy Panter & Tourron. The motivation behind the piece is somewhat paradoxical:

“ANC…reflects the role of the designer and the machine in times of global automation. The name pays homage to the Arts and Crafts movement from the 19th century. Strongly anti-industrial, the movement was promoting a return to the traditional and medieval man-made arts and crafts forms.

“The [stool] celebrates the inner aesthetic and beauty of the trace of the machine. Envisioned primarily out of functionality rather than decoration, the objects are produced through heavy CNC milling on flat aluminum boards and presented here as machine-made sculptures.”

The Arts & Crafts movement was anti-industrial, arguing that machine-made goods were ugly and didn’t adhere to established design principles. Though Panter & Tourron are wielding an industrially-produced CNC mill here, I suppose their point is that this is the chisel and mallet of our day, and that they have used it to create something soulful.

Appropriately, this is not a production piece; it was created for the Geneva-based design gallery NOV, whose mission is to highlight emerging Swiss designers.

To most people outside of that community, a skateboard is nothing more than a wooden plank on wheels with sometimes outrageous artwork painted on it. The probably surprising reality is that a great deal of design and engineering goes into making these skateboards to keep them aerodynamic while also light and sturdy. While it’s fine to stick to nearly perfected traditions when it comes to materials and processing, there’s also a need to push the envelope in order to design a product that will not only stand the test of time but will also help the planet last a little bit longer as well. That’s the kind of innovation that this seemingly normal sustainable skateboard brings to the market with a little help from airplane maker Airbus.

Designer: François Jaubert

To be fair, much of a skateboard’s composition, particularly its deck, already uses sustainable materials like wood. That said, there’s also such a thing as the overuse of fresh wood, which can lead to deforestation and other related environmental consequences. While skateboards themselves can be recycled or upcycled, the use of recycled materials like recycled wood hasn’t exactly born much fruit.

Enter the Trashboard, a sustainable design that uses recycled materials that aren’t wood. Building upon an earlier project that successfully used packaging cardboard to make a surfboard, the Trashboard combines recycled and upcycled materials to make a unique deck that still feels like the genuine item. In particular, it uses upcycled carbon from discarded aeronautic components courtesy of Airbus to minimize the use of raw new materials. It also uses compressed recycled cardboard for the deck’s flex core and binds the layers together using bio-sourced epoxy resin.

From the outside, you wouldn’t even realize that the Trashboard is made differently. It still retains the same standard form that gives skateboards their smooth gliding power, and it also has rather artistic prints, though leaning more towards a monochromatic tone that gives the decks a more elegant aesthetic. All in all, Trashboard promises to deliver the same exhilarating cruising experience, while also allowing skaters to share in the responsibility of helping keep our planet alive.

The post Trashboard is a more sustainable skateboard that uses recycled aircraft carbon first appeared on Yanko Design.

Architecture is a fluid art that blends various periods and styles while architectural history can be used as a method for tracking the development of architecture or buildings across diverse cultures and time periods, starting from the Stone Age to ancient Egyptian architecture and the building edifices of the modern era. Additionally, the construction styles have evolved across different centuries in different parts and civilizations of the world. Let’s delve into the architectural timeline, which spans from prehistoric times to the mid-20th century, and explore the different eras across various social and cultural backgrounds, influenced by early civilizations, religion, and social shifts.

Image courtesy of: wirestock

1. Prehistoric Architecture (11,600 BCE -3,500 BCE)

Prehistoric architecture refers to an era where there were no records of written history and shelters were primarily used for protection and storage of food out of organic materials like mud, foliage, stone, and animal products such as bone and hide. During this period some tombs and ceremonial structures were also constructed and these were often circular to reflect the celestial design. Stonehenge forms one of the first prehistoric monuments that was built nearly 5,000 years ago.

Image courtesy of: wirestock

2. Ancient Egyptian Architecture (3050 BCE – 900 BCE)

The ancient Egyptian civilization spans over 3000 years and one of the most notable examples of Egyptian architecture is the pyramids. The materials used for the excavated temples, palaces, and tombs were constructed using local materials like mud brick and limestone. The construction included the post and lintel method and many structures were aligned astronomically. Additionally, the structures included intricate carvings that were adorned with paint, but the paint has eroded over time.

Image courtesy of: Unai82

Image courtesy of: Givaga

3. Mesopotamian Architecture (3200 BCE – 330 BCE)

Mesopotamian architecture forms the ancient architecture along the Tigris and the Euphrates. Some of the key achievements in Mesopotamian architecture include contributions towards urban planning and using the concept of courtyard houses. Another notable structure of this civilization was the design of the Ziggurats which was a massive structure in the form of a terraced step pyramid constructed with receding stories that led to a temple at the summit.

Image courtesy of: wirestock

4. Ancient Greek Architecture (900 and 30 BCE)

Ancient Greek architecture is renowned for its temples like the Parthenon, processional gateways, public squares enclosed by storied colonnades, town council buildings, public monuments, grand tombs, and stadiums. Temples, in particular, were conceived as sculptural entities harmonizing with their landscapes, often situated on elevated terrain to showcase their proportions and play with light. This architectural tradition introduced the division of styles into three orders: the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, profoundly influencing later Western architecture.

Image courtesy of: sokorspace

Image courtesy of: Netfalls

5. Ancient Roman Architecture (600 BCE – CE 476)

Ancient Roman architecture, initially influenced by Greek design, evolved into a distinct style, considered part of classical architecture. Thriving during the Roman Republic and Empire, it produced the most surviving structures. Romans used innovative materials like concrete and technologies such as arches and domes, resulting in sturdy buildings. This style emerged during the Imperial period, blending Etruscan and Greek elements, giving rise to classical architecture. It shifted from column-and-lintel construction to massive walls with arches and domes. The Roman architecture featured grand public structures, engineering marvels, and improvements in housing and sanitation, elevating living standards.

Image courtesy of: Givaga

Image courtesy of: a_medvedkov

6. Byzantine Architecture (330 – 554)

Byzantine architecture was the architectural style of the Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire which spans from 330 AD, marked by Constantine the Great’s establishment of a new Roman capital in Byzantium (later Constantinople), to the empire’s fall in 1453. Notably, the early Byzantine architectural style is distinguishable from earlier Roman architecture in both aesthetics and structure as it developed into a distinct artistic and cultural entity, centered on the new capital of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), rather than Rome and its surroundings.

Hagia Sophia

Image courtesy of: tatiana_bralnina

Image courtesy of: ABBPhoto

7. Romanesque Architecture (790 – 1150)

Romanesque architecture, characterized by semi-circular arches, emerged in medieval Europe, and it evolved into the Gothic style, recognizable by its pointed arches. Romanesque architecture blends elements from ancient Roman, Byzantine, and local traditions, featuring robust construction with thick walls, round arches, sturdy pillars, barrel vaults, tall towers, and decorative arcades. Structures display clear, often symmetrical forms, emphasizing simplicity compared to later Gothic edifices. While numerous castles were constructed during this era, churches predominate, with notable abbey churches still in use today.

Image courtesy of: ABBPhoto

8. Gothic Architecture (1130-1500)

Gothic architecture, prevalent in Europe, evolved from Romanesque architecture and originated in northern France. The distinctive feature that defines Gothic architecture is the pointed or ogival arch, which, in turn, gave rise to the emergence of pointed rib vaults and flying buttresses, complemented by intricate tracery and stained-glass windows. Gothic architecture is evident in ecclesiastical buildings like cathedrals and churches, as well as castles, palaces, town halls, universities, and more.

Statuary of the West Front of Salisbury Cathedral

Image courtesy of: clodio

9. Renaissance Architecture (1400 – 1600)

Renaissance architecture marked a deliberate revival of elements from ancient Greek and Roman culture. The Renaissance style prioritized symmetry, proportion, geometry, and regularity, drawing inspiration from classical antiquity, especially ancient Roman architecture. It featured orderly arrangements of columns, pilasters, lintels, semicircular arches, hemispherical domes, niches, and aediculae, departing from the complex proportional systems and irregular profiles of medieval buildings.

Florence Baptistry

10. Baroque Architecture (1584 -1750)

Baroque architecture, emerging in early 17th-century Italy, promoted by the Catholic Church, aimed for astonishment and awe. Architects heightened and adorned Renaissance elements, using quadratura, trompe-l’œil, and gilding to create heavenly illusions. Dramatic lighting, sculpted angels, twisted columns, and elaborate decorations defined the opulent style, notably in grand palaces. Baroque can be broadly classified into Early Baroque, High Baroque, and Late Baroque styles.

Image courtesy of: frimufilms

Image courtesy of: wirestock

11. Rococo Architecture (1723-1759)

Rococo is a highly decorative and theatrical architectural and artistic style marked by asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, pastel colors, sculpted molding, and trompe-l’œil frescoes, aiming to create surprise, motion, and drama. Rococo exudes exuberant decoration with abundant curves, undulations, and nature-inspired elements. Exteriors are typically simple, while interiors are ornate, aiming to impress immediately. Complex floor plans with interlocking ovals are common in churches, while palaces feature grand staircases offering varied perspectives of the décor.

Eglise Notre-Dame, Bordeaux

Ceiling of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, by Piazzetta

12. Neoclassical Architecture (1640-1850)

Neoclassical architecture, also known as Classical Revival architecture, aimed to return to a purer classical style, shedding the excesses of Late Baroque while adapting to contemporary needs. This architectural style emphasizes wall structure over ornamentation, emphasizing symmetry, simple geometry, and societal function. It contrasts with the naturalistic ornamentation of the Rococo style and incorporates classicizing features from the Late Baroque tradition.

Oudenbosch Basilica

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel

13. Modern Architecture (1900 to Present)

Modern architecture, or modernist architecture, is an architectural style rooted in innovative construction technologies, including glass, steel, and reinforced concrete. It emphasizes functionalism, minimalism, and the elimination of ornamentation. Emerging in the early 20th century, it dominated architecture after World War II until the 1980s when it gave way to postmodern architecture.

Designer: Frank Lloyd Wright

Designers: Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret

14. Postmodern Architectural History (1964 to Present)

Postmodern architecture, emerging in the ’70s and ’80s, reacted against modernism and the international style by revisiting architectural history through references, quotations, and sampling. It aimed to reconnect with the public, resulting in a diverse range of buildings blending classicism and contemporary elements to create innovative designs.

Designer: Frank Gehry

Petronas Twin Towers

Image courtesy of: GaudiLab

Image courtesy of: tampatra

Burj Khalifa

Image courtesy of: photocreo

Image courtesy of: wirestock

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