5 Windows 8 Tablets That Beat the iPad Air

Apple’s iPad Air tablet is the gold standard to which all other tablets are compared. It used to be that nothing else could come close to offering the wealth of features and lightweight design that are the iPad’s trademarks. Then, Microsoft launched Windows 8 and by taking some pretty drastic steps here and there, Microsoft has enabled its partners to build tablets that are just as unique and robust as the iPad.

Microsoft has been able to shore up its own iPad rival and convince its own partners to make their own by building on top of the solid foundation that was Windows 8, its latest and operating system for tablets, desktops and portables. In recent months the company has made Windows 8 more compact, so that it can be installed on tablets that don’t have a low amount of storage and still leave room for users to save their photos, videos and pictures. The company has also added toggles that allow users to hide the Start Screen if they choose and started giving away subscriptions to its Office 365 productivity suite.

Read: Windows 8.1 Review

The biggest change of all didn’t even come from Microsoft itself. Many device makers have decided to use Intel processors in their Windows 8 tablets, giving owners the ability to install apps from the Windows Store or on to the Desktop. That means users get to hang on to their essential apps like iTunes.

Here are 5 Windows tablets that are perfect alternatives to the iPad Air.

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