new ipads are great,

but DO YOU NEED IT?

iPad Air 2, $499; Mini 3, $399

Let's get this out of the way first: Apple's new iPads are the best tablets on the market today. The iPad Air 2, the company's new top-of-the-line device, is substantially faster than its predecessor, which was already more powerful than just about every rival. It sports a terrific minimalist design, almost a millimeter and a half thinner than last year's pretty skinny iPad Air. And both the new Air and the iPad Mini 3, Apple's latest small tablet, include TouchID and Apple Pay, Apple's fingerprint scanner and payment system, which are handy innovations that make signing into apps and shopping online much easier.

So these are fantastic tablets. The question is: Do you need a fantastic tablet?

Apple's new machines are expensive. The iPad Air 2 starts at $499, and the iPad Mini 3 starts at $399, but both entry-level models have only 16 gigabytes of storage space. To get the most out of either device you really should pay the $100 upgrade to 64 gigabytes. But is it wise to spend $500 or $600 or more for a tablet, or can you get by with a marginal device that costs hundreds of dollars less?

For that matter, do you need a tablet at all? A lot of people are already swimming in computers, from a desktop to a laptop to a smartphone to an e-reader. Where does the iPad fit in that world?

Whether you should take a leap on Apple's new Air depends entirely on how you use your other devices. If you're not a big fan of personal computers and you don't really like having your nose stuck in your phone all day, the iPad Air 2 might be for you. The iPad Air 2 is powerful enough to use as your main or secondary computer, after your phone, especially if you use your tablet as a replacement PC on the go, and if you're looking to play processor-intensive games or run media-editing software.

As for the iPad Mini 3, Apple's other new tablet, there is less to recommend it. Unlike the Air 2, the new Mini has not been upgraded with Apple's latest processor. This means that internally, it is almost identical to last year's iPad Mini 2, which Apple is still selling for $299 and up. The primary difference is that the iPad Mini 3 has a TouchID fingerprint scanner and has one more color option, gold. Unless you're going to be doing a lot of Apple Pay shopping or you're gaga for gold, it's best to save the $100 and go with the Mini 2.

NEW YORK TIMES