The iPad Air, formerly known as the iPad 5, can be purchased this Friday. The 8 a.m. lines will be slow, but the iPad will be super-fast.

Benchmark tests revealed the Air is 80 percent faster than the iPad 4, according to CNET. That means Apple nearly fulfilled its promise of doubling the speed of its fourth generation predecessor.

"With most recent Mac updates showing only modest performance improvements, it's exciting to see iOS devices do the opposite, with substantial improvements between generations," said John Poole, founder of Primate Labs, which tested the Air's processing speed. "I wonder how much longer Apple can keep this up?"

Poole doesn't know if the rapid improvements can be attributed to a larger battery (for more power), a larger chassis (for better cooling), or some combination of both, CNET reported. His lab expects to find a similar result when it tests the new iPad Mini, which won't be available until later this month, according to The Week.

The iPad Air, named for its sleek frame, operates on the same A7 processor as the iPhone 5s, except the Air functions at 1.4 GHz, or 100 MHz faster than the iPhone, according to CNET.

The new iPad runs five times as fast as the iPad 2, which surprised Poole only because the iPad 2 (at $399) is only $100 less, according to CNET.

Early reviews support the superiority of the iPad Air, albeit in other ways, according to The Week.

"If you're in the market for a new tablet, the answer is yes. If you're even considering a new tablet, the answer is yes. Go ahead, throw your money at Apple," said Marc Flores of Tech Radar.

"Rebranding the iPad as the iPad Air is a stroke of marketing genius," said Matt Warman of The Telegraph.

"It's certainly a more attractive design than the old iPad," wrote one PC Pro reveiwer, "but what's most noticeable when you pick it up for the first time, is how much lighter the iPad Air is compared to its predecessor. ... It weighs a mere 454g, which is an astonishing 29 per cent lighter than the old device - it really is a massive improvement."

Murad Ahmed of The Times had mixed feelings.

"There were no significant changes to battery life and it costs are much as its previous version," he wrote. "Apple refused to be drawn into a price war."