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Apple 3rd Generation iPad (16GB) Wifi - Time to replace?

GIZBUG

GIZBUG

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Oct 28, 2006
2,485
1,670
Chicago, IL
Currently own an A1416, iPad 3rd Gen. Seeing how I can't update past IOS 9.3.5, and 16GB is limiting, would now be the time to upgrade to the latest release, the iPad 2017? Not sure how long people hold onto their iPads, so I'm just curious. Mainly do games, read books and magazines, and surf the web with the iPad.
 
For sure! I would sell that model and get the iPad (2017) at a discount if you can find one. The difference will be incredible.
 
It's probably a good idea to buy now. The iPad (2017) has just been released so you can take full advantage of the product's life cycle.

Many people hang on to their iPads much longer than their phones. It's clear Apple is pushing iPad sales lately. To do so, they will likely encourage shorter replacement cycles. I would not buy an older product like iPad Air 2 and expect updates beyond iOS 12.
 
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Absolutely. Same boat as you OP. Just upgraded and it's a great experience so far.

Everything is so much snappier and the night shift and split screen modes are definently worth it as well.
 
Just upgraded from an iPad 3 too. Day and night difference. If you don't need the pro features the new iPad is a fantastic upgrade.
 
Everyone here is correct, you should go out right now if your not doing anything and purchase the new iPad. You'll enjoy 10-12 hour battery life, A immensely thinner and lighter iPad, brighter display, faster to handle the latest games, also ios 10 and Split View and other productivity benefits.
 
I upgraded from an iPad 3 64GB to the new iPad 128GB, the difference is so stark, probably one of the few good Apple purchases in recent memory. If you feel limited by the storage and performance then the new iPad will definitely shine over the old one. While it is true that some components are slightly inferior than the Pro or even the Air 2 but it is only in context of minimal improvements or features, whereas compared to iPad 3 the new one is a giant leap. The 8800 mAh battery is seriously useful, and the rather low price point for Apple's standard just makes it even better.
 
Chancha said:
I upgraded from an iPad 3 64GB to the new iPad 128GB, the difference is so stark, probably one of the few good Apple purchases in recent memory. If you feel limited by the storage and performance then the new iPad will definitely shine over the old one. While it is true that some components are slightly inferior than the Pro or even the Air 2 but it is only in context of minimal improvements or features, whereas compared to iPad 3 the new one is a giant leap. The 8800 mAh battery is seriously useful, and the rather low price point for Apple's standard just makes it even better.
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Wow the people that waited and used their iPads for 3-4 years have been rewarded, they pay a very low cost and get a iPad that is a monumental upgrade. Now if only Apple could refresh the iPad Pro.
 
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gobikerider said:
Wow the people that waited and used their iPads for 3-4 years have been rewarded, they pay a very low cost and get a iPad that is a monumental upgrade. Now if only Apple could refresh the iPad Pro.
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I forgot to mention, there's just one thing where the iPad 3 has that the new one does not, which is the mute/rotation lock switch! I have muscle memory on where to expect it but now it is the up volume button and I have to go to device control center to access lock which takes 10 times longer...
 
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Chancha said:
I forgot to mention, there's just one thing where the iPad 3 has that the new one does not, which is the mute/rotation lock switch! I have muscle memory on where to expect it but now it is the up volume button and I have to go to device control center to access lock which takes 10 times longer...
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Hmm I prefer it in Control center
 
DNichter said:
I would have sold that junk years ago. I couldn't stand it a few months after I purchased. No offense, of course.
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I remember it's official video from Apple and how, the technology just got out of the way and you didn't think about it, well that was BS because you couldn't do anything without the anemic gpu getting in the way.
 
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Unfortunately, I would disagree. I would wait until iOS 12 will be released, but then again you cannot sell your iPad 3 for the same value as you can now.
It's a two sided thing.
Even if iPhone 5s won't support iOS 12 and if my MacBook Pro 2010 won't run macOS 10.13 I'm going to hold onto my devices.
 
DNichter said:
It was painful. Worst Apple purchase I ever made.
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Quite honestly, while the iPad 3 didn't hold up well with subsequent upgrades, I got really good use out of it as opposed to my iPad 2. It was the first LTE model and I brought mine with me everywhere.

Having been spoiled by the iPhone 4, I wasn't a fan of the pixelated iPad 2 display so it would, at times, languish unused for 2-3 months. Meanwhile, despite only using the iPad 3 for, hmm, 10 months or so, I made very good use of it during that time. Granted, it was running iOS 5 half the time I used it and iOS 6 for the other half so it didn't perform too badly. Also, Safari tabs were kept in memory longer than on the iPad 2. :p
 
A4 and A5X chips are probably the worst of them all, the rest were (and are) pretty good relative to their support cycle.
 
I've had my iPad 3 since launch day. The last major iOS update made it very hard to use. Not impossible. But it was extremely laggy. I'm typing on my new 2017 model right now, and I absolutely love it.

Keep in mind that I've never even held the Air, Air 2 or Pro. But to me, this thing is a gem.
 
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mebehere said:
I've had my iPad 3 since launch day. The last major iOS update made it very hard to use. Not impossible. But it was extremely laggy. I'm typing on my new 2017 model right now, and I absolutely love it.

Keep in mind that I've never even held the Air, Air 2 or Pro. But to me, this thing is a gem.
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Yours is faster then a Air 2 im suprised there are apps now like Microsoft Word that load so slow on a Air 2 while A9+ chips load essentially instant, thats why I switched to Google Suite of apps as they dont have the slow performance and do everything I need
 
gobikerider said:
Yours is faster then a Air 2 im suprised there are apps now like Microsoft Word that load so slow on a Air 2 while A9+ chips load essentially instant, thats why I switched to Google Suite of apps as they dont have the slow performance and do everything I need
Click to expand...

Always good when there's an alternative like you found, especially when you have a machine that isn't relatively old. My iPad was almost a brick with every app. Very happy with my upgrade.
 
Andres Cantu said:
A4 and A5X chips are probably the worst of them all, the rest were (and are) pretty good relative to their support cycle.
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The thing is A4 (on iPhone) didn't really do worse compared to its predecessors. It just received longer iOS support. Based on performance of my previous iPhones, I cut off updates to just the next major firmware (iOS 5).

The iPad 2 (A5) and iPad 3 (A5X), ideally you wouldn't go beyond iOS 7. Honestly, I wouldn't even go beyond iOS 6. They really didn't do well with iOS 8+. It wasn't until the iPhone 5 (A6) and Air (A7) that we started getting better longevity without severe performance impact. There was slowdown, that's inevitable. It just wasn't as awful as with older models.
 
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