Hey guys, need your input here...
Needed a replacement for my aging iPad 6th gen and I'm contemplating for the iPad Air (Cellular) listed above but I'm torn between these options. My primary usage will be on surfing, YouTube, and lots of Excel spreadsheets. Already got a MBA M1 for desk work and everything else an iPad cannot do.
Currently the 2024 iPad Air M2 goes for around $799 while the 2022 iPad Air M1 is around $719, difference of measly $80 is a no brainer to go M2. But I'm apprehensive about going into M2 due to the fact that 2024 iPads are all disappointingly eSIM only. My telco is still on physical SIM and what's holding me back from jumping ship is that my minimal usage of cellular data makes this particular plan hard to give up. I'm averaging only about $5 worth of data per year (no kidding, only $5 a year, no data forfeiture). If I go eSIM route, closest competitor can only offer about $23 per year WITH data forfeiture.
Tethering through my ageing iPhone 11 is also inadvisable. Hotspot via external modem is out of the question per telco policy.
I'm throwing in 13" Air into the mix for screen real estate since I'll be using a lot of spreadsheet tabulation, but I'm wondering if this is feasible for portability as I've enjoyed surfing and watching YouTube primarily lying on my couch and bed. And my ageing eyes discouraged me from getting a new iPhone. I also do a lot of one-hand operation on my current iPad, so no Magic Keyboard or Apple Pencil for me in the foreseeable future.
My concern here with the 2022 iPad Air M1 is the potential lack of support for future iOS comes sooner for a 2-year old model.
What would you guys pick...?
Needed a replacement for my aging iPad 6th gen and I'm contemplating for the iPad Air (Cellular) listed above but I'm torn between these options. My primary usage will be on surfing, YouTube, and lots of Excel spreadsheets. Already got a MBA M1 for desk work and everything else an iPad cannot do.
Currently the 2024 iPad Air M2 goes for around $799 while the 2022 iPad Air M1 is around $719, difference of measly $80 is a no brainer to go M2. But I'm apprehensive about going into M2 due to the fact that 2024 iPads are all disappointingly eSIM only. My telco is still on physical SIM and what's holding me back from jumping ship is that my minimal usage of cellular data makes this particular plan hard to give up. I'm averaging only about $5 worth of data per year (no kidding, only $5 a year, no data forfeiture). If I go eSIM route, closest competitor can only offer about $23 per year WITH data forfeiture.
Tethering through my ageing iPhone 11 is also inadvisable. Hotspot via external modem is out of the question per telco policy.
I'm throwing in 13" Air into the mix for screen real estate since I'll be using a lot of spreadsheet tabulation, but I'm wondering if this is feasible for portability as I've enjoyed surfing and watching YouTube primarily lying on my couch and bed. And my ageing eyes discouraged me from getting a new iPhone. I also do a lot of one-hand operation on my current iPad, so no Magic Keyboard or Apple Pencil for me in the foreseeable future.
My concern here with the 2022 iPad Air M1 is the potential lack of support for future iOS comes sooner for a 2-year old model.
What would you guys pick...?
