iPad Get an iPad now or wait til 22'?

[ackmondual]

The 9th gen iPad with the A13 chip will run any game very well. No issues with games like call of duty at all.

The biggest difference for fast pace games where you will notice a difference is with the pros and their high refresh screens.

Other specs come into play too...
3 GB of RAM vs. up to 8 GB of RAM
A13 vs. the M1 chips
10.2" screen vs. up to 12.9"
64 GB base storage vs. 128 GB or higher base storage

... that said, I got the 9th gen 64 GB model. Even though it's the lowest line, it's still a model that came out in recent months, so it should be "powerful enough". I may do some Apple Arcade games, some "mid-tier" games, and mostly digital board games. More importantly, it was only $320. As much as I'd like to have an iPad in the Air or Pro line, those delve into $600 to $1000 price ranges!

 

[ipos]

I don’t think so.

any reason?

 

[ericwn]

any reason?

I have both generations at home. There’s nothing I could not get done on the older one. Is the newer version quicker? Sure, a bit. Also has a nicer screen. But to me that isn’t worth the upgrade cost.

 

[UltimateSyn]

Is it worth to upgrade 3rd gen iPad Pro 12.9 to current model?

No! Take that from someone who did exactly that and then wholeheartedly regretted it.

 

[Acronyc]

A long time ago I realized iPads are secondary devices for me, which means family use, music, videos, photo viewing, and so on.

My current iPad is the base model 2017 iPad 5th gen with cellular, which has held up very well. It is feeling a bit slow though, so this Christmas the family is upgrading to the base 2021 9th gen iPad. This time no cellular as the iPad only leaves the house on big trips a few times a year.

Any other iPad for me is complete overkill.

 

[ackmondual]

A long time ago I realized iPads are secondary devices for me, which means family use, music, videos, photo viewing, and so on.

My current iPad is the base model 2017 iPad 5th gen with cellular, which has held up very well. It is feeling a bit slow though, so this Christmas the family is upgrading to the base 2021 9th gen iPad. This time no cellular as the iPad only leaves the house on big trips a few times a year.

Any other iPad for me is complete overkill.

iPad has gotten to be an odd place for me. A few posts back, I mentioned I got a new one, but my last one was a used, iPad Air (1st gen from 2013) that I got for half off on 2016. Despite having that, I'm still going to take my Chromebook with me for web browsing. It's a superior experience if I "settle down", like at a hotel room, or someone's house. I still have an iPod Touch 5 that I can honestly ditch, but I'll keep it as a glorified flashlight!

EDIT: I already need a lightning cable to charge my new iPad, so the IpT5 may as well come along!

 

[Acronyc]

iPad has gotten to be an odd place for me. A few posts back, I mentioned I got a new one, but my last one was a used, iPad Air (1st gen from 2013) that I got for half off on 2016. Despite having that, I'm still going to take my Chromebook with me for web browsing. It's a superior experience if I "settle down", like at a hotel room, or someone's house. I still have an iPod Touch 5 that I can honestly ditch, but I'll keep it as a glorified flashlight!

Yeah, for me the iPad is basically a computer for short trips (2-3 days), a couch web browser/media device, and, most importantly, a tool to keep my toddler occupied. ?

For anything more taxing I will always prefer a computer.

 

[rui no onna]

Yeah, for me the iPad is basically ..., a couch web browser/media device, ....

This is pretty much like 99% of my computer usage at home so I gladly splurge on iPads. Well, maybe more grudginly rather than gladly. High storage capacity cellular models have gotten very pricey.

Still, between a 12.9 1TB 5G M1 iPad Pro and a 14" M1 Pro 16/512GB MBP for $2000, I'd happily take the iPad. I know I'll use the iPad way more than the MBP.

Work, my employer provides a PC for that.

 

[FriendlyMackle]

It is, but iPadOS still cripples it in many ways.

Like is doesn’t allow multiple safari windows to stay around too long. Open a Window with a tab or two and swap to another Safari window then come back to the old window. A few minutes later and the old window will reload. Annoying if you used a private session in the old one as it will close all tabs and start you with a blank window.

On my M1 1TB 16GB IPP where it should be able to handle 4 safari tabs across two windows…

I was planning to upgrade my 2018 11” iPad Pro to the 2021 12.9” iPad Pro in the hope that the increased RAM (either the 8 or 16GB model) would solve the VERY annoying Safari reload problem. Lately it seems like I can’t keep more than 3 tabs open without one of them reloading! It is driving me nuts. This was not the case even a year ago, I don’t know what has changed other than the iOS updates. I’ve closed apps, restarted the iPad, and none of it makes a difference for long.

So I’ve been wondering whether spending the extra $800+ for a 1TB iPad with 16GB RAM will even be worth it. I don’t need the storage, it would purely be purchased for the high RAM. But, will Safari still treat these web page instances the same and reload them so quickly?

 

[FriendlyMackle]

Yup, this. That was my original plan for getting the Pro 11. Caved and bought early since I wanted to keep iOS 14.

Please explain why you feel the need to keep iOS 14 instead of upgrading to 15? What is the benefit? Most of us purchasing new iPads will have 15 already on system. And I doubt we’ll be able to downgrade to the previous version. I do think that each major OS update is when the iPad RAM usage is negatively impacted. I have begun to wonder if it is like the battery life issue we had on phones a few years ago!

 

[rui no onna]

Please explain why you feel the need to keep iOS 14 instead of upgrading to 15? What is the benefit? Most of us purchasing new iPads will have 15 already on system. And I doubt we’ll be able to downgrade to the previous version. I do think that each major OS update is when the iPad RAM usage is negatively impacted. I have begun to wonder if it is like the battery life issue we had on phones a few years ago!

I've been using iOS 15 beta since it was first available on an iPad 7th gen (A10/3GB RAM). iOS 15 uses noticeably more memory than 14. Safari reloaded seemingly every single tab and I was getting more frequent webpage crashes as well. I also hated the new Safari layout but thankfully, Apple went back to allowing the old layout during the beta. I dislike the new home screen layout as well. There's too much wasted space and changing orientation between landscape and portrait messes up with app icon locations. I do like the new Tab Groups feature but frankly, it's not worth all the other frustrations I have with 15.

At least on iOS 14, I barely get any reloads on the 2021 iPP M1/16GB/1TB. I also used a 2018 iPP A12X/6GB/1TB for a short time since I initially experienced migraines with the Mini-LED display. On iOS 14, the 6GB RAM iPP also had noticeably fewer reloads than the 2017 iPP A10X/4GB/512GB.

Thus far, it seems to me iOS 11, 13 and 15 have had significant negative impact on memory management/footprint.

 

[rui no onna]

So I’ve been wondering whether spending the extra $800+ for a 1TB iPad with 16GB RAM will even be worth it. I don’t need the storage, it would purely be purchased for the high RAM. But, will Safari still treat these web page instances the same and reload them so quickly?

If you don't need the storage, I wouldn't bother. $800 is too much to pay for 8GB RAM upgrade and there's no guarantee it will get rid of all your reload issues. Certain webpages (particularly dynamic/Javascript ones and streaming media) are more prone to reloading than others.

 

[sparksd]

Is it worth to upgrade 3rd gen iPad Pro 12.9 to current model?

I did this upgrade and the improved performance and better display were worth it to me - a subjective answer to a subjective question and quite truly, ymmv.

 

[JahBoolean]

Is it worth to upgrade 3rd gen iPad Pro 12.9 to current model?

had both, although not concurrently

Unless you are a hawk eyed media consumer that needs the additional horsepower to fiddle with the device and cannot cope with having to live with what was the Apple standard (60hz) for years, don't bother.

Don't get me wrong, the new model is a splendid machine. And previews (as far as display tech) what will trickle down to other devices in the lineup. But, in my opinion (created on the basis of my workflow) the upgrade wouldn't be warranted if the original iPad still works fine. Keep in mind that your needs are purely subjective.

On the other hand, the resale value of the original will tank dramatically as M iPads become the standard. If you are in an area where the shortage is still strong, make of that what you can.

 

[rui no onna]

Unless you are a hawk eyed media consumer that needs the additional horsepower to fiddle with the device and cannot cope with having to live with what was the Apple standard (60hz) for years, don't bother.

The 2018 iPad Pros already have ProMotion. That feature was actually introduced with the 2017 iPad Pros (with TouchID home button).

 

[LogicalApex]

If you don't need the storage, I wouldn't bother. $800 is too much to pay for 8GB RAM upgrade and there's no guarantee it will get rid of all your reload issues. Certain webpages (particularly dynamic/Javascript ones and streaming media) are more prone to reloading than others.

Exactly.

I have the 12.9” M1 1TB w/ 16GB of RAM and safari still reloads at times. I haven’t spent time tracing down if it is due to heavy javascript or streaming videos. But either way, the 16GB of RAM version isn’t immune to reloads. Especially within apps. It does a better job hanging on between apps than it does within apps. Or said another way… I see less reloads resuming apps from the app switcher that are running than resuming windows within an app that haven’t been in the foreground for a bit. Perhaps that’s another area where Apple clips things…

If you need lots of windows open and need to heavily multitask I would still say the MacBook is a better investment than the iPad Pro. I still like my device, but it is still not a MacBook replacement depending on needs and use cases.

 

[JahBoolean]

The 2018 iPad Pros already have ProMotion. That feature was actually introduced with the 2017 iPad Pros (with TouchID home button).

Less reasons to warrant an upgrade then =)

 

[littlepud]

I bought the 12.9” during Black Friday specials.

 

[IowaLynn]

One easy way to test if JavaScript is culprit, just turn it off.
Settings Safari Advanced, but it’s all or nothing. we really need settings same as desktop browser - or use another, one not built on Safari.

 

[MisterSavage]

I am assuming the Pro is great but what is the strength of it compared to say the iPad Air? And the regular iPad is about $300 but is it good for games like Call of Duty or is it like using a very low end phone where the game lags and it is poor quality?

Personally I would get the Pro now. I love getting new devices (iPhone upgrade program for example) and I still have a 2018 iPad Pro because I still love it. I got some grief for mentioning gaming in another thread but my iPad Pro has been great for gaming. It was especially great when Fortnite was still on Apple devices and they released an upgrade only for the Pro that added 120 fps support.

The iPad Pro can now run Fortnite at 120 frames per second

Four times smoother than the Switch

www.theverge.com

 

[FriendlyMackle]

I've been using iOS 15 beta since it was first available on an iPad 7th gen (A10/3GB RAM). iOS 15 uses noticeably more memory than 14. Safari reloaded seemingly every single tab and I was getting more frequent webpage crashes as well. I also hated the new Safari layout but thankfully, Apple went back to allowing the old layout during the beta. I dislike the new home screen layout as well. There's too much wasted space and changing orientation between landscape and portrait messes up with app icon locations. I do like the new Tab Groups feature but frankly, it's not worth all the other frustrations I have with 15.

At least on iOS 14, I barely get any reloads on the 2021 iPP M1/16GB/1TB. I also used a 2018 iPP A12X/6GB/1TB for a short time since I initially experienced migraines with the Mini-LED display. On iOS 14, the 6GB RAM iPP also had noticeably fewer reloads than the 2017 iPP A10X/4GB/512GB.

Thus far, it seems to me iOS 11, 13 and 15 have had significant negative impact on memory management/footprint.

Thanks for the info. I had not considered that the update to 15 from 14 may have been a factor in my Safari reloads on my 2018 (purchased in '19) ipad pro 11". VERY highly annoying. It's reached the point now where it reloads on every 3rd tab! At least on image heavy sites.

I wonder if Apple will address the increased memory usage of iOS 15? This is a bummer. I mean, I was planning to upgrade this year because I wanted the mini-LED screen on the 12.9, and more RAM, but I would have at least liked the choice to have a mini-LED 11" iPP. Just mentioning that because I had hoped we would see a release of an IPP 11" with mini-LED either this year or early next year. But now with all of the manufacturing delays, chip shortages, etc, even if Apple had been planning a Spring update for the 11", that may be postponed until later in the year.

I overall love the size of the 12.9 - I have a 2017 version (I guess it is gen 2?) - but it is BIG, and not something I'd really want to carry around. Though when I did travel with it, the 12.9 was great for use instead of a laptop (for work email etc.). I think my current 12.9 is still on 14. Pretty sure I haven't updated it in a while. I'll have to check.

It does disappoint that 16GB RAM might not solve the reload problem. Maybe I will just do what I usually do and get a 256 or 512.

As to the visual/layout changes in 15, I like them. I love the tab grouping, and I don't mind the address/location bar at the bottom rather than the top. On my iphone, it is really fast. Which is nice. Which, by the way, does NOT have the reload problem.
I think it is just that Apple has not spent enough effort to improve the functionality for recent ipads in iOS 15. Just the latest.

I don't want to turn off Javascript. Too many websites would break.

 

[FriendlyMackle]

Exactly.

I have the 12.9” M1 1TB w/ 16GB of RAM and safari still reloads at times. I haven’t spent time tracing down if it is due to heavy javascript or streaming videos. But either way, the 16GB of RAM version isn’t immune to reloads. Especially within apps. It does a better job hanging on between apps than it does within apps. Or said another way… I see less reloads resuming apps from the app switcher that are running than resuming windows within an app that haven’t been in the foreground for a bit. Perhaps that’s another area where Apple clips things…

If you need lots of windows open and need to heavily multitask I would still say the MacBook is a better investment than the iPad Pro. I still like my device, but it is still not a MacBook replacement depending on needs and use cases.

Oh, wow, thank you for the additional data-point! That sucks that you're still having reloads even with the 16GB RAM model. I would be really unhappy to spend the extra $$ and still have the reload problem.

Yeah, I don't use my ipad for work — not as a main machine. I only use one of my ipads for work when traveling, or out and about, or just when I don't want to go to my desktop computer (iMac). Personally, I just find it too frustrating to try anything more than email, maybe composing a document in Pages, or web browsing, and reading, on an iPad. Some of the Adobe software I use for work simply isn't available for ipad, as well. Even if I were so inclined as to use the ipad for something like InDesign.

The Files system is slow and unduly complicated. I prefer the Finder, and just being able to quickly move and/or organize/reorganize files. And so on. I also find a 12.9" screen too small for longterm work use. I prefer a much larger screen — so I can have several documents open, and truly easily change between them without reloads, among other benefits.

 

[IowaLynn]

Thanks for the info. I had not considered that the update to 15 from 14 may have been a factor in my Safari reloads on my 2018 (purchased in '19) ipad pro 11". VERY highly annoying. It's reached the point now where it reloads on every 3rd tab! At least on image heavy sites.

I wonder if Apple will address the increased memory usage of iOS 15? This is a bummer. I mean, I was planning to upgrade this year because I wanted the mini-LED screen on the 12.9, and more RAM, but I would have at least liked the choice to have a mini-LED 11" iPP. Just mentioning that because I had hoped we would see a release of an IPP 11" with mini-LED either this year or early next year. But now with all of the manufacturing delays, chip shortages, etc, even if Apple had been planning a Spring update for the 11", that may be postponed until later in the year.

I overall love the size of the 12.9 - I have a 2017 version (I guess it is gen 2?) - but it is BIG, and not something I'd really want to carry around. Though when I did travel with it, the 12.9 was great for use instead of a laptop (for work email etc.). I think my current 12.9 is still on 14. Pretty sure I haven't updated it in a while. I'll have to check.

It does disappoint that 16GB RAM might not solve the reload problem. Maybe I will just do what I usually do and get a 256 or 512.

As to the visual/layout changes in 15, I like them. I love the tab grouping, and I don't mind the address/location bar at the bottom rather than the top. On my iphone, it is really fast. Which is nice. Which, by the way, does NOT have the reload problem.
I think it is just that Apple has not spent enough effort to improve the functionality for recent ipads in iOS 15. Just the latest.

I don't want to turn off Javascript. Too many websites would break.

It.is.just.a.test

i know sites may not, though for me, many still do for reading. Safari needs to disallow js on a per site basis which is how I got into no script extension in Firefox. Mobile should today be more desktop like. Showing sites in desktop mode, sans js, too.

 

[rui no onna]

I wonder if Apple will address the increased memory usage of iOS 15?

For Apple, increased memory usage isn’t considered an issue but simply natural progression. When they think performance can no longer keep up with the new iOS version, they simply drop firmware support.

iPad, A4/256MB RAM, iOS 5

iPad 2, A5/512MB, iOS 9
iPad 3, A5X/1GB, iOS 9

iPad 4, A6X/1GB, iOS 10

iPad Air, A7/1GB, iOS 12

iPad Air 2, A8X/2GB, iOS 15 (current)

Personally though, I find performance usually drops below acceptable levels for me before Apple deems it insufficient. If it were up to me, I’d keep the iPad 2 and 3 on iOS 6/7, the OG Air on iOS 10 and the Air 2 on iOS 12.

The iPad 4 on iOS 10 actually wasn’t bad but that was probably because lack of 64-bit kept it from being updated too long.

Mind, I remember getting by fine with 1GB RAM on Windows 98 and 4GB RAM on Windows XP so increased memory usage with newer OS versions isn’t limited to iOS. Main difference is desktop OSes have pagefile/swap to fall back on so they don’t randomly kill background apps.

 

[FriendlyMackle]

For Apple, increased memory usage isn’t considered an issue but simply natural progression. When they think performance can no longer keep up with the new iOS version, they simply drop firmware support.

iPad, A4/256MB RAM, iOS 5

iPad 2, A5/512MB, iOS 9
iPad 3, A5X/1GB, iOS 9

iPad 4, A6X/1GB, iOS 10

iPad Air, A7/1GB, iOS 12

iPad Air 2, A8X/2GB, iOS 15 (current)

Personally though, I find performance usually drops below acceptable levels for me before Apple deems it insufficient. If it were up to me, I’d keep the iPad 2 and 3 on iOS 6/7, the OG Air on iOS 10 and the Air 2 on iOS 12.

The iPad 4 on iOS 10 actually wasn’t bad but that was probably because lack of 64-bit kept it from being updated too long.

Mind, I remember getting by fine with 1GB RAM on Windows 98 and 4GB RAM on Windows XP so increased memory usage with newer OS versions isn’t limited to iOS. Main difference is desktop OSes have pagefile/swap to fall back on so they don’t randomly kill background apps.

So I did it, went ahead and purchased a 256GB IPP 12.9 5th Gen! I think I’ll be happy with the 8GB RAM in the model I’ve purchased. Probably…by the time I need to have 16GB RAM, will be a few years away! It will be arriving this week. Just in time for my holiday break!