All iPads Have we hit a point where we don't need to upgrade anymore?

[okkibs]

Have you never heard of AirDrop?

How do I airdrop from my NAS? I used Airdrop a couple times, always when I was outside with no network, and the files were rather small (under 100GB) and that took way too long already. Sometimes the actual transfer was plenty fast but the devices finding each other and starting the transfer wouldn't work until I rebooted something or whatever. And I don't use Apple products exclusively, my main phone for example is a Pixel, and the big workstation is not a Mac either although I do exclusively use a Macbook on the go.

Airdrop does not seem to have resumable transfers either, whereas many of my tools I use for work daily such as rsync and zfs send do have that. I shoot video similarly to prores, and with the amounts of data generated there it becomes important to have reliable, quick, and resumable transfers.

That reminds me of the Apple prores iPhone ad, where it became obvious that the Apple workflow requires owning a bucket of iPhones to get through a day of filming in the first place with no explanation of how to pull multiple TB off these things. Highly doubt airdrop would save the day.

 

[coffeemilktea]

Have we perfected the iPad? I mean, think about it. Even in 10 or 15 years, the latest iPads would likely deliver all you would ever need in a device.

I'm suddenly reminded of how Bill Gates supposedly claimed that "640 KB of RAM ought to be enough for anybody" back in the early 1980s.

 

[muzzy996]

I've been at the point lately where I wanted all 3 devices - an updated iPad, a new Macbook, and a Surface Pro 9. I figured I couldn't justify purchasing all 3 this year, so I went with the most immediate need which was the Windows machine (for reasons I care not to debate here, suffice it to say its justified and my needs aren't relevant to anyone else's).

Having made the decision to pick up a Surface Pro 9 rather than upgrade my 2017 12.9-inch iPad Pro, I have no major regrets. I do feel that I would like to see a touch enabled MacOS device though. The lack of a true file browser and a true desktop web browser just limits the usefulness of the iPad for me. Later this year I'll pick up a Macbook but I'm not sure if I'll go for another iPad Pro for at least another year.

All this to say that I agree with others in this thread - there isn't much more to offer in newer versions of the iPads until bigger changes in software come out.

 

[Funny Apple Man]

Upgrading is still important, though not as often like it was before. If Apple continues to limit the full potential of the iPad with their iPadOS, then I see no point in upgrading often.

 

[strayts]

I remember thinking the same thing when I had a 128mb hard drive and a 28.8k modem.

 

[NeonNights]

I certainly won't need to upgrade my M1 12.9 iPad Pro for many years, if ever.

I made the mistake of overbuying, partly because the used prices sucked so much. In hindsight I would've been served just fine with a 3rd gen 12.9 iPad Pro w/Pencil 2, based on my use case. Financially it's not a concern, but just realizing I'm barely scratching the surface of its performance potential.

I already have an M1 Mac Mini, M1 MBA, and secondary MacBook Pro 13. Although my daughter has used iPads for years, the iPad Pro was my first Apple tablet and I learned the hard way how much iPad OS sucks. I thought I could organize my photo library on the go and edit photos in Lightroom Mobile but the entire experience is a pain due to the non-existent file management features. Multitasking is also a joke. Sorry, I didn't intend for the post to be mainly complaints. Suffice it to say, I only use my iPad Pro 1-2 hours a week and nothing intensive so it will easily last through this decade as I don't ask much of it. I would get rid of it but it's not really worth selling or trading in either. Oh well. It is mostly better than my Android tablets but overall the iPad Pro is a disappointing Apple product for me and I'd rather use my MacBook Air.

 

[Banglazed]

I’m not a huge iPad user but still upgrade once in awhile if there’s a good deal just to get access to the latest OS. I have an iPad mini 5th gen and will replace it whenever the new OS doesn’t support it anymore. My primary use cases are just to stream content or play games.

 

[BeatCrazy]

When I traded my iPad in to help pay for my iPhone 14 Plus, the Apple Store rep said “have you considered having an iPad as a main computer?” To which I replied “can the iPad manage external storage and format them like a traditional computer does?” 😶

Not everyone uses ‘a computer’ the same way you do or did 10 or 20 years ago.

If your primary ‘computer needs’ consists around tasks like banging out a few emails, while designing your kid’s birthday invitation, while catching up on a Netflix show, all while watching your other kid at basketball practice, an iPad and Magic Keyboard might just be the perfect tool.

 

[TorbenIbsen]

I’m still making do quite well with my 2017 iPad Pro 12.9” at this time along with a very budget priced iPad Air 4. I have thought about replacing iPad Pro, but unless iPadOS is updated to create a compelling reason, I have been unable to justify a purchase that expensive right now. I’m more excited by Apple Silicon on Macs than iPads even though macOS isn’t exactly a cutting edge operating system at this point on its life.

Long story short, until Apple advances the iPad along far enough to do 90% of what I need to do on my Mac, there are no major updates in my future.

I have the 2nd gen iPad Pro 12.9" and the never M1 iPad Pro 11". Both iPads runs the same apps (some are quite demanding) on current iPadOS. - I got the M1 iPad to be able to use the LIDAR feature to do 3d scanning. But were it not for that then I would just have continued with the old 12.9"

For me the operating system is a bit like the engine in my car. It is just there and I don't really think much of it. I care about what I can do with apps.

 

[stinkhorn9]

Apple will start limiting features through software.
But yeah, in general, if I were buying an iPad, I would jsut buy the cheapest one as it basically runs the same apps as the iPad Pros.

...and has a headphone jack...

 

[ian87w]

...and has a headphone jack...

That’s right. I can tolerate nixing the headphone jack on the iPhone in exchange for larger battery and better water proofing, but there’s zero excuse for the iPad, other than to sell more AirPods.

 

[barracuda156]

At this point, all iPads in the current lineup can do just about anything a human would ever need to do. It can text. It can watch. It can play. It can edit. It can even draw. And the recent iPad Pro lineup features the powerful M2 chip, which delivers even the most intense gaming and art experiences one could ever have. So I've been thinking lately... is this the end? Have we perfected the iPad? I mean, think about it. Even in 10 or 15 years, the latest iPads would likely deliver all you would ever need in a device. Games can't really get any more fleshed out. Art programs already have practically limitless potential. And while battery life does deteriorate, you could just get replacements when Apple supports it, and thirdparty repairs when they don't. What do you think?

Still use it just for books and occasionally watch series ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[okkibs]

That’s right. I can tolerate nixing the headphone jack

...and has a headphone jack...

That actually no longer bothers me, the tiny USB-C adapter Apple has for this can be found in stores for under 10 bucks. The quality is good enough that I got half a dozen during a sale at some place and they even work better on my Android than the ones that come with Androids. Since I keep the adapters plugged in on the headphones side, I can't find myself without one accidentally either. Although I do admit it can't drive bigger headphones very loud, I can see that might be an issue (I have tinnitus myself and need to keep the volume low anyways).

I have never owned Airpods and I refuse to. I don't trust any bluetooth headphones not to yell BATTERY LOW or have a sudden loud notification sound that kills my eardrums (when turning the volume up for better and more silently recorded music like Pink Floyd all other sounds become a health hazard).

 

[one more]

I first started using iPads in 2014 with the original iPad Air, then had Air 2 and now Air 4.

My upgrade from Air to Air 2 was driven by some sort of enthusiasm of having a somewhat more powerful iPad, while moving from Air 2 to Air 4 was more exciting due to the new form factor and by then my Air 2 was getting a bit slow for my tasks.

Amazingly, both my original Air and Air 2 are still up and running and are used by my parents.

I do not see a good enough reason to update to Air 5, as Air 4 does everything that I need just fine, so am planning to use it until it stops supporting the latest iPadOS or when Apple brings an OLED screen to it, whichever happens sooner.

 

[mectojic]

My journey for iPad is finished. My goal was always to edit multiple streams of 1080p video on a touchscreen tablet, and have it render and edit effortlessly. The M1 12 inch iPad Pro has done that for me. I don't care about 4k, because most of Youtube doesn't watch in 4k. Nothing in the current web scene is going to slow down its performance, either.

I had this dream of editing on a tablet since the first gen iPad in 2010, when editing in HD required a pretty beefy Mac Pro or high-spec iMac and some patience. Now the iPad has made it. Couldn't be happier.

 

[Pakaku]

Nobody is really taking full advantage of the iPad hardware, and that's when Apple's restrictive nature isn't getting in the way. It's not really a matter of not needing to upgrade so much as not being given a reason to.

 

[eddjedi]

I am certainly finding myself upgrading less often because the devices I have are still fit for purpose. I went 5 years between Macbook Pros (2016 > 2021), 6 years between Apple Watches (Series 2 > Series 8), my iPad Mini 2 still does everything I need it to (albiet on an older OS) and my Microsoft Surface from 2017 is still just fine for casual browsing.

I will always replace a device when either the battery doesn't last long enough (if it can't be replaced) or the performance is not tolerable, but that seems to take longer these days.

 

[SergueiTemp]

No, the thinking "Is there nowhere to go past this point?" appears only because today's Apple is not about invention, but rather little touches to what has already been invented. Since Jobs death they invented squat. They perfected those prototypes around 2016 and didn't know what to do. So they started adding useless features (hello, Ventura and iOs 16!), coming up with worse variations of "same old same old" (hello, notched brick from 2010!). The potential for inventing is still enormous if you look at any Apple product, it's not CPU/GPU market, which really hit a wall while trying to shrink a transistor. Apple just forgot what it really means to invent.

 

[dz5b609]

As someone still using an Air 2 (although I do need to upgrade it because of storage issues), I can tell you that that point has been reached long ago for a regular user.

 

[NastyMatt]

Graphics wise the iPad is miles behind today's GPUs, the CPU (M2) is right up there with the best tho.

Like any computing device - the more power it has the more it can do - does that mean people will write software for it? Who knows! For what I use it for, today's software runs just fine but I have no doubt that new features will come along that mean my device is no longer fit for purpose.

 

[PsykX]

The only reason to upgrade would be if an iPhone can unfold into an iPad, or if a small iPad can unfold into a bigger screen (24-inch+).
Otherwise, hardware updates are incremental and software has to catch up, but will still end up having its limits.

 

[Danfango]

I'm suddenly reminded of how Bill Gates supposedly claimed that "640 KB of RAM ought to be enough for anybody" back in the early 1980s.

There is another phrase in the industry which is probably valid here: "What Andy giveth, Bill taketh away". This is in context to Andy Grove of Intel and Bill Gates of Microsoft. Roughly, whatever hardware advances we have will be nuked pretty quickly by layers of crappy software abstraction.

In context, if you look at something like Reminders.app, weighing in at an executable size of 11.8MB, you can see exactly how this will play out over time with iPad specification and performance scalability.

But it doesn't have to be like that.

 

[darngooddesign]

Or why can't I plug in the iPhone to the iPad and download photos to the iPad when I am on the go? Why does this require an iCloud sync over the internet even though it works just fine syncing over the cable to MacOS?

I can.

iPhoneXR & M1 iPadPro

 

[Ctrlos]

There is a lot of comments about the 'limitations' of iPadOS but remember that the iPad represents Apple's $400 and $600 computing line. Someone buying a $400 computer doesn't really need Disk Utility, iTunes or indeed Final Cut Pro.

That's not to say that iPadOS is perfect. The Dashboard and Lockscreen are wasted space, Stage Manager is terrible and I'd love a dedicated settings panel for managing external displays.

On topic, its difficult to see what hardware Apple could add to the iPad without it becoming something else. I used to use LiDAR all the time but since buying a Logitech Keyboard Case I rarely remove it.

 

[MDL-Steven]

To me I really a big screen to be productive. Tired all iPad models and nothing can really replace my 16 inch or 27 inch devices. Having my iPad Pro 11" inch 2018 and all I do with it is really content consumption/gaming/entertainment for a short period of time.