Used to be 2-3 or even 4 years back when iPad is a media consumption tool only, but as a (relatively) productive tool nowadays, I would say 1-2 year if you need that power. If the specs of iPads are customizable just like what Macs could, user might configured their iPad with better specs and use it for a few more years.
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All iPads How long should an iPad last?
- Thread starter marty1980
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My father is mostly just using Safari, Mail and some weather app I installed for him. I suppose that newer web sites might become a problem at some point if they don't render properly any more on that old Safari version.
iOS 7 changed the game. It stuttered even on the A7-based devices it launched with and iOS 8 was even worse.
Otherwise, it was a beast for its time particularly with iOS 6. Granted, still slower compared to Intel Core i5/i7 computers when it comes to web browsing. Of course, compared to newer devices, it's not gonna fare well. We've seen something like 6-8x CPU improvement and an even bigger jump in graphics performance since then.
Yep, its insane and I'm gonna be sad when the new Pro looks "slow" once the Pro 3 or Pro 4 comes out.
Thing is I don't think it will age as badly as older models given all the power it now has. That is, unless iOS undergoes another paradigm shift.
I used to upgrade iPhones every 2 years because performance became unbearable on the 2nd major iOS update. I'd usually just update by one major firmware and then I'd get a new device for performance. The iPod Touch 4th gen, I actually kept on the original iOS version. Now that device was pretty RAM starved (256MB). The iPhone 5s? Still doing mostly okay on iOS 10 so that's 3 major iOS updates. It was the first iPhone I replaced because I wanted features on the newer models and not because performance was actually lacking.
Quite honestly, the iPad Air is a bit laggy but it's not unbearable. Looking back, the primary reason I was frustrated with my old Air was due to the paltry 16GB storage. Using it as a backup device to my 256GB Pro 9.7 whenever that one's charging, the Air is noticeably slower but not frustratingly so. Honestly, I think my mom would have been quite happy with the Air's performance over her iPad 3. However, she needed more storage than 16GB.
There's a reason decade-old computers can run Windows 10 just fine and that's because processors became fast enough for majority of the tasks that regular people usually did. Starting with Core 2 Duo, the bottleneck shifted to the storage subsystem so the best upgrade one can do isn't upgrading the CPU, it was replacing the HDD with SSD. For the retina iPads, I think Apple has managed to reach that point with A9 or A10. Perhaps even the A8X.
My needs for my iPads are relatively light. I don't really do any heavy work or productivity on my iPad. But that's what I appreciate about them, is that even if they're not supported, they still meet my needs with basic media tasks and they usually last past there expected life being how well made
They are.
They are.
My iPad 2 is very slow, even the keyboard lags. It's still good for YouTube though.
I think it depends on the OS. If you buy and keep an iPad on the OS it shipped it, it should last 5 plus years easy. You might even get 10 out of it. If you upgrade your OS every year, it will work fine for 5, although a bit sluggish those last two years. I think you get 3 solid years out of an iPad while upgrading the OS with no reduction in performance. I think the same would apply to most computers.
Still have an iPad 4 on iOS 6. Web browsing using Chrome is quite decent and of course, email, videos, ebooks, all work fine. Alas, comiXology doesn't work anymore and a lot of apps have stopped supporting it. My favorite comic reader (Comic Glass) works fine and is still receiving updates for iOS 6, surprisingly.
iPad 1, didn't last 12 months, was unusable in less than 12 months.
iPad 2, was too slow for anything serious after 12 months. The same goes for iPad 3.
iPad Air 1, came with iOS 7. Both iOS 7 and 8 worked fine. By the time iOS 9 was out, it needed to be replaced if you were serious about using it for anything serious. So 2 yrs.
iPad Air 2, came out in Fall 2014 with iOS 8. Works fine with iOS 11. May or may not be very fast on iOS 12.
So 4+ yrs.
iPad Pro 9.7" will probably last 2-3 yrs from release due to its 2GB RAM.
iPad Pro 12.9 1st/2nd and iPad Pro 10.5 should all last till at least iOS 13 or iOS 14 at the minimum.
iPad 2, was too slow for anything serious after 12 months. The same goes for iPad 3.
iPad Air 1, came with iOS 7. Both iOS 7 and 8 worked fine. By the time iOS 9 was out, it needed to be replaced if you were serious about using it for anything serious. So 2 yrs.
iPad Air 2, came out in Fall 2014 with iOS 8. Works fine with iOS 11. May or may not be very fast on iOS 12.
So 4+ yrs.
iPad Pro 9.7" will probably last 2-3 yrs from release due to its 2GB RAM.
iPad Pro 12.9 1st/2nd and iPad Pro 10.5 should all last till at least iOS 13 or iOS 14 at the minimum.
Personally, iPad Air works better on iOS 9 than on iOS 8 for me.
iPad Pro 9.7 is going on 1.5 years now. I expect what will happen here is new features will be limited. Speed-wise though, it's still pretty darned good.
There really isn't a simple answer to this question it's like asking how long is string. Over the years I have found that Apple hardware lasts for a very long time! However I tend to update my iPad's and iPhone's every year or every two years! But the devices themselves last for a long time, my dad is still using my old iPad 3 that I tossed aside years ago, however me personally I will be updating to the new iPad Pro from my current iPad Pro 12.9" 1st gen and my dad will be getting my 1st gen.
The exact same can be said for iPhones, my very old iPhone 4S was being used by my mum until I brought her a iPhone SE for her birthday last year. So in my experience Apple hardware is great for lasting many years.
The exact same can be said for iPhones, my very old iPhone 4S was being used by my mum until I brought her a iPhone SE for her birthday last year. So in my experience Apple hardware is great for lasting many years.
I was doing comparisons last night with the Air 2 and the new iPad Pro, basically opening up different apps at the same time on both, loading websites, etc. The Air 2 is about 2.75 years old and is still really fast. On most apps/webpages it was a second or less behind the iPad Pro. There were just a few apps/webpages where the difference was a few seconds. I see the Air 2 lasting at least another 3 years. There was really no reason to upgrade except for wanting something new.
I think that would apply to most people
iOS 10 would be even smoother on that Air as well
This is actually what I've enjoyed about the responses. Even in this limited setting of certain types of Apple device users, there's a wide range of use cases and expectations exemplified.
I knew going in that it depends on the user and their lifestyle and needs. In the question is say "for your needs" to try to express different needs.
I don't know about how long it should last. That varies a lot depending on what one uses it for and what ones expectations are. I know lots of people still using an iPad 2, 3, or 4, with no plans or desire to upgrade in the immediate future.
For me personally, my Mini 4 (first iPad I've owned) is still fulfilling my needs as well as ever after almost 2 years. I anticipate it being able to do so for at least another year, if not longer. But I already feel like I've gotten my money's worth.
For me personally, my Mini 4 (first iPad I've owned) is still fulfilling my needs as well as ever after almost 2 years. I anticipate it being able to do so for at least another year, if not longer. But I already feel like I've gotten my money's worth.
I think if you are a commited apple fan it should be not one day longer than the time between product refreshes or releases.
For everyone else, as long as it switches on and works
For everyone else, as long as it switches on and works
For what it's worth, my dad bought the iPad 2 when it was first released, and he's still using it up until this day. He cannot handle a computer, but he can drive an iPad fine...although I still have to come in every so often to close the 100 or so Safari tabs he'd left opened.
My wife still uses an iPad 2 from 2011. It drives me crazy.
Safari is one problem - as web sites get "fancier" it gets more difficult for the old iOS safari versions. I still use an original iPad and I can guarantee that the BBC website will crash the browser the first time I go to the site. Reloading the browser and it generally works for long enough to read the news.
My other main use is for reading magazines (Zinio) but that has just been killed - they had a 'special' version for iOS5 but the provisioning certificate expired last month and it is not being renewed.
Books are still generally fine in iBooks and Kindle.
Amazingly some streaming still works!
I just hope that now that all iOS devices have a minimum of 2GB RAM and an A9 chip, they will have considerably better longevity than past models. You could hang on to a device for 5 years, but during the last iOS version (or even sooner) it would be a pain to use.
We still have a 2011 MacBook around the house with a Core 2 Duo which the A9 runs circles around, yet it's still very responsive and will even get to see High Sierra. I hope this is where iOS is headed as well. You upgrade because you want new features, not because the device has become too frustrating to use.
We still have a 2011 MacBook around the house with a Core 2 Duo which the A9 runs circles around, yet it's still very responsive and will even get to see High Sierra. I hope this is where iOS is headed as well. You upgrade because you want new features, not because the device has become too frustrating to use.
Ram is an important consideration for
Longevity and updates . Take the iPhone 6 Plus for example. It had 1 GB of Ram and was riddled slower than it should have been due to the Ram. When the iPhone 6s launched, the additional ram made a significant difference with refreshes and multitasking.