All iPads How long should an iPads lifespan be?

[Bodhitree]

I was thinking about how long I can use an iPad for, its a convenience device for me, browsing, forumming, reading books and some youtube videos. I don’t want to buy a new model every few years, that just costs money while I have no use for an even better screen or faster processor. I also don’t want to contribute to the mountains of e-waste western society generates.

Instead, shouldn’t we have ipads that last 10-15 years rather than the 5-7 that we get currently?

 

[Shirasaki]

How would Wall Street maniacs and shareholders satisfy if Apple supports their devices for 15 years? Heck, even those electronics might not last 15 years.
As a reference, does That mean Apple should design their iPadOS 19 to run on iPad 1, a device with 256MB of RAM and far less powerful processor, because it was released 12 years ago?
To reduce the e-waste, ramp up the game on recycling, and legit recycling not the fake one where stuff end up in the landfill anyways.

 

[Digitalguy]

The life of an iPad does not end with the end of OS updates. It ends when the (last) owner thinks that it has no use anymore... (because of hardware or software reasons).
So that's the first thing that should be dissociated (and unfortuantely is often confused on this forum), end of OS updates and end of usable life....
Having said that the usable life of iPads (regadless of how long they are supported) is much longer now than it was 10 or 12 years ago...

 

[Heat_Fan89]

I was thinking about how long I can use an iPad for, its a convenience device for me, browsing, forumming, reading books and some youtube videos. I don’t want to buy a new model every few years, that just costs money while I have no use for an even better screen or faster processor. I also don’t want to contribute to the mountains of e-waste western society generates.

Instead, shouldn’t we have ipads that last 10-15 years rather than the 5-7 that we get currently?

You don't have to buy a new model every few years. I purchased the original iPad Air in 2014 and traded it in in 2020 only because Samsung made me a trade in offer I couldn't refuse. It still worked fine, albeit a tad sluggish after all those OS updates but it still worked and I would probably have today.

 

[rui no onna]

I have yet to use a computer that runs well after 10-15 years. Sure, I've had desktops that lasted even longer but by year 10, they've gotten slow enough to the point where I wouldn't want to use them. With M1+8GB, I expect the iPad to be usable for 8-10 years same as my desktops/laptops.

For what it's worth, even devices on iOS 9 can do all the stuff you mentioned. Granted, webpages can sometimes be buggy due to the older Safari version. I personally wouldn't want to use an iPad 2 and 3 on iOS 9, though. I can type an entire paragraph on those before the text shows up on the display.

 

[Falhófnir]

After 10 years the feature set and power demands are likely to have moved on significantly, even with the current relative plateau. Additionally the possibility of random component failures starts to shoot up rapidly, so while you could keep a device going that long and longer (assuming it survives) with battery replacements etc, you're still likely to miss out on a ton of features.

A good example are the unibody MacBook Pros, which are all now just about a decade old. Due to the fantastic modularity of these, allowing you to add RAM, SSD storage, change batteries, swap faulty components, many are still going strong. However, you are still stuck with a non Retina, non ProMotion, non XDR, display with poor colour accuracy and viewing angles, the core 2 duos in the oldest models are reaching their limits, and you lack other quality of life features brought by the new trackpads, newer Bluetooth and WiFi modules, Touch ID, upgraded speakers, the selection of ports on offer etc etc.

 

[FeliApple]

For what you mentioned, the iPad’s longevity is very long. Battery life will suffer if you update iOS, but you’ll be able to use it for that for a very long time. If you don’t, battery life will be good but websites will start breaking a lot quicker. My iPhone 6s on iOS 10 (now 6 iOS versions behind) fails to load a lot of websites in Safari. A caveat? My 9.7-inch iPad Pro on iOS 12 works a LOT better in that regard. This is why I said that if you do update it’ll work well, four iOS versions behind and it still works perfectly. Whether iOS 10’s 6 versions behind is a trend or not, time will tell, but it should work well for quite a while. Regarding the rest? Yeah, it’ll work flawlessly for long.

 

[JapanApple]

almost 5 years. But after 3 they went bad for me.

 

[SirAnthonyHopkins]

10-15 years is a huge expectation even for a top-of-the-line desktop computer, which 15 years ago was a relatively stable, mature market. I bought a maxed-out MacBook Pro in 2009, and by about 2015 it was starting to feel creaky to use, I would never have imagined being able to use it 15 years after purchase. Expecting iPads to run for 15 years is expecting them to last for longer than iPads have been available for, which is patently nuts.

 

[Digitalguy]

I have yet to use a computer that runs well after 10-15 years. Sure, I've had desktops that lasted even longer but by year 10, they've gotten slow enough to the point where I wouldn't want to use them. With M1+8GB, I expect the iPad to be usable for 8-10 years same as my desktops/laptops.

For what it's worth, even devices on iOS 9 can do all the stuff you mentioned. Granted, webpages can sometimes be buggy due to the older Safari version. I personally wouldn't want to use an iPad 2 and 3 on iOS 9, though. I can type an entire paragraph on those before the text shows up on the display.

My 2012 ultrabook is over 10 years old and it's still pretty good, but it was very future proof back then thanks to upgradability and a moment in time where the move to 64bits removed RAM limitations and where CPU made a big jump (Sandy brydge, which was a big jump with little improvement in the following 5 generations, and a 35w i7 at that) and it was lucky enough that Windows 7 devices could be upgraded freely to Windows 10, with a 13-16 years of full OS support (unheard of in any other platform).

As for old iPads, what made them not very future proof was RAM, they had 8 times less RAM than comparable laptops but also a very stripped down OS that worked fine with that RAM. As soon as the OS started to catch up in terms of multitasking the lack of RAM destroyed those devices.

Today the situation is different depending on the iPad (the OP did not specify which one). The iPad 9 and 10 are not very future proof (but still much more than old iPads...) with 3 and 4 GB RAM, they'll probably be fine for 5-7 years but will struggle before the end of this decade...
The iPad air 5 and the pros are instead very future proof (RAM parity with laptops and now even swap) and I expect them to be very smooth even at the end of their support, which is probably around the end of this decade. And even after 2030 they'll remain very usable and the only breaking point will be apps compatility once OS updates end....

As for battery, it all depends how it has been managed. My iPad 2 has almost 1000 cycles and 93% battery health... Keeping a device between 30 and 80%, never letting it get to 0 can make a (good quality) battery last for well over a decade. But you can also totally destroy a battery in a couple of years depending on how you poorly you manage it...

 

[Bogstandard]

I have the first gen retina iPad.
Its lifespan was decided by Apple software.
Homekit software doomed it. I don't pick it up anymore because of that inconvenience.
Otherwise it works ok for visual consumption and audio(headphone jack 😁).

 

[Digitalguy]

10-15 years is a huge expectation even for a top-of-the-line desktop computer, which 15 years ago was a relatively stable, mature market. I bought a maxed-out MacBook Pro in 2009, and by about 2015 it was starting to feel creaky to use, I would never have imagined being able to use it 15 years after purchase. Expecting iPads to run for 15 years is expecting them to last for longer than iPads have been available for, which is patently nuts.

What does "run" mean?
Will a 16GB RAM iPad pro run in 15 years? It absolutely can.
Will it run smoothly? Very likely given the power and the RAM (no one should be comparing RAM-starved iPads with the current pros)
Will the battery be dead? It depends on how it has been treated and if it has been replaced in the meantime
Will it run current versions of apps? Probably not, OS support will probably stop around 2030, maybe 2031-32 with a bit of luck, so in 15 years quite a few apps will struggle with compatibility, but I still expect a lot to run fine (a drawing of video/photo editing app will work fine, a cloud based app might break at some point).

But mind you, I am taking the top of the like, stupidly high specced and future proof $2000 device to make this extreme example, an iPad 10 will probably be good for the garbage in 15 years....

 

[SirAnthonyHopkins]

What does "run" mean?
Will a 16GB RAM iPad pro run in 15 years? It absolutely can.
Will it run smoothly? Very likely given the power and the RAM (no one should be comparing RAM-starved iPads with the current pros)
Will the battery be dead? It depends on how it has been treated and if it has been replaced in the meantime
Will it run current versions of apps? Probably not, OS support will probably stop around 2030, maybe 2031-32 with a bit of luck, so in 15 years quite a few apps will struggle with compatibility, but I still expect a lot to run fine (a drawing of video/photo editing app will work fine, a cloud based app might break at some point).

But mind you, I am taking the top of the like, stupidly high specced and future proof $2000 device to make this extreme example, an iPad 10 will probably be good for the garbage in 15 years....

Yes fair point – I'm taking the OP's "lifespan" to mean the device remains tolerably useful even beyond receiving iOS updates. An OG iPad would presumably still turn on and work in 2022 but I doubt it'd be a pleasant experience and no one is going to want to use it as their go-to device.

 

[Boidem]

The life of an iPad does not end with the end of OS updates. It ends when the (last) owner thinks that it has no use anymore...

This. I managed to eke out 14 years from a MacPro 1.1. It was several years behind in terms of OS's, but it still worked fine. It still does work, although tbh in the end it's graphics cabaility let it down, as it just couldn't do stuff I wanted with it (handle image and 4k video files from my camera, any fairly recent 3D stuff, etc), but it would still be fine for a multitude of tasks really. I recently 'upgraded' my iPad Air 2 (bought s/h) with a new iPad Air 5, for software update reasons, and because the 5 offers a lot more useful functionality over the 2, such as Pencil compatibility, screen mirroring with my iMac etc. The older one is still used by my wife to watch TV, films etc. Its battery isn't as good as it once was, but I'll hang on to it or give it away, as long as it can still be used.

 

[Wokis]

Realistically right now the oldest piece of ipad that is okay'ishly usable would be the iPad Air 2 from 2014. It just recently stopped receiving big updates and the A8X can sort of keep up with basic web browsing.

Keep in mind here that it's the web and app-climate that has changed more than the capabilities of the particular iPad. The current iPad pros seem better "futureproofed".

 

[thelion7]

How would Wall Street maniacs and shareholders satisfy if Apple supports their devices for 15 years? Heck, even those electronics might not last 15 years.
As a reference, does That mean Apple should design their iPadOS 19 to run on iPad 1, a device with 256MB of RAM and far less powerful processor, because it was released 12 years ago?
To reduce the e-waste, ramp up the game on recycling, and legit recycling not the fake one where stuff end up in the landfill anyways.

I agree and even casting my vote for 5-7 years is a bit steep from a hardware standpoint.

Yes, it would be nice to buy an iPad and have it run the same as the day you got it but with new software releases every year needing more and more from the hardware it’s impossible.

For reference, my 2016 iPad Pro is starting to creak at 6 years old.

Granted the battery is most likely failing so maybe 5-7 years is doable with good care and a battery replacement.

But I’ll be lucky if it makes it to iPad OS 18.

Maybe 10-15 years is doable with good care and a few battery replacements but I can guarantee you that in the last 5-7 years you’ll be lucky to get security fixes let alone new features.

Apple is one of if not the best in the industry for device software support but every device has its time.

But I suppose some people might be okay with that but don't be surprised that as you get closer to the max supported OS on that device that performance will take a steep downwards spiral.

 

[Digitalguy]

Yes fair point – I'm taking the OP's "lifespan" to mean the device remains tolerably useful even beyond receiving iOS updates. An OG iPad would presumably still turn on and work in 2022 but I doubt it'd be a pleasant experience and no one is going to want to use it as their go-to device.

Yeah, however as I said an OG iPad was a terribly underspecced device even in 2010, but cost only $500.
A $2000 maxed out pro iPad today is way more future proof and will be more than tolerably usable even in 15 year with that much headroom.
If it is still usable or desirable this is a very subjective thing. My guess is not for the original buyer. Someone who buys a $2000 device today is an enthusiast and will want the future hardware and software features (not just security updates) well before 15 years.
And the basic user (the ones who buy the non pro/air iPads) will do what some iPad air 2 owners do today, still use them after over 8 years, some maybe use them for another couple of years then upgrade... I doubt any air 2 user will be using their air 2 as their main iPad in 2030.... But I can seem some of them buying that $2000 16GB RAM iPad pro M1/2 in 10 years for $200-300 and using it until it's 15 years old...

 

[FeliApple]

This. I managed to eke out 14 years from a MacPro 1.1. It was several years behind in terms of OS's, but it still worked fine. It still does work, although tbh in the end it's graphics cabaility let it down, as it just couldn't do stuff I wanted with it (handle image and 4k video files from my camera, any fairly recent 3D stuff, etc), but it would still be fine for a multitude of tasks really. I recently 'upgraded' my iPad Air 2 (bought s/h) with a new iPad Air 5, for software update reasons, and because the 5 offers a lot more useful functionality over the 2, such as Pencil compatibility, screen mirroring with my iMac etc. The older one is still used by my wife to watch TV, films etc. Its battery isn't as good as it once was, but I'll hang on to it or give it away, as long as it can still be used.

If the usable lifespan of an iPad ended when it stopped receiving iOS updates, my iPad Air 5 would already be useless, considering it will stay on iPadOS 15.6.
I think usability and lifespan is determined by the user’s needs only. Is an iPod Touch 4G on iOS 5 useless? For web browsing, yes. For music? Of course not. If a user only needs music, then it’s fine, in my opinion.

 

[Shirasaki]

The life of an iPad does not end with the end of OS updates. It ends when the (last) owner thinks that it has no use anymore... (because of hardware or software reasons).
So that's the first thing that should be dissociated (and unfortuantely is often confused on this forum), end of OS updates and end of usable life....
Having said that the usable life of iPads (regadless of how long they are supported) is much longer now than it was 10 or 12 years ago...

While technically ipad life doesn’t end with the end of OS updates, the usability downgrade can easily make said iPad much less desirable to use than before. Particularly for iPad, receiving ongoing software update is quite critical For its lifespan, which means ongoing App support and security fixes (I’m not talking about new features).

Will M1 iPad Pro run 10 years from now? Maybe. Run any good? Maybe. We don’t know just yet, but I don’t want to out my bet on that too much.

 

[BanjoDudeAhoy]

How long would I like it to last?
10 years would be cool. But I haven’t used many devices that long. A Toshiba laptop that is now in use by a family member with less demand from hardware. It’s now roughly 12 years old and runs well (with hardware upgrades).

But while I would like to buy stuff that lasts that long, it’s very likely that after 3-5 years I’d want a new device. New features, better support for my workflows, more appealing design…

 

[Boidem]

If the usable lifespan of an iPad ended when it stopped receiving iOS updates, my iPad Air 5 would already be useless, considering it will stay on iPadOS 15.6.

So are you never going to update it? Aren't you concerned about potential security issues?

For me, iPad OS16 brought a few very useful features, such as screen mirroring, so well worth it.

 

[FeliApple]

So are you never going to update it? Aren't you concerned about potential security issues?

For me, iPad OS16 brought a few very useful features, such as screen mirroring, so well worth it.

No, I will never update it and I am not concerned. A brief history of my experience with iOS updates:

-Updated iPod Touch 4G to iOS 5 for iMessage, considerably slower than iOS 4 (willingly)
-Updated iPad 4 to iOS 7 for some reason, obliterated. Worse battery life, full of bugs, horrible. Decided not to update anything ever again. Last iOS update I’ve ever installed on purpose, back in 2013.
-iPad Pro 9.7-inch, forced from iOS 9 to iOS 12 by Apple’s A9 on iOS 9 activation bug, battery life obliterated.
-iPhone 6s, forced from iOS 9 to iOS 13 by Apple’s A9 on iOS 9 activation bug, completely obliterated. Battery life is barely 3 hours with very light use, performance abhorrent.

That’s all. Current devices: iPhone 6s on iOS 10, iPad Air 5 on iPadOS 15, iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12. I still have the 9.7-inch iPad Pro on iOS 12. Performance is better than the 6s, but not amazing. I also have my first iPhone, an iPhone 5s on iOS 8. Screen is broken and it isn’t worth fixing, but it still works. I will never update anything again.

On which iPad did you install iPadOS 16? How’s battery life? How’s it running?

 

[Digitalguy]

While technically ipad life doesn’t end with the end of OS updates, the usability downgrade can easily make said iPad much less desirable to use than before. Particularly for iPad, receiving ongoing software update is quite critical For its lifespan, which means ongoing App support and security fixes (I’m not talking about new features).

Will M1 iPad Pro run 10 years from now? Maybe. Run any good? Maybe. We don’t know just yet, but I don’t want to out my bet on that too much.

It takes a couple of years after the last OS updates before apps start to require a more recent OS to be upgraded. And how much someone needs the latest features of an app is a very subjective thing...
As for apps breaking that's an additional couple of years more and that's only for a subset of apps (it happened quite a bit with the move to 64bits, but other than that it's not very frequent).
Given a 8 year OS update life for a pro (maybe more with M1) I'd add 2-4 years before having serious issues with some apps. Someone who uses their iPads mainly for drawing, note taking or photo editing might not have any issues at all, just not get the latest features... Again enthusiasts will care more about the latest features.
As for security some people are scared to use a non up-to-date device, other couldn't care less... and the truth is that many have no idea of the difference between a locked mobile OS and an open desktop OS in terms of security risks...
As an example, my mini 2 on IOS 10 is used everyday for 32bit apps that do not work anymore on newer devices. Battery life is still great, best stand-by time of all my dozen iPads, except the iPad 2 on IOS 9. This 8 year old mini 2 will probably outast even my M1 for what I do with it... (I expect to use it in 15 years, not so much for my M1) and I have absoltely 0 worries about security...

 

[Boidem]

On which iPad did you install iPadOS 16? How’s battery life? How’s it running?

Air 5. Battery life is fine. It runs fine. I have no real concerns. I'm not sure that basing a decision not to update something, because of one bad experience 9 years ago, is a good plan, but up to you I spose.

 

[Alex Cai]

I’m still using 10.5in iPad Pro 2017 (pencil+keyboard) for study
For those who chose 8+years, how can you use an old iPad that doesn’t get the newest os and is slow and not smooth? It looks outdated and have old display and battery