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areskins

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 3, 2016
56
4
I currently have an ipad air 1 with iOS10. Im not sure its slow because of its age or is it because I compare it to my iphone 6s.

Im planning to get an ipad pro 12.9 for school and Im wondering how long will it last before it becomes really slow? Hoping it will last for 4 years until graduation since this will be my main computing device.

Do you stop updating your device after some time or do you update until its not supported anymore?
How would you know when to stop updating the OS and just stick to that iOS number?
Does the 4gb of RAM help its longevity compared to the 9.7 ipp?
 
You can ignore the requests to update the device, however I suggest to wait to see what new devices Apple introduces this year. The iPad Pro 12.9 hasn't been updated for a year and a half, so it's due for an update.
 
You can ignore the requests to update the device, however I suggest to wait to see what new devices Apple introduces this year. The iPad Pro 12.9 hasn't been updated for a year and a half, so it's due for an update.
Unfortunately that wouldn't be a choice since Im getting a refurbished or a used ipp
 
Does it have to be an iPad? I'm not sure of your budget, but have you considered a MacBook air? You may get more longevity out of that and also have a real laptop.
 
Unfortunately that wouldn't be a choice since Im getting a refurbished or a used ipp

If you're concerned about new releases for the iPad, then I would look into the refurbished iPad Pro, it still comes with a warranty and would likely save you some money versus purchasing new. Especially being a refresh is likely imminent between September and November 2017. (Or during WWDC.)
 
I currently have an ipad air 1 with iOS10. Im not sure its slow because of its age or is it because I compare it to my iphone 6s.

Im planning to get an ipad pro 12.9 for school and Im wondering how long will it last before it becomes really slow? Hoping it will last for 4 years until graduation since this will be my main computing device.

Do you stop updating your device after some time or do you update until its not supported anymore?
How would you know when to stop updating the OS and just stick to that iOS number?
Does the 4gb of RAM help its longevity compared to the 9.7 ipp?

I keep updating, but the only device I've ever kept to the point where it was no longer supported was my iPhone 3Gs.
 
The iPP 12.9 will run well for at least 3 major updates...so at least until iOS 12.

I selectively update.

My iPad2 I left on iOS7.

My 6s is still on 9.0.2 for the simple reason that it's jail-broken and I've not seen anything in ios10 that has captured my interest.

I will look at ios11 with the same critical eye. If the features are uninteresting, I'll skip that as well.
 
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Well I have an iPad 4th generation that is running the latest version of iOS and it's become painfully slow. I'm assuming iOS 10 will be the last version supported for my iPad so I'm hoping to get a new one toward the end of the year.
 
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Well I have an iPad 4th generation that is running the latest version of iOS and it's become painfully slow. I'm assuming iOS 10 will be the last version supported for my iPad so I'm hoping to get a new one toward the end of the year.

From my understanding, the iPad 4 is 32 bit architecture and is likely be to phased out. (Unknown when).
 
From my understanding, the iPad 4 is 32 bit architecture and is likely be to phased out. (Unknown when).
It is 32 bit architecture, I think it was one of the last devices that was. Even if they don't end it because it's 32 bit, I think support will end any how because it came out in late 2012 and initially had iOS 6 on it.
 
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It is 32 bit architecture, I think it was one of the last devices that was. Even if they don't end it because it's 32 but, I think support will end any how because it came out in late 2012 and initially had iOS 6 on it.

That's what I thought. It's hard to believe It had iOS 6 on it and it came out 2012. I really don't even consider the iPad 4 that old and yet It's likely on its way out.
 
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In short: The iPP hardware is still lightyears ahead of it´s software..

It will probably go down as the most overpowered iOS device apple ever released..

So much power, so little software..
 
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In short: The iPP hardware is still lightyears ahead of it´s software..

It will probably go down as the most overpowered iOS device apple ever released..

So much power, so little software..

Only true in case of the 12.9" iPP with 4GB of RAM. Would you say the same for the 9.7" iPP with only 2GB of RAM ?
 
Only true in case of the 12.9" iPP with 4GB of RAM. Would you say the same for the 9.7" iPP with only 2GB of RAM ?

The thread is about the real iPP not the "Air 3 with pen-support"..

("Im planning to get an ipad pro 12.9 for school and Im wondering how long will it last before it becomes really slow?")
 
Unfortunately that wouldn't be a choice since Im getting a refurbished or a used ipp

Sure, but it's quite likely that once the new iPads are out, the prices for the current models will come down--including refurbished model that you intend to buy.

Btw, if you don't already also have a good laptop I'd strongly suggest you get one instead of an iPad.
 
Sure, but it's quite likely that once the new iPads are out, the prices for the current models will come down--including refurbished model that you intend to buy.

Btw, if you don't already also have a good laptop I'd strongly suggest you get one instead of an iPad.
Depends, law school folks and the likes are perfectly able to get by on an iPad 12.9"
I know I am.
 
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I currently have an ipad air 1 with iOS10. Im not sure its slow because of its age or is it because I compare it to my iphone 6s.
Bit of both. My 9.7 iPP felt a tad less snappy after I replaced my iPhone 6 with an iPhone 7.

Do you stop updating your device after some time or do you update until its not supported anymore?
How would you know when to stop updating the OS and just stick to that iOS number?
Does the 4gb of RAM help its longevity compared to the 9.7 ipp?
Selective updating. You kinda notice when the device starts becoming a little slower so I usually just stop updating after that. Something like the jump from iOS 6 to iOS 7 was also pretty significant. Given the iPad Air/iOS 7 was less fluid than iPad 4/iOS 6, I just kept my A5/A6-based devices on iOS 6.

The dual channel 4GB DDR4 RAM for 12.9 iPP versus single channel 2GB DDR4 RAM for 9.7 iPP means raw performance on the 12.9 is a bit faster. The question there is how the display resolution and changes in future iOS versions will affect overall system performance.
 
I bought this ipad air 1 in 2013 and it served me well. I think its still usable and it served me well in undergraduate school. I hope that the ipad pro will also last for 4 more years.
 
I bought this ipad air 1 in 2013 and it served me well. I think its still usable and it served me well in undergraduate school. I hope that the ipad pro will also last for 4 more years.

Generally speaking, when an iPad releases, you should expect somewhere around four years of usage with the iPad and iOS support. By my logic, that's pretty good considering how long the iPad actually lasts well past it's life span with the battery and iOS support.
 
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I have an iPad-3 bought in 2012 which will be now 5 years old. which is still working fine with reasonable battery life, except that it has slowed down because I have updated it to iOS 9.3
 
My iPad 4 is still in the family being used every day running the latest iOS 10.3.2 I agree with whoever stated previously that iOS 10.x.x Will be the last update from Apple for this device but battery still lasts a decent amount of time and will most likely not be replaced for another year or so thanks Apple for making amazing products that live beyond their lifecycle look forward to what iOS 11 has to offer for my 12.9 inch iPad Pro w/ Cellular tomorrow morning at 10 AM
 
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