Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

How often do you upgrade your IPad ?


  • Total voters
    244
  • Poll closed .
I do not upgrade often, unless I see the latest model pop up on the secondary market for a good price. Would upgrade every 2/3 years if buying new.
 
I find that newer tablets don't stop dust from landing on my shelf any better than older tablets. So I've had a hard time justifying an update at all. In other words, I never update.

But think about how much more dust you could block with the big 12.9 iPad Pro !!! :D:p
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ghost31
The iPad Pro was the first iPad that actually did what I imagined being able to do initially when I got the iPad 3.
 
What was this exactly?

Pen-based stuff perhaps. That's the case with me anyway - I had been hoping to use an iPad for pen-based stuff (drawing, note-taking, annotating) ever since the announcement of iPad 1. Prior to the iPad Pro, the experience with these types of things was relatively poor.
 
Pen-based stuff perhaps. That's the case with me anyway - I had been hoping to use an iPad for pen-based stuff (drawing, note-taking, annotating) ever since the announcement of iPad 1. Prior to the iPad Pro, the experience with these types of things was relatively poor.
That makes sense
 
I'm sorry but isn't it redundant to buy a new iPad every year.
Depends on your usage and requirements.

iPad 2: My 1st iPad. I already knew I'm going buy an iPad once the original was announced. I just knew the original iPad would be much like the original iPhone - revolutionary but easily obsolete due to slow CPU and low RAM. Besides, I wanted to wait for tablet app selection to mature first.

iPad 3: Bought for retina display and Verizon LTE. As slow as this thing is, for me the retina display is a godsend for reading technical PDF, manga/comics and text-heavy pages. I used this far more than I ever did the iPad 2.

iPad 4: Bought for 128GB. Needed the space for my manga.

iPad Air: I actually didn't want to buy this but stock of the iPad mini 2 was hard to come by and I needed universal LTE support for an international trip.

Skipped the Air 2 since what I really wanted back in 2014 was the iPad mini 4. The mini 3 was a big disappointment. Also skipped the Pro 12.9 because they didn't have a 256GB model upon initial release and it was a bit too big for me to carry around everywhere.

iPad Pro 9.7: Bought for 256GB and faster CPU. A very nice upgrade over the Air.
 
You skipped what is arguably the best iPad ever made. I'm sorry but isn't it redundant to buy a new iPad every year. Especially now there as powerful as most laptops it's not like there obsolete in a year.

In what way is the Air 2 better than my current 9,7 Pro?
The way i look at it is that either you pay a little every year and get the latest or upgrade in 3 years and pay the difference at once because your old iPad isnt worth as much.
 
Depends on your usage and requirements.

iPad 2: My 1st iPad. I already knew I'm going buy an iPad once the original was announced. I just knew the original iPad would be much like the original iPhone - revolutionary but easily obsolete due to slow CPU and low RAM. Besides, I wanted to wait for tablet app selection to mature first.

iPad 3: Bought for retina display and Verizon LTE. As slow as this thing is, for me the retina display is a godsend for reading technical PDF, manga/comics and text-heavy pages. I used this far more than I ever did the iPad 2.

iPad 4: Bought for 128GB. Needed the space for my manga.

iPad Air: I actually didn't want to buy this but stock of the iPad mini 2 was hard to come by and I needed universal LTE support for an international trip.

Skipped the Air 2 since what I really wanted back in 2014 was the iPad mini 4. The mini 3 was a big disappointment. Also skipped the Pro 12.9 because they didn't have a 256GB model upon initial release and it was a bit too big for me to carry around everywhere.

iPad Pro 9.7: Bought for 256GB and faster CPU. A very nice upgrade over the Air.
And now you will keep it for 4-5 years? Or does a model with a edge to edge display appeal to you? That supposedly is coming in March.
 
And now you will keep it for 4-5 years? Or does a model with a edge to edge display appeal to you? That supposedly is coming in March.
No idea. I'll decide to buy when the product is announced and if the combination of new features are worth upgrading for me. Honestly though, if Apple releases a 512GB iPad for around $1200 or less, it's going to be an instant buy for me barring any glaring deficiencies.

I use the iPad more than my iPhone and computers combined. The funds I've sunk into iPads (bar the iPad 2), I consider well spent given the utility I've derived. If I whittle down all my purchases to $/hour used, I reckon Netflix followed by the iPad would be cheapest.

I'm not advocating that everyone should upgrade their iPads every year or on my schedule. Just because it works for me doesn't mean it'll work for anyone else. I just don't get people who think their way is the only "correct" way.
 
In what way is the Air 2 better than my current 9,7 Pro?
The way i look at it is that either you pay a little every year and get the latest or upgrade in 3 years and pay the difference at once because your old iPad isnt worth as much.
We all have our own formula for how to determine when to buy, but of all the iPads the iPad 3 and iPad Air (both of which you bought) were the weakest in the line. The iPad 4 and iPad Air 2 were the strongest (you missed out on the Air 2). So although you prefer to "pay a little every year to get the latest" you held onto the Air and waited for the Pro 9.7. The one time you broke your own rule is the time that you missed out. :)

In the past it made sense to upgrade regularly because resale values were very good. But they are no longer good and there are regularly sales on iPads that are at a lower price for a NEW unit than Apple sells for REFURBS.

Based on my formula, the Pro 9.7 will have a SHORTER effective lifespan than the Air 2. When Apple discontinues iOS support for the Air 2 (released 10/22/2014), the Pro 9.7 (3/21/2016) will most likely be discontinued at the same time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Channan
Not often I guess.

I had iPad Mini 2 for couple of years, then sold it and got iPad Air 2, which I didn't have for a long time, only had it for 6 months, I saw a pretty good deal on iPad Pro 9.7 and it came with Pencil for basically free, so I snapped it up and sold Air 2.

I won't be upgrading for a while, iPad Pro 12.9" is too big and iPad 9.7" is perfect and it's plenty fast, I can probably see myself keeping it for at least couple of years.
 
iPad 2, iPad Air, iPad Pro 12 (returned itafter a week), iPad Pro 9.7. I'm now very happy, and unless something compelling comes around (an even better Apple Pencil?) I'm staying with this for awhile.
 
I got my iPad 2 in spring 2011 and replaced it with my air 2 in fall 2014. The iPad 2 was still doing very well (I kept it on iOS 6), but I got a great deal on the air 2. I'll probably keep the air two another year or two. So a 3-4 year upgrade cycle.
 
At this point I wouldn't upgrade unless they do something with the operating system that makes the newest iPad a lot better
Yah although I have a feelin that will happen in iOS 11. Apple is not just going to forget the iPad iOS 11 will be something for sure but what? We won't know until then? But don't expect floating windows for your apps. Apple would never put a basic desktop ui onto there tablet. No don't expect a files app either
 
In what way is the Air 2 better than my current 9,7 Pro?
The way i look at it is that either you pay a little every year and get the latest or upgrade in 3 years and pay the difference at once because your old iPad isnt worth as much.
One way is that it will have a longer lifespan.

But "of it's time" is implied at the end of that statement. Obviously the newest iPad is going to be the best iPad, just like the iPad mini 3 is better than the iPad mini 2 considering it has a fingerprint scanner whereas the iPad mini 2 does not, but the iPad mini 2 was still a much better iPad "of it's time."
 
One way is that it will have a longer lifespan.

But "of it's time" is implied at the end of that statement. Obviously the newest iPad is going to be the best iPad, just like the iPad mini 3 is better than the iPad mini 2 considering it has a fingerprint scanner whereas the iPad mini 2 does not, but the iPad mini 2 was still a much better iPad "of it's time."

You dont know that. It might have a longer lifespan but who knows.
 
It's possible, however unlikely, that the iPad Pro gets more iOS updates than the iPad Air 2, but it won't perform as well if that happens.
The Pro will certainly get more updates, look the A8X was a beast for the time but the A9X caught up and surpasses many laptops available today. A9X is immensely more capable than A8X
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.