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iPad iPad 2017 is seriously underrated
- Thread starter Charliebird
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Im waiting for 2018 iPad, I think the iPhone 7+ is enough though thats why there is no major urge to get an iPad for myself.
But then it would cost more. The price point is what makes this one such a great buy.
One thing I've been impressed with is the battery life. (See attached screenshot). My iPad 2 had incredible battery life, but my iPad Air always seemed to be lacking. It would lose noticeable battery life in standby, even when new.
Meanwhile this 2017 iPad has been trucking along; look at those standby numbers and still at 35%. Being not a heavy user means I like being fairly sure it won't be dead when I pick it up after not touching it for a couple days.
Meanwhile this 2017 iPad has been trucking along; look at those standby numbers and still at 35%. Being not a heavy user means I like being fairly sure it won't be dead when I pick it up after not touching it for a couple days.
This means that the iPad Air 2 is the "best" iPad Apple has ever made (at this point). It's already 2.5 years old and it's very close in performance to the 2017 iPad (with a one year old processor though).
Due to the 2GB of RAM in both devices, I think Apple will retire both at the same time (like it did for iPad 2 and 3). The iPad 2 may have been supported for so long, but most of the iOS updates were actually very slow on it. On the other hand, the iPad Air 2 is still so speedy today and has almost all the latest iOS functionality!
Honestly, I won't be surprised if the iPad Air 2 remains supported far longer than the iPad 2. Apple built it too darn good.
The next contender for the best future proof device is the 12.9" iPad Pro. With a monstrous 4 GB RAM and still a very powerful chip, that thing would probably go for years before iOS updates start to feel sluggish.
Due to the 2GB of RAM in both devices, I think Apple will retire both at the same time (like it did for iPad 2 and 3). The iPad 2 may have been supported for so long, but most of the iOS updates were actually very slow on it. On the other hand, the iPad Air 2 is still so speedy today and has almost all the latest iOS functionality!
Honestly, I won't be surprised if the iPad Air 2 remains supported far longer than the iPad 2. Apple built it too darn good.
The next contender for the best future proof device is the 12.9" iPad Pro. With a monstrous 4 GB RAM and still a very powerful chip, that thing would probably go for years before iOS updates start to feel sluggish.
Apple has used SoC as the factor to stop providing iOS updates. iPad 2 and iPad 3 both use A5 generation SoC and both were excluded from iOS 10 support. iPhone 5 and 5c both use A6 and are excluded from iOS 11 support. RAM has never been the determining factor in iOS updates.
I'm not sure how the iPad Air 2 can be considered the "best" iPad or "built it too darn good." It was not popular with education like the iPad 2 was. The iPad Air 2 is no longer offered through Apple's education channel. I would be surprised if it received any special treatment. It's just another A8 generation device like the iPhone 6 and will stop receiving iOS dates by 2018.
Naturally, Apple can decide when they want to pull the plug (perhaps using SoC as you've said). But RAM often slows down a device if it is updated to an iOS version that requires a certain level of RAM for optimal speed. In addition to other factors.
The iPad 2 may have lasted through to iOS 9, but it was already considerably slower for a few of those updates at that point. Made sense to retire it as it was already highly constrained. The iPad Air 2 hardware wise, is still very speedy even though it's almost 3 years old. The new iPad Apple just released is similar in terms of hardware. If Apple chooses to support that iPad for a number of years and is able to run new iOS versions optimally, the iPad Air 2 shouldn't have any performance issues.
I'd be very surprised if the iPad Air 2 doesn't get supported longer than the iPad 2 did.
The iPad 2 may have lasted through to iOS 9, but it was already considerably slower for a few of those updates at that point. Made sense to retire it as it was already highly constrained. The iPad Air 2 hardware wise, is still very speedy even though it's almost 3 years old. The new iPad Apple just released is similar in terms of hardware. If Apple chooses to support that iPad for a number of years and is able to run new iOS versions optimally, the iPad Air 2 shouldn't have any performance issues.
I'd be very surprised if the iPad Air 2 doesn't get supported longer than the iPad 2 did.
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I highly doubt the A8 will stop receiving updates by 2018. Apple is only cutting support to A6 this year and then there's still the A7. The A8 will probably updated until 2019 at least. Probably longer. The Air 2 is aging much better compared to Apple's older models. In fairness, aside from iOS 8, the Air has also aged more gracefully compared to previous generations.