iPad Air iPad Air 4 - Best Deal and Useable Storage

[EW800]

Hello,

I would like to purchase an iPad Air 4 for my daughter (she prefers the green), who will be starting college soon. A couple of questions, please.

-- I know deals come and go. Is there a source that I can check pretty much daily to see if there are any discounts out there for the 256GB option? I am hoping to get at least $50 off the 256GB, if possible. Any idea it is likely even greater discounting may come along anytime soon?

-- I am pretty sure we want the 256, however I am wondering how much storage is actually available with the 64GB. I assume a significant chunk of the 64GB is eaten up by the OS? Can any advise how much storage is available basically out of the box?

Thanks!

 

[AutomaticApple]

I assume a significant chunk of the 64GB is eaten up by the OS?

Yes, and be careful about the mysterious "other" that can also eat up your storage.

 

[gecko579]

I have the 256 and love it—you are making a good choice. That said I *think* I saw this model on sale (ca $50 off) for about 3-5 days around Black Friday but have NEVER SEEN IT ON SALE SINCE. I think a reasonable approach is for you to check either MR or a mainstream discounting accumulator site (eg Techbargains) in hopes one comes along, but also consider the “value of time” in terms of waiting for 50/799 (6.25% off) vs NOT HAVING IT.

As an example while I didn’t get it on sale I did save overall by finding a very reasonable cover (check the forums for suggestions) at $10 vs the Apple $70+ and also scored a folio keyboard at $99 instead of $179. My point is not that I’m special/smart in finding deals but rather consider where the biggest deals are to be had.

Last consideration is to definitely resist the 64GB (as you seem to be thinking) given the ever increasing size of the OS. I have seen figure posted (MR) which suggest ca 30-40GB available on those models.

Good luck in your search, Happy New Year, and know you will not regret the eventual (iPad) purchase!

 

[ericwn]

I don’t have any exact measurements but my guess is the OS takes 5-8 GB of the available storage space.

Additionally a bit more space than that will be required if you want to install a later version of the OS when the next major update comes along.

 

[getrealbro]

This is the current storage on our new (Black Friday $50 off) and lightly used 256GB iPad Air 4. At the time I took this screen shot I was only using 23.3GB of storage. But this figure can vary quite a bit without any “obvious” change in usage. For example earlier today it was reading 32GB used.

Unfortunately iPadOS 14.2 doesn’t let you see the exact amount of storage used by each category. But you can see that this early in the life of our iPad, our apps are taking up the lions share. This low usage is because we have not yet added many photos/videos, offline entertainment (e.g. Netflix, Amazon, etc) and other “data”. BTW birding apps e.g. iBird Pro, Merlin, etc. store their 1-2 GB of data each on the iPad so they can be used without Wi-FI or cellular connections.

FWIW The way most people get by with only 64GB is by using their high speed internet connection and iCloud to offload photos, seldom used apps, etc. Of course this can lead to renting additional iCloud storage, which IMHO should be considered when spec’ing an iPad’s storage. We never even considered the 64GB model because our internet is both too slow/unreliable.

GetRealBro

 

[rui no onna]

-- I am pretty sure we want the 256, however I am wondering how much storage is actually available with the 64GB. I assume a significant chunk of the 64GB is eaten up by the OS? Can any advise how much storage is available basically out of the box?

Probably around 50 GB. The operating system is bigger now on iOS 14 (~6-7 GB) plus you have Other and pre-installed apps. I always remove the pre-installed apps on my iPads, Garageband first and foremost.

 

[daddyd302]

I would go for the 256G. Most people buy the wi-fi version which means no wi-fi no cloud service. Check Amazon as they have it at $699 right now but.... It won't be in stock until 1-15-21. Only the blue and gray are at $699 the others are more at$719 and $750. I've never done a purchase on a out of stock item before so I'm not sure you can buy it now at that price and wait for it to be restocked again.

2020 Apple iPad Air (10.9-inch, Wi-Fi, 256GB) - Sky Blue (4th Generation)

The all-new iPad Air. It’s more versatile than ever. The stunning 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with wide color lets you see photos, videos, and games in vivid, true-to-life detail. It features the A14 Bionic chip with Neural Engine, delivering power and advanced machine learning capabilities t...

smile.amazon.com

You can also check out swappa too. I managed to pick up a mint 2020 Ipad pro 256 cellular for $800 yesterday.

Swappa

Swappa - Buy and sell used and refurbished tech

swappa.com

 

[rui no onna]

I would go for the 256G. Most people buy the wi-fi version which means no wi-fi no cloud service. Check Amazon as they have it at $699 right now but.... It won't be in stock until 1-15-21. Only the blue and gray are at $699 the others are more at$719 and $750. I've never done a purchase on a out of stock item before so I'm not sure you can buy it now at that price and wait for it to be restocked again.

2020 Apple iPad Air (10.9-inch, Wi-Fi, 256GB) - Sky Blue (4th Generation)

The all-new iPad Air. It’s more versatile than ever. The stunning 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with wide color lets you see photos, videos, and games in vivid, true-to-life detail. It features the A14 Bionic chip with Neural Engine, delivering power and advanced machine learning capabilities t...

smile.amazon.com

Yes, you can lock in the price by buying now and just wait for it to be delivered.

 

[getrealbro]

FWIW when we bought our 2nd set of AirPods for Amazon, the orginal estimated delivery date was Jan7th, then Jan 3rd... and they were actually delivered on Dec 23rd

GetRealBro

 

[daddyd302]

Yes, you can lock in the price by buying now and just wait for it to be delivered.

So basically this is what the OP was asking for. Hope he takes advantage of it before prices go back to normal.

 

[EW800]

Thanks for each of you for the great support and responses! I will be getting the 256 for her and taking advantage of the current $50 off. Thanks again!

 

[IowaLynn]

If you have Amazon Prime Amazon Credit card, you would have 12 monthly payments zero-interest. 6 months on $170

Apple Smart Keyboard Folio for iPad Air (4th Generation) and iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd Generation) - US English​

 

[rui no onna]

If you have Amazon Prime Amazon Credit card, you would have 12 monthly payments zero-interest. 6 months on $170

Apple Smart Keyboard Folio for iPad Air (4th Generation) and iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd Generation) - US English​

If you buy them together, I believe you can get 12 months on the entire charge.