What’s the consensus on how many years this will last? Somebody told me roughly 2 years. I just am on the fence about dropping the money on something only lasting 2 to 3 years...
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iPad iPad Air 4 Longevity?
- Thread starter bryanc28
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I think at least 3 years of smooth usage, it does only have 4gb of ram but if that does become an issue, you can always downgrade OS. I had the 1st gen air that started to really show its age in iOS 13, but if you need a new device, the air is great and will last a long time. It all depends on how you use the device now and in the future.
This depends mostly on what you are doing with it and partly on how software changes over time. FWIW, I finally sold my iPad Air 2 after six years. It still works very well and I could get real work done on it now if I had to. With normal usage, I'm guessing you'll get about the same on the iPad 4, but I don't know your usage.
My guess is that most people use their iPads for3-5 years before they update to a newer device.
The Air 4 should last that long if you treat it well.
The Air 4 should last that long if you treat it well.
2 Years?!
I'd say without hesitation that most people will probably be fine using this iPad for 5 years or more. To put in perspective how ridiculous the 2 year estimate is, consider that the 8th gen iPad that also came out this past fall has a processor that's 2 generations older than the Air 4's A14. So if 2 years is the expected lifespan for an iPad before it's obsolete, the 8th gen iPad was at the end of its useful lifespan the day it launched! LOL.
But seriously, any new iPad should be good for at least 3-5 years.
I used my first gen iPad Air for 7 years lol. You should expect the same or even better longevity from this iPad.
2 years definitely isn't true. It will likely last you around 5 years or so.
We still use our first generation iPad Air, albeit for simple tasks such as email, web surfing, listening to podcasts, and such. We did get a 2018 iPad Pro for 'serious work', which we also use for email, web surfing, listening to podcasts and such.
The Air 4 has Apple‘s newest 5 nm A14 bionic chip, and the Pro form factor with usb c, so will probably be supported longer than any of the current iPad range available right now (At least 5 years).
My 2017 iPad Pro 10.5 is still fast enough and works great. Battery isn’t what it used to be and there is the classic white spot on the screen. I upgraded to the 2nd gen 11” Pro, but I’m having second thoughts if that was a wise move. Sure USB C is nice and I like the slightly larger screen, but it isn’t noticeably faster.
It will remain modern and usable for at least five years, and likely last around a decade.
With it having only 4GB RAM, you may see slowdowns and app relaunches sooner, but it should be pretty good for 5-6years, whoever told you 2 years was lying.
iPads typically have very long life spans, especially higher end ones like Air and Pro. My old iPad Air 2 is still pretty good it just needs a new battery.
iPads typically have very long life spans, especially higher end ones like Air and Pro. My old iPad Air 2 is still pretty good it just needs a new battery.
Well mine lasted about 2 weeks 🙁 It then refused to charge. Did all the known troubleshooting steps. Only option given was to send it in for repair. After such a short period I was disappointed not to be offered a replacement. Now back to using my ipad2...
Well mine lasted about 2 weeksIt then refused to charge. Did all the known troubleshooting steps. Only option given was to send it in for repair. After such a short period I was disappointed not to be offered a replacement. Now back to using my ipad2...
It then refused to charge. Did all the known troubleshooting steps. Only option given was to send it in for repair. After such a short period I was disappointed not to be offered a replacement. Now back to using my ipad2...
They might still hand you a replacement from their service stock. If you were in the return period, you could just have returned the device for a refund and reordered a new one.
Alas no. Made the mistake of buying it from Amazon. No option for refund only repair. Won’t be doing that again. Assuming it’s a one off and just bad luck with my unit. No other widespread reports of issues with the usb c port that I can find.
What does "last" mean??
How many years of updates? Nodoby can say for sure, but given current trends at least 5, probably 7.
How long you will be able to install 99% of apps and it will feel very fast? around 10 years
4GB will not slow it down. 3GB are in line to be next, but I expect them do not refresh too much or cause stutter for quite a few years... 4GB? Not in this decade.
The CPU is so powerful that it will remain fast even in 10 year, much more than something like the air 2 is now... much more...
So whoever told you 2 years told you nonsense...
Battery is the main bottleneck however...
How many years of updates? Nodoby can say for sure, but given current trends at least 5, probably 7.
How long you will be able to install 99% of apps and it will feel very fast? around 10 years
4GB will not slow it down. 3GB are in line to be next, but I expect them do not refresh too much or cause stutter for quite a few years... 4GB? Not in this decade.
The CPU is so powerful that it will remain fast even in 10 year, much more than something like the air 2 is now... much more...
So whoever told you 2 years told you nonsense...
Battery is the main bottleneck however...
Depends on what you use it for. My husband has an iPad Air 2 that he still uses for playing Hearthstone mostly, and it still works great for him. I am using an iPad Air 4 as well, replacing an iPad Pro 2018 that was over 2 years old (it got smashed on Christmas sadly). It would have been great for another year or two easily. I bet this iPad will be great for at least 4 or 5 years, if cared for.
The iPad Air 2 is on it's 7th year of software support now and still runs fine on iOS 14. Since it has the latest gen chip in it I would expect it to perform well for at least 5 years.
Definitely adding to the vote of : "Depends on what you're doing on it." If you're editing video, doing heavy rendering, etc.... you're going to notice slowdown faster. If you're like me - reading ebooks, news articles, and browsing Macrumors - 5+ years will be easy.