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Heat_Fan89

macrumors 68030
Feb 23, 2016
2,933
3,826
To each his/her own. I had never even considered a refurb before yesterday. Love the pro features. YMMV.
There isn’t anything wrong with an Apple refurbed iPad or iPhone. In the past if you bought a refurbed iPad from Apple, it was thoroughly tested, it got a new battery and new shell. Maybe someone can chime in whether that has changed most recently.
 

mebehere

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 21, 2012
1,104
1,120
There isn’t anything wrong with an Apple refurbed iPad or iPhone. In the past if you bought a refurbed iPad from Apple, it was thoroughly tested, it got a new battery and new shell. Maybe someone can chime in whether that has changed most recently.

That description is what I got. It looks brand new in every way.
 
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ericwn

macrumors G5
Apr 24, 2016
12,118
10,910
Some people might need access to storage when wifi isn't available, and might want to leave the usb port open for charging?

And for those some, there’s a nice upsell available in the form of the pro model.
 

B.A.T

macrumors 6502a
Oct 16, 2009
865
772
Idaho
Coming from an iPad Pro 10.5 it's a nice upgrade and after owning it for almost 5 years I know it is all I want or need.
 

satchmo

macrumors 603
Aug 6, 2008
5,219
6,093
Canada
I find the whole storage issue over-rated. Would it have been better with 128gb base? Of course.

But unless you truly are using this for video editing, or massive amounts of photos, I think 64gb is enough. And if it’s not, maybe you just get an iPad 11 Pro then.

I had the same dilemma with the iPad Air 4 I’m using now. I’m up to 40gb used, but I haven’t cleaned this thing up in 2 years.
 
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darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
18,366
10,128
Atlanta, GA
I find the whole storage issue over-rated. Would it have been better with 128gb base? Of course.

But unless you truly are using this for video editing, or massive amounts of photos, I think 64gb is enough. And if it’s not, maybe you just get an iPad 11 Pro then.
I have a 128GB iPP and it is not large enough for my apps, music library, and the space needed for a days worth of Raw camera files, photo not video; this isn't a massive number of photos, maybe around 300 before I delete the ones I don't want. 256GB is much better and to get that in an 11" iPP costs a lot more than the 256GB Air.

The Air with 8GB RAM and an M1 is certainly not a joke.
 
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Rafterman

Contributor
Apr 23, 2010
7,267
8,809
It seems to me the only reason you would get a Pro over the Air is if you need big storage. I got the 12.9 with 2TB because one of it's usages is a media storage device - audiobooks, TV shows, movies, music, etc. But if you are only doing 256GB, I can see getting the Air over the Pro, unless you really want Promotion.
 
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rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,919
13,262
It seems to me the only reason you would get a Pro over the Air is if you need big storage. I got the 12.9 with 2TB because one of it's usages is a media storage device - audiobooks, TV shows, movies, music, etc. But if you are only doing 256GB, I can see getting the Air over the Pro, unless you really want Promotion.

There’s also other features like FaceID, quad speakers, etc.

For me, in terms of reliability of the biometric authentication methods, it’s Home Button TouchID > FaceID > Power Button TouchID.

The issues I’ve had with Air 4 and mini 6 TouchID is making it a bit difficult to choose between Air 5 and Pro 11 for my mom.
 
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snipr125

macrumors 68020
Oct 17, 2015
2,012
3,125
UK
There’s also other features like FaceID, quad speakers, etc.

For me, in terms of reliability of the biometric authentication methods, it’s Home Button TouchID > FaceID > Power Button TouchID.

The issues I’ve had with Air 4 and mini 6 TouchID is making it a bit difficult to choose between Air 5 and Pro 11 for my mom.

Thats interesting as the Power button Touch ID has been flawless for me. Touch ID on my Air 3 is equally as good though, maybe slightly better as its flat. I appear to be sensitive to Face ID so cannot use it at all :(, so if I got a IPP i would be using PIN all the time!
 
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rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,919
13,262
Thats interesting as the Power button Touch ID has been flawless for me. Touch ID on my Air 3 is equally as good though, maybe slightly better as its flat. I appear to be sensitive to Face ID so cannot use it at all :(, so if I got a IPP i would be using PIN all the time!

Power button TouchID hates the fingers of my left hand so I always have to use my right hand no matter how the iPad is oriented. Tried reprogramming multiple times and nada. It always asks for pin if I try to use TouchID with my left hand.

Meanwhile, Home button TouchID has been fairly flawless for me (except when fingers are wet or too dry).

FaceID, I normally need to move the fingers/hand covering the camera but at least it always works on the second try.
 

Isamilis

macrumors 68020
Apr 3, 2012
2,191
1,074
There isn’t anything wrong with an Apple refurbed iPad or iPhone. In the past if you bought a refurbed iPad from Apple, it was thoroughly tested, it got a new battery and new shell. Maybe someone can chime in whether that has changed most recently.
Bought refurbished iPad Pro 11” 2020 base model recently, with same price with Air 4 base model. Very good and same as new (except for the white box).
 

geta

macrumors 68000
May 18, 2010
1,607
1,395
The Moon
There’s also other features like FaceID, quad speakers, etc.

For me, in terms of reliability of the biometric authentication methods, it’s Home Button TouchID > FaceID > Power Button TouchID.

The issues I’ve had with Air 4 and mini 6 TouchID is making it a bit difficult to choose between Air 5 and Pro 11 for my mom.
TouchID in any form is ways better the FaceID. Hopefully it will come back into future iPhones…
 

boltjames

macrumors 601
May 2, 2010
4,876
2,852
TouchID in any form is ways better the FaceID. Hopefully it will come back into future iPhones…

Disagree.

In fact, here in Week 3 of Air 4 ownership, I still can't get used to Touch ID. I tap the screen, I swipe up expecting Face ID every time. My iPhone and my iPad should have the same type of opening sequence. It's needlessly disorienting and a bad customer experience. I was extremely disappointed the Air 5 didn't include it.
 
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geta

macrumors 68000
May 18, 2010
1,607
1,395
The Moon
Disagree.

In fact, here in Week 3 of Air 4 ownership, I still can't get used to Touch ID. I tap the screen, I swipe up expecting Face ID every time. My iPhone and my iPad should have the same type of opening sequence. It's needlessly disorienting and a bad customer experience. I was extremely disappointed the Air 5 didn't include it.
You should work on your muscle memory… ;)

Personal preferences. FaceID is the one thing I really miss on the Mini 6, be happy to never have TouchID again.
Agree, its all about personal preferences… love the TouchID on the Mini 6, wish iPhone Mini 13 had one as well.
 

boltjames

macrumors 601
May 2, 2010
4,876
2,852
You should work on your muscle memory…

I would love to, problem is I'm using Face ID on my iPhone, what, 50 times a day and then reaching for the iPad 5 times in a week. Just no way to get an equilibrium because I am on my iPhone so much more than the iPad.

I'd have gotten the Pro just to avoid this but I don't like the big ugly camera square. The Air is so much more elegant. Who the hell uses an iPad for photography anyway? I've never seen someone in the wild whip out a tablet and start taking photos.
 
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rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,919
13,262
I'd have gotten the Pro just to avoid this but I don't like the big ugly camera square. The Air is so much more elegant. Who the hell uses an iPad for photography anyway? I've never seen someone in the wild whip out a tablet and start taking photos.

Our local optometrist used an app on the iPad Pro to measure pupillary distance.
 
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fwmireault

macrumors 68020
Jul 4, 2019
2,288
9,705
Montréal, Canada
This is a 1.5 year update, people.

My 8th gen budget iPad is fast enough. Hell, my mom’s 5th gen is plenty fast.

64GB base storage? Stupid. 256GB for $150 more? Complete money grab.

This thing offers nothing worthwhile. Center Stage? It’s a gimmick.

I watched the presentation. As each minute passed, I thought there was something special coming. Nope.

For those who are going to buy this, you’re getting screwed.
I don't know what you expected. iPad Air got a pretty big upgrade in September 2020. Granted this is a specs bump, but Apple can't deliver a drastic change to each iteration. You'll usually see the same design and tech with incremental upgrades for 4-5 years before something bigger. Also, Apple don't want to cannibalize iPad Pro sales, so they have to keep some features exclusives for the iPad Pro. In my mind, the iPad Air 5 is already very much close to the 11 inch iPad Pro, so I don't know why you expected this iPad Air to be something more features rich than this iPad Pro.

If the iPad Air 5 is not for you, don't buy it.
 
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