Hello dear MacRumors Community, I want you to help me to make a choice, between the 379€ iPad 8th gen (32GB) and the 650€ iPad Air 4th gen (64GB). And it is not for me, I already have a gorgeous iPad Pro 11”. Is for my mother.
What does she use her current iPad (a 2013 iPad Air 1st gen, on iOS 10) for? She plays some games, mom games, she watches some streaming TV shows and some movies, and YouTube. Oh, and FaceTime and iMessage, of course. 100% media consumption. However, I want her to try apps like Amazon Prime Video or Netflix, but those require iOS 12 or 13.
And yes, before I see THAT message, the 1st gen Air supports iOS 12, but we all know iOS 12 on A7 devices drains a lot of power and her iPad has the original battery (which is at 52% of the original capacity), so updating her iPad could mean sending it to the trash, battery and performance wise. So I’ve been thinking of getting her a new iPad, mainly for her to keep enjoying her games and shows, and to have a better iPad of course. Also the 16GB of storage have always been a problem, she doesn’t record any video or anything like that, but the operating system plus some big games take most of the 16GB. I thought that 32GB would be enough.
But then, the iPad Air looks so much better, has bigger screen (she likes bigger screens as her sight is not as good as mine), better colors, laminated display (which she doesn’t even know what it is)... at nearly double the price. With double the storage, that’s it.
On one hand, I want to get her a lasting machine. Like the iPad she now has, the new one has to last -at least- another 7 years. On the other hand, I honestly think an iPad 8th gen, with a decent A12, should be more than enough for her games and streaming apps. I don’t think she will mind having a non laminated display, but she will need a headphone jack and that’s another point in favor of the base iPad (there are dongles, tho). The Air looks like a darn good deal -for me-, but I understand she doesn’t need as much, and the budget is tight. I could use that money on upgrading any of my other devices.
What bothers me of the base iPad, aside from the non laminated display and the washed out colors, is the crappy facetime camera. It is still the same camera that my mom’s 7 year old iPad Air. And that kinda upsets me. But overall I think it is not worth spending double the amount of money on an Air 4.
Please, keep your focus on those two models. Any 10.5” model (pro or air) is not considered because of the numerous issues this models may and will have eventually on the screen. And even if you think this is not the case for many 10.5” models, I am not interested in them.
Right now I am more inclined towards the base iPad 8th gen, but with the right, convincing arguments I could consider the Air 4 for my mother. Thank you for your help in advance.
What does she use her current iPad (a 2013 iPad Air 1st gen, on iOS 10) for? She plays some games, mom games, she watches some streaming TV shows and some movies, and YouTube. Oh, and FaceTime and iMessage, of course. 100% media consumption. However, I want her to try apps like Amazon Prime Video or Netflix, but those require iOS 12 or 13.
And yes, before I see THAT message, the 1st gen Air supports iOS 12, but we all know iOS 12 on A7 devices drains a lot of power and her iPad has the original battery (which is at 52% of the original capacity), so updating her iPad could mean sending it to the trash, battery and performance wise. So I’ve been thinking of getting her a new iPad, mainly for her to keep enjoying her games and shows, and to have a better iPad of course. Also the 16GB of storage have always been a problem, she doesn’t record any video or anything like that, but the operating system plus some big games take most of the 16GB. I thought that 32GB would be enough.
But then, the iPad Air looks so much better, has bigger screen (she likes bigger screens as her sight is not as good as mine), better colors, laminated display (which she doesn’t even know what it is)... at nearly double the price. With double the storage, that’s it.
On one hand, I want to get her a lasting machine. Like the iPad she now has, the new one has to last -at least- another 7 years. On the other hand, I honestly think an iPad 8th gen, with a decent A12, should be more than enough for her games and streaming apps. I don’t think she will mind having a non laminated display, but she will need a headphone jack and that’s another point in favor of the base iPad (there are dongles, tho). The Air looks like a darn good deal -for me-, but I understand she doesn’t need as much, and the budget is tight. I could use that money on upgrading any of my other devices.
What bothers me of the base iPad, aside from the non laminated display and the washed out colors, is the crappy facetime camera. It is still the same camera that my mom’s 7 year old iPad Air. And that kinda upsets me. But overall I think it is not worth spending double the amount of money on an Air 4.
Please, keep your focus on those two models. Any 10.5” model (pro or air) is not considered because of the numerous issues this models may and will have eventually on the screen. And even if you think this is not the case for many 10.5” models, I am not interested in them.
Right now I am more inclined towards the base iPad 8th gen, but with the right, convincing arguments I could consider the Air 4 for my mother. Thank you for your help in advance.
