By the way
@kazmac @sracer @firedept @rui no onna @Crow_Servo do you think 32GB will be fine? I mean it is a big improvement over 16GB, if the iPadOS alone takes 12GB, you have 15GB or more left for games and streaming apps like Amazon Prime Video HBO or Netflix. I mean, those streaming apps don’t take storage right? They just stream and delete the content as it is downloaded, leaving just a small caché/buffer/pool.
It’s just I see 128GB overkill. a 64GB option would have been great.
In all likelihood, 32GB should be manageable. My mom had a 16GB iPhone 6S and hated the limitation of storage so much, she upgrade to a new phone with 256GB (when I suggested just getting the 64GB option). For her, she never wanted to worry about storage again.
But a phone is typically used for photos, which take up a lot of space, while iPads aren’t used for photos as often. My mom got a 64GB iPad Air 3 instead of the 256GB version. And before anyone points out that I suggested the 8th gen iPad and not the Air, when my own mom got the Air, it was IMO the best option at the time (first half of last year) and it was her first iPad. I didn’t quite know how she would ultimately use it. It was meant to replace her Chromebook, and the Air 3 has ASK support, so that’s useful to her.
So even though 32GB should be enough, I’d still recommend going with more if there’s any chance she might need more eventually. After all, she’s going to use it for quite some time. Who knows how much more space iPadOS will use a few years from now. We know for sure 32GB will be enough for the OS alone, but will it be enough for the various apps she uses and will eventually use? I can’t answer that one.
I wish I had a definitive answer, and I especially wish Apple offered more storage options with their iPads. I went with the 256GB Air 4 for myself because 64GB is too close for comfort to what I need, and there’s no 128GB option. Apple wants people to overestimate their storage needs, and they make the entry option a great price, but not always a safe choice storage-wise.
On the flip side, iCloud does a pretty good job of helping relieve storage limitations. My dad takes tons of photos and pretty much used up all 128GB on his phone, so when he upgraded, he went with 256GB. We also set him up with iCloud. Now he’s not even using half his storage. So there’s definitely ways to free up space.
Long story short, even if storage becomes an issue, Apple’s OS has pretty good ways to free up space (to a point). But if you don’t want to worry, or don’t want to play with iCloud, I suggest getting extra storage.
