iPad Is Ipad Air 2 the next longevity model?

[Jawnathin]

I read it as "there is no better tablet for sale," which doesn't necessarily mean, "this tablet will have a long useful life."

Not trying to be combative or anything... Just saying I could read that review much more pessimistically than you do. I think the real take-away is that "good" reviews should be taken with a grain of salt. iPad 3 was good when it was released, but the review didn't really consider longevity.

I'm not being combative either, I'm having fun discussing this. I'm glad we got that out of the way.

Considering the first line in the paragraph, it seemed like pretty high praise to me. Not sure how I could read that paragraph pessimistically.

Let's be clear: the new iPad is in a class by itself, just as its predecessor was. As the latest product in a lineage of devices that defined this category, the iPad continues to stand head and shoulders above the competition.

While I see your point that they didn't call out longevity specifically, the summary of the review is that it is so good, its in a class of its own, no one else is even close, bar has been raised, competition will need to work to catch up.

And when you have a product that is considered to be so far ahead of the competition, it sounds like endorsement of long legs/longevity.

 

[screensaver400]

And when you have a product that is considered to be so far ahead of the competition, it sounds like endorsement of long legs/longevity.

First, I think we can agree that when we're talking about "longevity," we mean "hardware significantly faster than currently needed, such that future software can run comfortably."

Here's the conclusion of The Verge's review of the iPad 4:

The fourth-generation iPad is the very definition of an iterative change: Apple made important things better, but neither overhauled nor revolutionized anything. If the iPad's history is any indication, the fourth-generation iPad's advantages over the third-gen model will be most apparent two years from now, when apps are designed for the better processor and the Lightning connector has spawned a much larger universe of accessories. Then you'll want the extra power and the adapter-free lifestyle.

For now, if you're within your return window you should probably swap for the newest iPad, but if not? Rest assured you're not really missing that much. Not yet, at least.

Similarly, here's an excerpt from The Verge's iPad Air 2 review. While much of the review complained about the lack of software enhancements, here's the bit on performance:

Inside the iPad Air 2 lies Apple’s new A8X chip, which is a variant of the A8 found in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus with additional graphics capabilities. It’s ridiculously fast — noticeably faster to load web pages and launch apps than my iPad Air, and it has so much graphics headroom that I’m eager to see how game developers take advantage of it. But that might take a while: Apple still sells a full lineup of iPads with A7 chips (and the original iPad mini with an A5!), and it’s hard to see the incentive for developers to optimize iPad apps for the A8X until the installed base of Air 2s makes it worthwhile.

To me, these sound like longevity endorsements. (But still, take reviews with a grain of salt.)

 

[Supermallet]

I don't think you understood what The Verge was trying to say as it relates the A5X. They're saying that while people have observed its still based on the A5, their testing shows speed was not an issue and it was as powerful as it needed to be. What people consider to be an issue today was a non issue when it was released. They aren't saying it was a problem or they were torn about it.

Ironically you could consider the A8's iterative improvement over the A7 to be a similar situation that will unfold in a few years time.

The 'vanilla A7' was a bigger jump over the A6X than the A8X is over the A7. Even with the 3rd core the A8X is still isn't as big of an improvement as the A7 brought to the table. Not too shabby for a 'vanilla' processor.

Uh, yes quoting a review (aka the sentiment at the time) and contrasting it with today's posts is exactly my point. The newest iPad is always best thing ever at release and then after some time the opinion is quite negative for whatever reason.

Today the Air 2 is the best thing ever. Then wait until we get further in the life cycle, then whatever improvements that come out on the Air 3 will expose whatever 'weaknesses' that exist on the Air 2. Then that will be the 'longevity model'. Rinse and repeat every single year.

I think you're missing the point. Of course every new iPad is going to have improvements over previous iPads. No one would buy them if this weren't the case.

But some models of the iPad have attributes that make them attractive buys to people who only upgrade every few years. Specifically, any models that have a good combination of processor and RAM that allows you to upgrade the OS at least two full versions up from what the device originally came with. So the question isn't "Is the iPad Air 2 the best iPad right now?" because that answer is obvious. The question is how well will the Air 2 work 2-3 years from now.

 

[Jawnathin]

Well remember that for the 4 and the Air 2, these were 'S' models, the star of the show was speed improvements, so it made sense they covered those in more detail. For the 3, the focus and primary discussion point was the Retina display.

And because a review doesn't call out longevity specifically in a review, doesn't mean there aren't endorsements about the product's performance that could be read 'in between the lines'.

It would be telling if they had concerns around speed or performance but when they talk about snappiness, fluidity, and responsiveness, you could conclude that the performance was high.

Plucked a few quotes...

SPECS DO MATTER, IT SEEMS, AND THE NEW IPAD DELIVERS A SUBSTANTIAL UPGRADE IN NEARLY EVERY DEPARTMENT

...

Inside, the iPad isn't playing around either. The system-on-a-chip which the previous iPad used — the A5 — has been retooled and spun into something Apple calls the A5X. At the center of that chip is an ARM-based, dual core SoC clocked to 1GHz, along with a quad-core GPU. Apple has upgraded the RAM in the iPad from 512MB to a full 1GB

...

in my testing I see no evidence that the processor in the iPad isn't every bit as powerful as it should be. While there's not some obvious speed boost in comparison to the previous generation iPad, there's certainly no stutter, stagger, or delay when using the tablet. Apps opened and closed quickly and without issue, app switching was efficient, and graphically-intensive games played smoothly on the device.

...

I saw no outstanding performance issues at all, in fact. Whether it's a further optimization of iOS, the new SoC, or a combination of the two (most likely), there's little to complain about in regards to overall speed and performance. What I can say most clearly about the iPad (and frankly, the version before this) is that there's a certain kind of confidence, of fearlessness, with which it executes tasks. With many modern mobile devices, there's this constant, nagging sensation that it's going to jam up, freeze, or otherwise not respond to your commands. That sensation is nowhere to be found on the new iPad — and it's a relief.

...

In all, the new iPad lived up to my expectations on the performance and battery fronts — and I'm not sure how it might have surpassed them. It's everything the previous generation was, and then some. Stable, reliable, speedy, and long-lived. What more can you ask for?

...

The overall performance of the software is very, very good. In fact, in terms of fluidity, stability, touch response, and general cohesion, there's no other tablet OS that comes close.

...

Let's be clear: the new iPad is in a class by itself, just as its predecessor was. As the latest product in a lineage of devices that defined this category, the iPad continues to stand head and shoulders above the competition. With the addition of the Retina display, LTE, more memory, and a more powerful processor, Apple has absolutely held onto the iPad's market position as the dominant player and product to beat.

...

However, if you're in the market for your first tablet, or upgrading from the original iPad or an Android device, do not hesitate. The new iPad is the most functional, usable, and beautiful tablet that any company has ever produced.

Anyway, trying to bring this back to my point to the the original question/topic, is the Air 2 the next longevity model?

The Air 2 could very well be the 'next iPad 2'. Or maybe not. But its far too early to tell. In the end, my point was that you could make convincing arguments for any of the iPad models. I used the iPad 3 as an example of this because it was very highly regarded upon its release yet its considered to have the shortest life cycle. I do not think you can predict the Air 2's longevity based on what we know now. I think it is determined more by the Apple Roadmap than a certain hardware specification or feature.

 

[Closingracer]

For me- there will be nothing better until iPad 4k.

With 2 hour battery life..... Or a really huge battery thus becoming bigger then the 1st iPad . A sub 2k screen is great

----------

Well remember that for the 4 and the Air 2, these were 'S' models, the star of the show was speed improvements, so it made sense they covered those in more detail. For the 3, the focus and primary discussion point was the Retina display.



And because a review doesn't call out longevity specifically in a review, doesn't mean there aren't endorsements about the product's performance that could be read 'in between the lines'.



It would be telling if they had concerns around speed or performance but when they talk about snappiness, fluidity, and responsiveness, you could conclude that the performance was high.



Plucked a few quotes...







Anyway, trying to bring this back to my point to the the original question/topic, is the Air 2 the next longevity model?



The Air 2 could very well be the 'next iPad 2'. Or maybe not. But its far too early to tell. In the end, my point was that you could make convincing arguments for any of the iPad models. I used the iPad 3 as an example of this because it was very highly regarded upon its release yet its considered to have the shortest life cycle. I do not think you can predict the Air 2's longevity based on what we know now. I think it is determined more by the Apple Roadmap than a certain hardware specification or feature.

Yes it will be 100% for the casual people it will be and I am using casual person reading these forums not actually casual users because they probably will keep their iPad until they destroy it or is unusable. Power users will always get the next 1

 

[Jawnathin]

I think you're missing the point. Of course every new iPad is going to have improvements over previous iPads. No one would buy them if this were the case.

But some models of the iPad have attributes that make them attractive buys to people who only upgrade every few years. Specifically, any models that have a good combination of processor and RAM that allows you to upgrade the OS at least two full versions up from what the device originally came with. So the question isn't "Is the iPad Air 2 the best iPad right now?" because that answer is obvious. The question is how well will the Air 2 work 2-3 years from now.

We can't determine that the Air 2 will be the longevity model because we don't know what's coming down the pipeline 2-3 years from now. It has less to do with specifications and more to do with Apple's Roadmap. Based on hardware specs alone I could make claims for 'longevity models' for every model iPad, but we know that is not how it plays out in reality.

Air 1 sounded good last year with its 64-bit processor. Look at what people say now.

Today the Air 2 sounds good, but what if 2GB of ram and the A8X isn't enough for Split Screen multitasking that comes out in iOS9?

Well thankfully Apple put 3GB of ram into the iPad Air 3 so it can support that feature. That is clearly the right amount of memory to be the next true longevity model. And good thing the A9X is a complete redesign with 2x the performance of the A8X. It was silly to buy the Air 2, we knew split-screen was coming based on the lines of code we found in the iOS releases. 2GB of memory and the incremental A8X were simply underpowered for this feature.

Of course this is just hypothetical, but its certainly a valid and realistic scenario. You can't look at just specs.

 

[cababah]

We can't determine that the Air 2 will be the longevity model because we don't know what's coming down the pipeline 2-3 years from now. It has less to do with specifications and more to do with Apple's Roadmap. Based on hardware specs alone I could make claims for 'longevity models' for every model iPad, but we know that is not how it plays out in reality.

Air 1 sounded good last year with its 64-bit processor. Look at what people say now.

Today the Air 2 sounds good, but what if 2GB of ram and the A8X isn't enough for Split Screen multitasking that comes out in iOS9?

Well thankfully Apple put 3GB of ram into the iPad Air 3 so it can support that feature. That is clearly the right amount of memory to be the next true longevity model. And good thing the A9X is a complete redesign with 2x the performance of the A8X. It was silly to buy the Air 2, we knew split-screen was coming based on the lines of code we found in the iOS releases. 2GB of memory and the incremental A8X simply wouldn't have cut it.

It just goes on and on.

Eh, I have to disagree with that. Apple kept 1GB RAM in the iPad for 3 years and they just now DOUBLED it which is pretty significant. Considering the pattern and how stingy Apple is with RAM upgrades, I'd wager that 2GB is pretty future-proof for the next several years. It will be a while before Apple adds more than 2GB RAM in their iDevices.

 

[BenTrovato]

Really, you can still use the iPad 2. If you don't touch a newer model you wouldn't know the speed difference and the same with the rest of the models.

The only model that was horrible was the iPad 3. Sorry but the only people who think it was okay are the ones that own one. Every time I used one it felt like a blackberry playbook. The Air 2 does have something going for it with the increased ram provided Apple takes advantage of it in the near future.

 

[Act3]

iPad 3 - Retina Display. High Quality screen will be the standard for many years
iPad 4 - Lightning port. Apple's future iDevice cable connector for future connectivity and charging
iPad Air - 64 Bit Processor. The future of CPU processing for all iDevices
iPad Air 2 - 2GB of RAM. The new RAM standard for future generations and yet to be revealed features


Everyone always thinks the new iPad is the iPad 2 and will last forever. It will be the same story for iPad Air 3 next year.

I agree. Retina screen made a difference, lightning port made a difference since apple forced it on us and it is what it is. 2GB ram makes immediate difference on the iPad, though not sure why it was not included on the iphone 6 series that was released a month earlier. Not sure what the 64 bit processor has brought to the table now that it has been out for over a year for iOS devices. Are their any apps that will not run on the iPhone 5 or 32 bit?

 

[Jawnathin]

Eh, I have to disagree with that. Apple kept 1GB RAM in the iPad for 3 years and they just now DOUBLED it which is pretty significant. Considering the pattern and how stingy Apple is with RAM upgrades, I'd wager that 2GB is pretty future-proof for the next several years. It will be a while before Apple adds more than 2GB RAM in their iDevices.

Apple did double the RAM for 3 years in a row.

I'm just playing devil's advocate when I say it will need 3, but the fact is, we simply don't know what requirements future features will need. We can't predict longevity and access to future features by using today's specs. Using just specifications you could make the claim for any iPad model since the beginning, but it doesn't play out that way in reality.

----------

Are their any apps that will not run on the iPhone 5 or 32 bit?

There may be some specific features that won't work or not available on the 5, but its not due to the 32-bit processor. ApplePay for example.

When it comes to apps, all apps support 32 bit code to be run on 32-bit devices.

 

[Supermallet]

Apple did double the RAM for 3 years in a row.

I'm just playing devil's advocate when I say it will need 3, but the fact is, we simply don't know what requirements future features will need. We can't predict longevity and access to future features by using today's specs. Using just specifications you could make the claim for any iPad model since the beginning, but it doesn't play out that way in reality.

Fair enough, but given that Apple is just now doubling the RAM without any new particular feature that appears to be needing that much RAM, one could make an educated guess that the Air 2 could likely be a good longevity model.

 

[Closingracer]

We can't determine that the Air 2 will be the longevity model because we don't know what's coming down the pipeline 2-3 years from now. It has less to do with specifications and more to do with Apple's Roadmap. Based on hardware specs alone I could make claims for 'longevity models' for every model iPad, but we know that is not how it plays out in reality.

Air 1 sounded good last year with its 64-bit processor. Look at what people say now.

Today the Air 2 sounds good, but what if 2GB of ram and the A8X isn't enough for Split Screen multitasking that comes out in iOS9?

Well thankfully Apple put 3GB of ram into the iPad Air 3 so it can support that feature. That is clearly the right amount of memory to be the next true longevity model. And good thing the A9X is a complete redesign with 2x the performance of the A8X. It was silly to buy the Air 2, we knew split-screen was coming based on the lines of code we found in the iOS releases. 2GB of memory and the incremental A8X were simply underpowered for this feature.

Of course this is just hypothetical, but its certainly a valid and realistic scenario. You can't look at just specs.

If Samsung could add multi window on their phones with 2gb of ram and for the most part work well Apple can easily do it with 2gb

 

[RLesko]

I don't think you understood what The Verge was trying to say as it relates the A5X. They're saying that while people have observed its still based on the A5, their testing shows speed was not an issue and it was as powerful as it needed to be. What people consider to be an issue today was a non issue when it was released. They aren't saying it was a problem or they were torn about it.

I'm not looking for "its as powerful as it needs to be". I'm looking for "we haven't even scratched the surface on what this hardware is capable of", which seems to be what we have with the Air 2.

Ironically you could consider the A8's iterative improvement over the A7 to be a similar situation that will unfold in a few years time.

The processor will always get bumped. This likely won't make a huge difference in day to day tasks. You know what will make a much better user experience though? More RAM and TouchID.

The 'vanilla A7' was a bigger jump over the A6X than the A8X is over the A7. Even with the 3rd core the A8X is still isn't as big of an improvement as the A7 brought to the table. Not too shabby for a 'vanilla' processor.

In single core benchmarks, yes, but in multicore benchmarks, no.

http://browser.primatelabs.com/ios-benchmarks

Uh, yes quoting a review (aka the sentiment at the time) and contrasting it with today's posts is exactly my point. The newest iPad is always best thing ever at release and then after some time the opinion is quite negative for whatever reason.

Nearly every printed review of a new iPad is going to be a good review. "The lightning cable is great!" or "This retina screen is fantastic!". Looking solely at reviews isn't going to appropriately capture the sentiment about the new models. While anecdotal evidence isn't the strongest either, it can't be ignored. I can't remember as far back as the iPad 3, but for the iPad Air there was plenty of people displeased with the hardware. Not nearly as much for iPad 4 or Air 2.

Today the Air 2 is the best thing ever. Then wait until we get further in the life cycle, then whatever improvements that come out on the Air 3 will expose whatever 'weaknesses' that exist on the Air 2. Then that will be the 'longevity model'. Rinse and repeat every single year.

If Apple keeps next years' model at 2 GB Ram and keeps the screen resolution the same, what could really make it that much better? Even if the resolution is bumped, we could have another iPad 3 situation on our hands.

And by the way, of course its the best thing. It just came out. Every iPad that is released is better than its predecessor in some way, thats not what we are arguing here. The iPad 3, 4, and Air all had the same amount of RAM. We knew this when the Air was released. This was one of the prime factors in making the Air a questionable "longetivity" buy - Apple sticking to very old hardware. Apple can throw out how much "faster" the new processor is but its not going to load Facebook fast enough that you'll truly notice. Its not going to browse the web faster. It will need to constantly reload apps because of its gimped RAM.

Air 2 added an extra graphics core, doubled the RAM, and has an "x" version of the A8, and TouchID. I'm pretty sure this constitutes the biggest hardware upgrade between 2 versions of the iPad.

 

[canesalato]

I'm pretty sure this constitutes the biggest hardware upgrade between 2 versions of the iPad.

I agree. According to some people everybody is perfectly happy every year about a new iPad.
I don't agree: just check my post history: I've been extremely critical with the first iPad Air (as I am now with the iPhone 6, even more with the plus) since day 1. To me, it was a lazy update:
- The new design was nice but expected, it came from the iPad mini. Same strengths, same weaknesses.
- The 64 bit processor didn't bring a significant advantage over the iPad 4, but increased memory usage and a lot of instability with iOS 7.0, so much that at launch i regretted my iPad 4.
- Memory was the same 1gb as the iPad 3, bringing tab reloading, app reloading and low memory crashes. I used iPad heavily for work and found myself going back to my Mac for most tasks when feasible.
- The iPad Air was slightly laggy on iOs 7.0, quite smooth on 7.1, laggy on 8.0, slightly laggy on 8.1. Is this a "great" experience? I know that for many people the experience has been acceptable or good, but everybody has a different degree of tolerance for lag and stutter in the operating system.
I dare to remind that this was a top of the line product.
- The screen was not laminated to the glass, making the whole thing flex and feel cheap and noisy to tap. At the same time competition was shipping with laminated screens.
- Touch id was left out, even thought it was an already available technology. Best product possible? Not even close, I'm sorry.
- same camera as the iPad 3-4
- 16-32-64-128. Ridiculous. Also the NAND was very slow and this is extremely important and has been fixed in the Air 2.

The iPad Air 2 looks similar, but it's a MUCH bolder project. If you look at the iPad Air 1 you can just see cost keeping and profit margins everywhere.
My only complain about the Air 2 it is that it starts with 16gb. I feel like in the long term this will keep the platform behind, even for the guys who bought the 64gb model, as I did. In every other way this is a longevity model.
We'll see. ;-)

 

[Deliro]

Until Apple's reality distortion field kicks in during the next iPad's keynote and convinces you that you NEED to upgrade.

 

[Mr Bigs]

There are very valid points here.

One of the biggest factors is iOS updates. If you never update your iOS to the next version than you will have a longevity model. An iPad 3 on iOS 5 or 6 today wouldn't be slow at all.

It doesn't matter how beefy the A? is in a device, iOS will determine when it will slow down.

This is the most valid point, the iPad 1 would still work well if the OS was never updated.

 

[Kendo]

Just ordered a 64GB Cellular. Hope this truly is the next longevity model since I went all out on this one.

 

[Rodster]

There are very valid points here.

One of the biggest factors is iOS updates. If you never update your iOS to the next version than you will have a longevity model. An iPad 3 on iOS 5 or 6 today wouldn't be slow at all.

It doesn't matter how beefy the A? is in a device, iOS will determine when it will slow down.

This is the most valid point, the iPad 1 would still work well if the OS was never updated.

Exactly !

My iPad 3 is still running iOS 5.1.1 and the performance is solid, no issues and I still like and need some of the features in iOS 5 that was removed in iOS 6.

 

[urkel]

iPad 2 and iPad 4 were probably the models with the longest legs. The original iPad and iPad 3 were too underpowered. The iPad Air arguably has gimped RAM. Is it safe to say the iPad Air 2 is the next model that will last a lot longer than others?

I would say the opposite and would recommend AGAINST the iPad Air 2 because it is a "Transition Product" (similar to the iPhone 5S which is great hardware that was quickly overshadowed by both its predecessor and successor).

iPad Air 2:
Processor - A8X. Great chip I guess but, despite the annual "xx% faster" brags then where in the real world are average users seeing this speed boost?

OS - The biggest slowdown to ANY computer/phone/tablet is an OS upgrade. So "longevity" has very much to do with a users ability to refrain from OS upgrades (which isn't an easy impulse to ignore for many of us)

NFC - While the secure element was found inside, it was reported that the antennas were not. So IF NFC gets embraced by Apple/Apple users then the iPad Air 2 will be excluded

TouchID - The primary reason I wanted an Air2 is for uniformity since I have a 6+. (The secondary reason was so I can rename it Air2-D2). But in the end I like money more than consistency or stupid puns.

iPad Pro - We have no idea what direction the iPad Pro will be for future iPads
- Will it bring a new aspect ratio (to accommodate proper simultaneous multitasking)?
- Will it introduce new input methods and hardware (like pressure stylus or new camera based tech)?
- Will the iPad Pro become the template for all future iPads (Like with Macbooks years ago)?
- Will we finally see Apple implement the "Smart Bezel" patents that have been long forgotten by the media?

Many people feel that the iPad is due for a major rethinking on what it is and what it will be. So based purely on current pricing then the iPad Air 2 can be debated to be a bad choice within todays iPads because its a premium pricepoint for hardware that offers almost nothing over the previous generation. So when talking "longevity" then the best iPad to get may be one that wasnt made this year.

 

[Kendo]

I would say the opposite and would recommend AGAINST the iPad Air 2 because it is a "Transition Product" (similar to the iPhone 5S which is great hardware that was quickly overshadowed by both its predecessor and successor).

iPad Air 2:
Processor - A8X. Great chip I guess but, despite the annual "xx% faster" brags then where in the real world are average users seeing this speed boost?

OS - The biggest slowdown to ANY computer/phone/tablet is an OS upgrade. So "longevity" has very much to do with a users ability to refrain from OS upgrades (which isn't an easy impulse to ignore for many of us)

NFC - While the secure element was found inside, it was reported that the antennas were not. So IF NFC gets embraced by Apple/Apple users then the iPad Air 2 will be excluded

TouchID - The primary reason I wanted an Air2 is for uniformity since I have a 6+. (The secondary reason was so I can rename it Air2-D2). But in the end I like money more than consistency or stupid puns.

iPad Pro - We have no idea what direction the iPad Pro will be for future iPads
- Will it bring a new aspect ratio (to accommodate proper simultaneous multitasking)?
- Will it introduce new input methods and hardware (like pressure stylus or new camera based tech)?
- Will the iPad Pro become the template for all future iPads (Like with Macbooks years ago)?
- Will we finally see Apple implement the "Smart Bezel" patents that have been long forgotten by the media?

Many people feel that the iPad is due for a major rethinking on what it is and what it will be. So based purely on current pricing then the iPad Air 2 can be debated to be a bad choice within todays iPads because its a premium pricepoint for hardware that offers almost nothing over the previous generation. So when talking "longevity" then the best iPad to get may be one that wasnt made this year.

Nice. But you're argument could be used against ANY iPad because your main arguments lay down faults for real world use not utilizing the power of the latest A Series chip and the OS. For example:

iPad Air 1:

Processor - A7. Great chip I guess but, despite the annual "xx% faster" brags then where in the real world are average users seeing this speed boost?

OS - The biggest slowdown to ANY computer/phone/tablet is an OS upgrade. So "longevity" has very much to do with a users ability to refrain from OS upgrades (which isn't an easy impulse to ignore for many of us)

TouchID - No Touch ID

iPad Air 2 - We have no idea what direction the iPad Air 2 will be for future iPads
- Will it bring a new aspect ratio (to accommodate proper simultaneous multitasking)?
- Will it introduce new input methods and hardware (like pressure stylus or new camera based tech)?
- Will the iPad Air 2 become the template for all future iPads (Like with Macbooks years ago)?
- Will we finally see Apple implement the "Smart Bezel" patents that have been long forgotten by the media?

 

[3lionsbecks]

i love this game.

i hit the bullseye by buying the ipad 4

i also hit it when i got the iphone 4s and the 2008 Macbook pro (the first with a multitouch touch pad! still fully supported by Yosemite today!)

all 'longevity' models.

i didnt hit it when i got the iphone 3g (no multitasking)
and i have a feeling i didnt hit it when i got the iphone 6 (1gb ram)

but with the iphone 6 i havent encountered any slowdowns at all and my diagnostics never has any 'lowmemory' errors so that remains to be seen.

This is bang on. I have the iPad 4 and its still working great and I can't see a reason to upgrade now. I'm not sure how it will handle iOS 9 but thats a year off and if I don't upgrade to an iPad Air 3 at that time I'll just not update the OS.

I also agree with your assessment of the iP6 and 6+. I have a 6+ and while I love the upgrade from the iP5s I can see the 6s and 6s+ being the longevity device with a bump in specs.

 

[daijholt]

I think the whole point here is that with the benefit of hindsight, the iPad 2 is still herelded as one of the best all-round iPad's ever released, if not arguably the best. It improved practically everything anyone could think of.

With that being said, the iPad Air 2 is the closest to that leap we've had since. Okay, they could've improved the screen resolution, but they made a few other improvements that helped the overall score.

It seems like iPad Air 2 is the best overall improvement since iPad 2, and I think it'll be the one to beat for a while, unless the next one is really a game changer.

 

[lolwatpear]

We can't determine that the Air 2 will be the longevity model because we don't know what's coming down the pipeline 2-3 years from now. It has less to do with specifications and more to do with Apple's Roadmap. Based on hardware specs alone I could make claims for 'longevity models' for every model iPad, but we know that is not how it plays out in reality.

Air 1 sounded good last year with its 64-bit processor. Look at what people say now.

Today the Air 2 sounds good, but what if 2GB of ram and the A8X isn't enough for Split Screen multitasking that comes out in iOS9?

Well thankfully Apple put 3GB of ram into the iPad Air 3 so it can support that feature. That is clearly the right amount of memory to be the next true longevity model. And good thing the A9X is a complete redesign with 2x the performance of the A8X. It was silly to buy the Air 2, we knew split-screen was coming based on the lines of code we found in the iOS releases. 2GB of memory and the incremental A8X were simply underpowered for this feature.

Of course this is just hypothetical, but its certainly a valid and realistic scenario. You can't look at just specs.

The only way this ipad can be outdated (within a couple years) is if Apple wants it outdated through planned obsolescence. Your example of 'needing' 3gb of ram for split screen would be that. 2gb is without a doubt capable of that. If they don't do any extreme planned obsolescence, the only thing that would make me want a newer ipad is screen technology, speakers, or battery. This ipad really is a future-proof.

 

[Kendo]

The only way this ipad can be outdated (within a couple years) is if Apple wants it outdated through planned obsolescence. Your example of 'needing' 3gb of ram for split screen would be that. 2gb is without a doubt capable of that. If they don't do any extreme planned obsolescence, the only thing that would make me want a newer ipad is screen technology, speakers, or battery. This ipad really is a future-proof.

Agreed. They added another core and finally doubled the RAM. The iPads had 1GB of RAM going all the way back to the iPad 3. In terms of sheer internal upgrading, this is the biggest leap of the past 3 generations.

 

[s2mikey]

Agreed. They added another core and finally doubled the RAM. The iPads had 1GB of RAM going all the way back to the iPad 3. In terms of sheer internal upgrading, this is the biggest leap of the past 3 generations.

No doubt that the RAM is important. My concerns with the air 2 are centered around it's impossible thinness which is causing some unwanted side effects like the damned screen vibrations and the distortion problem which were both clearly evident on the display model I was playing with at Best Buy the other day.

I was actually considering using their generous trade in program they had going on but I'm keeping my Air.

The Air 2 could be the longevity model but that's probably been said for a while now about almost every release of the ipad except maybe the 3.

Who knows if the constant vibrations that those who use the speakers will hurt longevity? Could it jar something loose over time? Who knows?