iPad Should I replace battery of 1st gen IPad Air?

[nabwong]

Like many of you, I was hoping Apple would announce something this month. I am due an upgrade as I’m using the original iPad Air. It’s been slow for awhile. I only use it for media consumption but I want to do some video and photo editing on the next upgrade.

Today, I received the 12.5.2 and I was surprised that my iPad feels twice as quick as before. If you were me, would you replace the battery? It’s still the original one.would apple still replace it for a fee?

 

[akash.nu]

Today, I received the 12.5.2 and I was surprised that my iPad feels twice as quick as before. If you were me, would you replace the battery? It’s still the original one.would apple still replace it for a fee?

It’s really difficult to say from someone else’s perspective. If the present iPad with the perceived faster speed work for you then just use it as is. If the faster speed is still not enough then get a new one I guess.

Personally the original iPad Air is too old for me to do anything including media consumption.

 

[sananda]

Today, I received the 12.5.2 and I was surprised that my iPad feels twice as quick as before. If you were me, would you replace the battery? It’s still the original one.would apple still replace it for a fee?

I also have an original iPad Air (along with the current iPad Air) and the battery life is awful. My guess is that for most people replacing the battery isn't worth it at this point since it's £99 and a new iPad (which is I suppose better in very way) seems better value at £329. But I'm probably going to replace the battery in mine since I'm still using it and, other than the battery life, works very well apart from consistently reloaded certain newspaper websites. But I like keeping things going as long as possible.

If you are waiting for an iPad Pro announcement, I wouldn't replace the battery if I were you but continue waiting.

 

[LFC2020]

Like many of you, I was hoping Apple would announce something this month. I am due an upgrade as I’m using the original iPad Air. It’s been slow for awhile. I only use it for media consumption but I want to do some video and photo editing on the next upgrade.

Today, I received the 12.5.2 and I was surprised that my iPad feels twice as quick as before. If you were me, would you replace the battery? It’s still the original one.would apple still replace it for a fee?

Apple released the iPad air 4 recently, what are you holding out for? only models coming out soon are the pros, sounds like the iPad Air 4 would be perfect for you.

Wouldn't waste any more money on your current iPad.

 

[Digitalguy]

I had the same dilemma with the mini 4, and the mini 4 is faster than the first air... I decided not to replace the battery. It's not worth it, it's too slow even for basic use compared to the most recent devices, not worth the money
Get a 8th gen iPad and be much happier with it... (forget the air 4 for your usage...but if you want to do videoedting get the 128GB version)

 

[AutomaticApple]

the mini 4 is faster than the first air...

The A8 was only slightly faster than the A7. It was more of a refinement year.

 

[Digitalguy]

The A8 was only slightly faster than the A7. It was more of a refinement year.

True, and I have said it elsewhere, but the move from 1GB to 2GB makes the difference much bigger than the actual difference between A7 and A8, and when they were both on IOS 10 to 12 the difference was pretty huge. However, with A14 this difference has somewhat shrinked and the lag of the mini 4 has increased, despite the many improved brought by iPadOS...

 

[magicschoolbus]

Damn; my iPad Air is unusable.. how in the world are you using that still? Much respect.. but I'd let her go.

 

[nabwong]

Apple released the iPad air 4 recently, what are you holding out for? only models coming out soon are the pros, sounds like the iPad Air 4 would be perfect for you.

Wouldn't waste any more money on your current iPad.

I was thinking about the iPad Air 4. I’m not in a real rush so I thought I’d see what’s coming out next. I’m intrigued by the potential iPad mini with a larger screen size. Both my kids use the current gen one. I like the form factor but it’s a bit small for photo and video editing. If the screen is just a bit larger, I’d consider it. If there’s no new mini, then I’m considering either the air or pro.

 

[nabwong]

I had the same dilemma with the mini 4, and the mini 4 is faster than the first air... I decided not to replace the battery. It's not worth it, it's too slow even for basic use compared to the most recent devices, not worth the money
Get a 8th gen iPad and be much happier with it... (forget the air 4 for your usage...but if you want to do videoedting get the 128GB version)

haha. Yeah I don’t know how I held out for so long. I’ve even replaced my laptop twice since I bought the original air. Haha.

 

[nabwong]

Damn; my iPad Air is unusable.. how in the world are you using that still? Much respect.. but I'd let her go.

It is a bit painful, I cannot lie. But something happened with last night’s update and it is a bit quicker. Still I’m probably going to get a new one. I think y’all convinced me.

 

[Digitalguy]

haha. Yeah I don’t know how I held out for so long. I’ve even replaced my laptop twice since I bought the original air. Haha.

I don't know either, my air is long gone, even the air 2 for that matter. I kept the equivalent mini 2 only for older 32 bit apps on IOS 10. At this point anything slower than A9X is unbearable for me...
The move from the air to any modern iPad will be huge. Since you were thinking of replacing the battery I thought that the budget was tight, but you mentioned considering the air or the pro. So budget is not a big issue. In this case my suggestion is either go with the air 256GB (since you want to video edit) or even better get the upcoming pro

 

[nabwong]

I don't know either, my air is long gone, even the air 2 for that matter. I kept the equivalent mini 2 only for older 32 bit apps on IOS 10. At this point anything slower than A9X is unbearable for me...
The move from the air to any modern iPad will be huge. Since you were thinking of replacing the battery I thought that the budget was tight, but you mentioned considering the air or the pro. So budget is not a big issue. In this case my suggestion is either go with the air 256GB (since you want to video edit) or even better get the upcoming pro

I was thinking of a battery replacement for electric waste reasons. Most of my workflow is on laptop so I never needed to upgrade the air. But I think you’re right. I should look at 256gb minimum.

 

[Digitalguy]

I was thinking of a battery replacement for electric waste reasons. Most of my workflow is on laptop so I never needed to upgrade the air. But I think you’re right. I should look at 256gb minimum.

I undestand you. Most of my workflow is on a laptop too, but I am a tech enthusiasts and on my desk there are 2 laptops and 2 iPad pros. I replaced the battery of the 12.9 since it's still a very good device.... And I was tempted to do the same for my bed device, the mini 4, but at some point we need to let go of older devices when newer can give us so much more even for simple tasks.... Even using safari briefly before sleeping was so slow that I preferred to get out of bed and go to the other room to grab the mini 5... at that point I realized that an old device like the mini 4 was better left to the past....(can't even sell it, the battery is too bad)

 

[rui no onna]

I don't know either, my air is long gone, even the air 2 for that matter. I kept the equivalent mini 2 only for older 32 bit apps on IOS 10. At this point anything slower than A9X is unbearable for me...

I actually find the iPad 5th gen with vanilla A9 also performs quite decently for my use. Granted, that iPad is kept pretty lean—Setup as new, Background App Refresh disabled, Reduce Motion enabled and just a handful of apps installed (59).

To be honest, the 5th gen often feels snappier than my iPad Pro 9.7 with A9X. Likely because the Pro 9.7 is working off a backup carried over all the way from the iPad 2 (via iTunes).

Alas, the A8X-based Air 2 is a touch too laggy for my taste.

 

[Arctic Moose]

Since you'll be stuck on iOS 12 you'll be locked out of some features, such as iCloud Notes or a usable version of the Pokémon GO app. The number of things that won't work will of course increase over time.

My policy is to never spend money on a device that no longer supports the latest OS.

Edit: it seems iCloud Notes was introduced in iOS 9, and the original iPad Air runs iOS 12. I was confused by the Apple support note stating that iPadOS 13 was required. My point still stands, though.

 

[nabwong]

Since you'll be stuck on iOS 12 you'll be locked out of some features, such as iCloud Notes or a usable version of the Pokémon GO app. The number of things that won't work will of course increase over time.

My policy is to never spend money on a device that no longer supports the latest OS.

Edit: it seems iCloud Notes was introduced in iOS 9, and the original iPad Air runs iPS 12. I was confused by the Apple support note stating that PadOS 13 was required. My point still stands, though.

That’s a good point. I think you’ve all convinced me to put my funds towards a new device. Leaning towards the next pro 12.9, if it comes out this year.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I would get a newer iPad.

 

[Yebubbleman]

Like many of you, I was hoping Apple would announce something this month. I am due an upgrade as I’m using the original iPad Air. It’s been slow for awhile. I only use it for media consumption but I want to do some video and photo editing on the next upgrade.

Today, I received the 12.5.2 and I was surprised that my iPad feels twice as quick as before. If you were me, would you replace the battery? It’s still the original one.would apple still replace it for a fee?

Apple is not going to replace the battery on an original iPad Air for free.

I would consider your upgrade path.

I'd probably look toward the current iPad Air, assuming you're not looking for something either much smaller (iPad mini) or bigger (12.9" iPad Pro). It's still relatively new (emphasis on "relatively"). But if the battery replacement cost is cheap enough (not much more than $100), maybe it's worth it. iOS 12 ought to at least work for stock apps and services (i.e. iTunes Store, FaceTime, iMessage, etc.) for a good while longer. Also with third party apps. Though, I'd say that you'll probably see that change in the next two years. Certainly, if you're planning on upgrading, but want to keep that iPad as a spare, maybe consider it. Though, something to bear in mind is that the current non-Pro/non-mini/non-Air standard iPad is effectively an upgrade in every possible way over your Air and it's not too much more than what a battery replacement would cost. Plus, it's likely to keep getting iPadOS updates for at least the next three years.

 

[Arctic Moose]

That’s a good point.

I figured out what it was I was thinking of. Folder sharing on iCloud requires iOS 13.4 or later. ?

 

[adib]

Like many of you, I was hoping Apple would announce something this month. I am due an upgrade as I’m using the original iPad Air. It’s been slow for awhile. I only use it for media consumption but I want to do some video and photo editing on the next upgrade.

Today, I received the 12.5.2 and I was surprised that my iPad feels twice as quick as before. If you were me, would you replace the battery? It’s still the original one.would apple still replace it for a fee?

I would if I were you. But go to a 3rd party to replace it cheaper.

Besides, old batteries tend to swell and make the entire unit unusable if it happens.

 

[nabwong]

I would if I were you. But go to a 3rd party to replace it cheaper.

Besides, old batteries tend to swell and make the entire unit unusable if it happens.

Good tip. I’ve not consider it.

 

[LogicalApex]

I traded my 1st Gen Air in just last week for a 12.9 Pro. The $90 from Apple made sense and will allow it to be recycled.

 

[Arctic Moose]

I figured out what it was I was thinking of. Folder sharing on iCloud requires iOS 13.4 or later. ?

App support for iOS 12 is (not unexpectedly) being dropped at an accelerating pace.

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[shakopeemn]

I was thinking of a battery replacement for electric waste reasons. Most of my workflow is on laptop so I never needed to upgrade the air. But I think you’re right. I should look at 256gb minimum.

Electronic waste. It's unfortunate that IOS updates don't take this into account. This may be controversial, but if I buy my ipad with IOS 14 and it runs 'fast', Apple should support IOS 14 for at least 5 years and give me the option NOT to upgrade.

The only reason devices run slower over time is moving to the next IOS release and so on. Creating electronic waste.