iPad Smart or stupid to buy 9th iPad now?

[drugdoubles]

Seem like 9th iPad will only get around 4 years support from now which is pretty short period of time. Very likely Apple will cut 9th iPad, make 10th iPad $30 cheaper and make 10th the cheapest option in September, which is still much more expensive than 9th price now.

I only need a very basic iPad, don’t need the 10th new looking at all. Well O want to use it as long as I can and 9th few years left support seem like a bad deal. So what do you suggest?

 

[Digitalguy]

Would you immediately stop using your tablet once a version of iPadOS does not support it anymore.... If so why? Because you would be worried about security? (compatibility issues with apps won't happen before a couple more years)

 

[drugdoubles]

Would you immediately stop using your tablet once a version of iPadOS does not support it anymore.... If so why? Because you would be worried about security? (compatibility issues with apps won't happen before a couple more years)

I have the old air 2 at home which has no support now, the laggy and battery are bigger problems.

 

[ssledoux]

With the deals you can find on 9th gens, it's still gonna be a great deal, even if you only get 4 years out of it.

 

[drugdoubles]

With the deals you can find on 9th gens, it's still gonna be a great deal, even if you only get 4 years out of it.

I cannot find any ok deal in local market. Just like $5 discount max, I would rather go to Apple Store to have way better service.

 

[JPack]

The biggest issue is 3GB RAM. In theory, it should last until 2027 in terms of updates but will you want to use it? I’ve got an iPad 5th gen but it’s so slow due to 2GB RAM. I retired it a couple years ago even though it supports iPadOS 16.

Unless you can get one much cheaper than the regular edu price $309, I wouldn’t consider it.

 

[rui no onna]

The biggest issue is 3GB RAM. In theory, it should last until 2027 in terms of updates but will you want to use it? I’ve got an iPad 5th gen but it’s so slow due to 2GB RAM. I retired it a couple years ago even though it supports iPadOS 16.

Unless you can get one much cheaper than the regular edu price $309, I wouldn’t consider it.

At least in the US, it’s common to find it on sale for $249-269.

RAM, it depends. My mom has an iPad Pro 9.7 (A9X/2GB) and she’s still OK with it.

Meanwhile, I often get frustrated with the 4GB of my mini 6.

 

[ssledoux]

I cannot find any ok deal in local market. Just like $5 discount max, I would rather go to Apple Store to have way better service.

I thought Amazon had some really good pricing on them recently. Maybe Costco as well. If you buy new, you'd still get Apple's service if you had any issues.

Or maybe look at Apple refurb? Is buying through the Apple education store an option for you? Maybe a little better pricing there.

 

[Digitalguy]

I have the old air 2 at home which has no support now, the laggy and battery are bigger problems.

That's my point. You can use an iPad for a few more years after end of support, as long as battery and speed are good enough.
In terms of battery life, that's the same with any iPad, pro included, once it doesn't last as long as you want your only possible option is having Apple replace it (they actually replace the whole tablet) for I think $129, which makes sense for a $1000 device, less for a $300 one... So the issue it the same with a more expensive device like the iPad 10 etc.
As for speed A13 will definitely be much faster than the air 2 after end of support. The air 2 was impacted by upgrades, but was never fast to begin with (I have had it), the iPad 9 is a totally different league.
RAM is limited and you'll probably have more and more reloads with OS updates, but it should not make the device slower other that the time to reload apps and tabs.

 

[Berti10]

Wait the two months or go with a Series 7/8, condition „as new“ from backmarket

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

Seem like 9th iPad will only get around 4 years support from now which is pretty short period of time. Very likely Apple will cut 9th iPad, make 10th iPad $30 cheaper and make 10th the cheapest option in September, which is still much more expensive than 9th price now.

I only need a very basic iPad, don’t need the 10th new looking at all. Well O want to use it as long as I can and 9th few years left support seem like a bad deal. So what do you suggest?

Still smart to get 9th gen because of one simple fact: The 9th gen is the last iPad to have a headphone jack, which I'm still mad got cut from the iPad. There's no reason for it to be removed.

Plus the 10th gen is a very bad deal. Aside from the side facetime cam, that's it's only benefit. For everything else its more expensive than an iPad Air, still uses Apple Pencil Gen 1, and just all around a lackluster refresh.

To be honest though, every new iPad is kinda a bad deal. There's little reason to buy a new iPad when you can get a Apple Refurb for considerably less and the refurb units are just as good as the brand new ones.

Refurbished iPad Deals - Apple

Save up to 15% on a refurbished iPad at Apple Online Store with free delivery. All models are Apple-certified with a 1-year warranty.

www.apple.com

 

[drugdoubles]

Still smart to get 9th gen because of one simple fact: The 9th gen is the last iPad to have a headphone jack, which I'm still mad got cut from the iPad. There's no reason for it to be removed.

Plus the 10th gen is a very bad deal. Aside from the side facetime cam, that's it's only benefit. For everything else its more expensive than an iPad Air, still uses Apple Pencil Gen 1, and just all around a lackluster refresh.

To be honest though, every new iPad is kinda a bad deal. There's little reason to buy a new iPad when you can get a Apple Refurb for considerably less and the refurb units are just as good as the brand new ones.

Refurbished iPad Deals - Apple

Save up to 15% on a refurbished iPad at Apple Online Store with free delivery. All models are Apple-certified with a 1-year warranty.

www.apple.com

Refurb is pretty expensive, the pricing is like forcing you to buy a new one.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

Refurb is pretty expensive, the pricing is like forcing you to buy a new one.

A refurbished iPad Pro 3rd gen is $110 off. That's a noticable discount

 

[drugdoubles]

A refurbished iPad Pro 3rd gen is $110 off. That's a noticable discount

Normally second hand tech stuff should be at least 50% off

 

[iHorseHead]

The biggest issue is 3GB RAM. In theory, it should last until 2027 in terms of updates but will you want to use it? I’ve got an iPad 5th gen but it’s so slow due to 2GB RAM. I retired it a couple years ago even though it supports iPadOS 16.

Unless you can get one much cheaper than the regular edu price $309, I wouldn’t consider it.

I used my iPad mini 2 from 2014 to 2022. I upgraded to the 9th gen iPad recently, because iPad mini 2 was unbearable with web surfing.
So far I don't regret anything. I can play Civilisation and Tropico and surf the web and do all of my tasks just fine. It's still fast and smooth.
For such tasks I recommend it.

 

[aespana]

I have one and if you need a basic iPad, fast, good battery, not as expensive as the 10th, just go for it.

Support for 4 years is a lot and again, if you need for basic task i don't see the problem with the ram.

Good speakers, good screen, good performance, jack 3.5, etc

 

[FeliApple]

For content consumption any iPad on any iOS version that’s iOS 12 or newer will be fine.

If you like the design and the headphone jack I think the 9th-gen iPad is a great choice.

I have a 9.7-inch iPad Pro on iOS 12 and it runs fine for content consumption, so an iPad 9th-gen on iPadOS 16 should be even better for that.

And if you have no issues with the Air 2 except for performance and battery life, I’d just keep it on iPadOS 16 forever and it will work fine for many years.

 

[Corefile]

Seem like 9th iPad will only get around 4 years support from now which is pretty short period of time. Very likely Apple will cut 9th iPad, make 10th iPad $30 cheaper and make 10th the cheapest option in September, which is still much more expensive than 9th price now.

I bought an iPad 9 but my method of owning iPads is to keep them on the original iOS version they came with so as to not slow them down. Once updates to that iOS happens then I'm not that bothered. It's an iPad for consumption so I refuse to update it as it will slow to a crawl on later releases. Usually the battery dying is the end game for my iPads. I managed to get 5 years from an iPad Air doing this.

 

[Corefile]

I have the old air 2 at home which has no support now, the laggy and battery are bigger problems.

I have an Air 2 which was fast and speedy on the original iOS but the battery was dying. As a novelty I upgraded to the latest iOS it supports and OMG what a mistake that is. The thing just heats up and sucks what remaining battery life is left to make it even less usable than before.

Apple bloat is real and kills older devices.

 

[FeliApple]

I bought an iPad 9 but my method of owning iPads is to keep them on the original iOS version they came with so as to not slow them down. Once updates to that iOS happens then I'm not that bothered. It's an iPad for consumption so I refuse to update it as it will slow to a crawl on later releases. Usually the battery dying is the end game for my iPads. I managed to get 5 years from an iPad Air doing this.

Has an iPad on its original iOS version ever had battery life issues with the years?

My 9.7-inch iPad Pro was forced from iOS 9 into iOS 12 by Apple’s malware called the iOS 9 activation bug for A9 devices, but I have an iPhone 6s on iOS 10 with like-new battery life that’s 7 years old. The 9.7-inch iPad Pro I mentioned has the same battery life it had right after being forced into iOS 12 back in 2019.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Normally second hand tech stuff should be at least 50% off

Refurbished does not mean secondhand.
At least not from Apple it doesn’t, I’ve bought several refurbished products, and they are literally just like new.
The battery is brand new, the screen is brand new, the actual body of the product is flawless.
Also, I'm given to believe that the vast majority of refurbished units are not units that were used for a long time, but returned within the 14 day window.
For all practical purposes, buying refurbished is basically just buying a brand new product. You get all of the same accessories as buying new, all of the benefits, including AppleCare if you want it… it's literally the same experience as buying new.
If price is what you care about, refurbished absolutely is the way.
As for the ninth generation iPad, I personally wouldn't recommend it, but if you absolutely want that one I'd wait two months for the 11th gen to come out.
Then, the ninth and 10th generation will both go down even further in price, especially from third-party retailers.
I wouldn't pay over $250 for it though if I were you…

 

[Nightphase]

I just got a 9th gen iPad 2 days ago

 

[drugdoubles]

I have an Air 2 which was fast and speedy on the original iOS but the battery was dying. As a novelty I upgraded to the latest iOS it supports and OMG what a mistake that is. The thing just heats up and sucks what remaining battery life is left to make it even less usable than before.

Apple bloat is real and kills older devices.

Yes Apple kills old devices for sure, so even support years may last longer, they make sure you want to give up and buy a new model but making it laggy and battery use up fast.

 

[drugdoubles]

Refurbished does not mean secondhand.
At least not from Apple it doesn’t, I’ve bought several refurbished products, and they are literally just like new.
The battery is brand new, the screen is brand new, the actual body of the product is flawless.
Also, I'm given to believe that the vast majority of refurbished units are not units that were used for a long time, but returned within the 14 day window.
For all practical purposes, buying refurbished is basically just buying a brand new product. You get all of the same accessories as buying new, all of the benefits, including AppleCare if you want it… it's literally the same experience as buying new.

Refurbished is like 20% off of the original price, you just need to pay little bit more than you get a new lower grade model.

 

[Corefile]

Has an iPad on its original iOS version ever had battery life issues with the years?

If I follow what you're asking, I was trying to say that my iPad Air 2 battery eventually died but was on original iOS version.

My 9.7-inch iPad Pro was forced from iOS 9 into iOS 12 by Apple’s malware called the iOS 9 activation bug for A9 devices, but I have an iPhone 6s on iOS 10 with like-new battery life that’s 7 years old. The 9.7-inch iPad Pro I mentioned has the same battery life it had right after being forced into iOS 12 back in 2019.

I have a 6S too that I still use that was on original iOS version until I needed to update it to use a couple of apps that no longer are supported by the old iOS. Bad mistake. The phone heats up trying to do anything major and you need to manage battery life.

Apple support for older devices on newer iOS releases is trash. Too much iOS bloat filled with garbage addons.