iPad Smart or stupid to buy 9th iPad now?

[sracer]

Interesting! The A13 is still a very capable chip, but honestly I’m pretty surprised that the difference between them was just a 20%. One would expect more difference when we take into account that the M1 more than doubles the memory (8GB vs 3 GB), and I’m pretty sure the M1 has a much faster SSD speed.

If you try luma fusion let us know how do they compare, now I’m really intrigued and other people reading this thread could benefit while the 9th gen is still on sale.

I'm not that surprised. The 9th gen isn't as advanced as the Air and it doesn't have the capabilities either, so therefore a lower baseline requirement on the device's resources. For basic to moderate tasks, the gap will be less than when pushing both to the upper limits of what they're capable of. At the uppermost demands on the devices, the Air will be able to continue on whereas the 9th gen would halt to a stop (or not attempt the task at all).

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of the 9th gen. It is a basic level workhorse that gets the job done at a high value-cost ratio. And although I'm able to accomplish tasks with it that I did on my previous Pro devices, I know that if one needs those more advanced and demanding tasks to be done, then there's no substitute for the Air and Pro models.

 

[jm31828]

I'm not that surprised. The 9th gen isn't as advanced as the Air and it doesn't have the capabilities either, so therefore a lower baseline requirement on the device's resources. For basic to moderate tasks, the gap will be less than when pushing both to the upper limits of what they're capable of. At the uppermost demands on the devices, the Air will be able to continue on whereas the 9th gen would halt to a stop (or not attempt the task at all).

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of the 9th gen. It is a basic level workhorse that gets the job done at a high value-cost ratio. And although I'm able to accomplish tasks with it that I did on my previous Pro devices, I know that if one needs those more advanced and demanding tasks to be done, then there's no substitute for the Air and Pro models.

Yeah, great assessment! I am beginning to find that for my use case, as I go back and forth between these devices- I just don't see much difference at all, other than millisecond differences in how fast apps open- and then that 20% or so difference in export speed in iMovie.

But for the Air to be twice as expensive as the 9th gen, it's a tough call- I love the Air, the tech nerd in me loves the idea of having that extra processing power and RAM- but realistically as I look at what I am using it for and how they perform very similarly, I am not sure if I can justify twice as much cost for the Air vs. the 9th gen.

If you don't mind my asking, what do you use your 9th gen for?

 

[sracer]

Yeah, great assessment! I am beginning to find that for my use case, as I go back and forth between these devices- I just don't see much difference at all, other than millisecond differences in how fast apps open- and then that 20% or so difference in export speed in iMovie.

But for the Air to be twice as expensive as the 9th gen, it's a tough call- I love the Air, the tech nerd in me loves the idea of having that extra processing power and RAM- but realistically as I look at what I am using it for and how they perform very similarly, I am not sure if I can justify twice as much cost for the Air vs. the 9th gen.

If you don't mind my asking, what do you use your 9th gen for?

I use my 9th gen iPad for a few purposes.

1. Color ereader (for comics, magazines, and vintage catalogs). With the matte protector, the air gap caused by the non-laminated display effectively disappears and gives it a natural look. The Pocketbook app allows me to consolidate the various formats into a single cohesive presentation.

2. Chromebook replacement. I used to be a big fan of Chromebooks, and while I still enjoy using them, I'm phasing them out. The value-cost ratio has worsened over the years. Free services are now subscriptions with no one-time purchase option available. Google's priorities with Chrome OS favor developers rather than end-users.

The 9th gen iPad paired with the Apple Smart Keyboard (which I love) or the Logitech Combo Touch (keyboard w/trackpad and kickstand) makes a super mobile, super light, productivity option. I took the iPad w/the Combo Touch as my only computing device on a recent trip and it was terrific. The only downside is that the Combo Touch is VERY heavy. I'm glad that I have it for those occasions where having an integrated trackpad is helpful, but otherwise, the ASK w/bluetooth mouse is what I'll stick with.

3. Sermon prep. I usually prepare sermons at my desk on my M2 Mac Mini, but when I want a change of scenery, I can take my iPad somewhere else. I've got my reference library with me (e-Sword, Logos), my journaling Bible (hyperlinked PDF imported into GoodNotes), my sermon and handout templates in Pages format (including custom fonts), mindmaps of verses in SimpleMind Pro, and personal knowledgebase in Joplin.

4. Miscellaneous productivity/office. Email, messaging, social media, news consumption.

5. Goofing around. I'll break out the djay DJ software and stack up some classic disco tracks and mix a set. And just recently, firing up Garageband for another creative outlet.

It's been able to handle everything that I've thrown at it... but disclaimer, one of the things that I don't throw at it is attempting to render a 2 hour 4K video. 😂

 

[jm31828]

I use my 9th gen iPad for a few purposes.

1. Color ereader (for comics, magazines, and vintage catalogs). With the matte protector, the air gap caused by the non-laminated display effectively disappears and gives it a natural look. The Pocketbook app allows me to consolidate the various formats into a single cohesive presentation.

2. Chromebook replacement. I used to be a big fan of Chromebooks, and while I still enjoy using them, I'm phasing them out. The value-cost ratio has worsened over the years. Free services are now subscriptions with no one-time purchase option available. Google's priorities with Chrome OS favor developers rather than end-users.

The 9th gen iPad paired with the Apple Smart Keyboard (which I love) or the Logitech Combo Touch (keyboard w/trackpad and kickstand) makes a super mobile, super light, productivity option. I took the iPad w/the Combo Touch as my only computing device on a recent trip and it was terrific. The only downside is that the Combo Touch is VERY heavy. I'm glad that I have it for those occasions where having an integrated trackpad is helpful, but otherwise, the ASK w/bluetooth mouse is what I'll stick with.

3. Sermon prep. I usually prepare sermons at my desk on my M2 Mac Mini, but when I want a change of scenery, I can take my iPad somewhere else. I've got my reference library with me (e-Sword, Logos), my journaling Bible (hyperlinked PDF imported into GoodNotes), my sermon and handout templates in Pages format (including custom fonts), mindmaps of verses in SimpleMind Pro, and personal knowledgebase in Joplin.

4. Miscellaneous productivity/office. Email, messaging, social media, news consumption.

5. Goofing around. I'll break out the djay DJ software and stack up some classic disco tracks and mix a set. And just recently, firing up Garageband for another creative outlet.

It's been able to handle everything that I've thrown at it... but disclaimer, one of the things that I don't throw at it is attempting to render a 2 hour 4K video. 😂

haha totally understandable on the 2 hour 4K videos. lol

But that's awesome, sounds like you honestly have been able to use this as a laptop replacement!

 

[sracer]

haha totally understandable on the 2 hour 4K videos. lol

But that's awesome, sounds like you honestly have been able to use this as a laptop replacement!

Laptop replacement... yes. Desktop replacement... no.

 

[jm31828]

Laptop replacement... yes. Desktop replacement... no.

Yeah, totally understood.