iPad The Base iPad may finally be at a sweet spot

[i4k20c]

No question to be asked but more of a discussion on the base iPad and how I think it might finally be at an awesome price point.

I have been considering the ipad for a very specific need. We have a ~4.5 month old and need a tablet to mostly watch the baby while they are in the crib or when they are being cared for by others and we're in other rooms of the house from our security cams. We've been using Eufy cams instead of baby monitors for this purpose.

I use my iphone at night, but i need a device dedicated to the camera feed during the day when I need to use my phone for other things.

of course from time to time, i might consider using the tablet for other things (consume media, follow along recipes, etc.)

I have been scouring fb marketplace and online communities for used ipads but so far the best i have been able to find are:

1.) 2016 iPad Pro 9.7 for $200
2.) 2015 iPad Mini 4 for $180

Obviously, I get it that if you don't have the money, you don't have the money and used is the way to go. But with the base model iPad being $330, and often times on sale for $309, it's hard to justify buying used when for ~130 more, you get a brand new device with a much faster chip and brand new battery in there.

...also the reason i am looking for an iPad is because if you search online there is all this information on buying a fire tablet, and installing the google play store to make it run any app. Not sure if I did something wrong, but when I use my iPhone for the security cam app, it never crashes or says "unable to play video," but i face that problem 2-4x a week on the fire tablet.

the base iPad is in a really good price segment.

 

[Username-already-in-use]

My girlfriend bought an Amazon tablet a few years ago, slow and poor support. Once I got her an Air 4, she’s never looked back. Her Amazon Fire was probably £80 cheaper than the equivalent base iPad at the time, but it was unusable in 2 years. She thought she was saving money, but it ended up being a waste.

I think the base iPad is a tremendous computer at that price point. I think it is the very best tablet you can buy at the $300-400 price point.

 

[JPack]

The $329 iPad has always been a great value. There's never been a year where it wasn't updated so the value has kept up with the rest of the iPad family. I'm surprised Apple didn't bump the price this year as it hasn't received an increase for 5 years.

As long as you don't experience using iPad Air or Pro and succumb to temptations, you'll be satisfied.

 

[i4k20c]

My girlfriend bought an Amazon tablet a few years ago, slow and poor support. Once I got her an Air 4, she’s never looked back. Her Amazon Fire was probably £80 cheaper than the equivalent base iPad at the time, but it was unusable in 2 years. She thought she was saving money, but it ended up being a waste.

I think the base iPad is a tremendous computer at that price point. I think it is the very best tablet you can buy at the $300-400 price point.

I was lucky that i got it during black Friday so I was able to get the Fire 10 for $75. At the time, I thought saving ~$245 was worth it. and it probably would have been fine if i wasn't utilizing it for a newborn and just cared to use it to watch netflix/youtube and called it a day.

problem is, when you are keeping an eye on your kid, it's a lot different. You can't just have the video feed stop LOL and restart the device or restart the app. That gets very frustrating (especially if you are using it at night and if you can't trust the technology to stay on, that's no good when dealing with children).

 

[eyeseeyou]

No question to be asked but more of a discussion on the base iPad and how I think it might finally be at an awesome price point.

I have been considering the ipad for a very specific need. We have a ~4.5 month old and need a tablet to mostly watch the baby while they are in the crib or when they are being cared for by others and we're in other rooms of the house from our security cams. We've been using Eufy cams instead of baby monitors for this purpose.

I use my iphone at night, but i need a device dedicated to the camera feed during the day when I need to use my phone for other things.

of course from time to time, i might consider using the tablet for other things (consume media, follow along recipes, etc.)

I have been scouring fb marketplace and online communities for used ipads but so far the best i have been able to find are:

1.) 2016 iPad Pro 9.7 for $200
2.) 2015 iPad Mini 4 for $180

Obviously, I get it that if you don't have the money, you don't have the money and used is the way to go. But with the base model iPad being $330, and often times on sale for $309, it's hard to justify buying used when for ~130 more, you get a brand new device with a much faster chip and brand new battery in there.

...also the reason i am looking for an iPad is because if you search online there is all this information on buying a fire tablet, and installing the google play store to make it run any app. Not sure if I did something wrong, but when I use my iPhone for the security cam app, it never crashes or says "unable to play video," but i face that problem 2-4x a week on the fire tablet.

the base iPad is in a really good price segment.

"on sale for $309, it's hard to justify buying used when for ~130 more,"

For $90 more you can get 2 9.7 Ipads that could more than do what you originally wanted to get an iPad for. I know you want new but honestly, the iPad experience is so good that unless you're doing some heavy lifting(long video editing/huge raw file image editing) you'll really have to look for a noticeable difference in speed, especially for your use case.

 

[SkiHound2]

I still have a 9.7" Pro from 2016. Still ticking. Battery is draining faster and faster and I'm definitely looking to upgrade. My wife has a 10.2" iPad (I think 8th generation with the A12). It's a very nice device. I'd say the base iPad offers the best value and should give many years of useful life. Seems your intended uses are not too demanding and I think you'd be happy with it.

 

[snipr125]

You honestly cannot go wrong with any iPad with a 6 core Bionic chip and above.

 

[i4k20c]

"on sale for $309, it's hard to justify buying used when for ~130 more,"

For $90 more you can get 2 9.7 Ipads that could more than do what you originally wanted to get an iPad for. I know you want new but honestly, the iPad experience is so good that unless you're doing some heavy lifting(long video editing/huge raw file image editing) you'll really have to look for a noticeable difference in speed, especially for your use case.

yeah the problem for me is the battery life though. i have to image that the device from ~5.5 years ago doesn't hold too much battery life. i could get it serviced, but than im even closer to the difference between new and used and no guarantee of a warranty.

 

[JPack]

yeah the problem for me is the battery life though. i have to image that the device from ~5.5 years ago doesn't hold too much battery life. i could get it serviced, but than im even closer to the difference between new and used and no guarantee of a warranty.

You made the right choice.

The A9X/2GB on iPad Pro 9.7" is extremely dated and lags even with normal web browsing. It may not support iPadOS 16. You're better off with one iPad that you want to use (in the future for your child or yourself) rather than two iPad Pros that are uncomfortably slow.

 

[Digitalguy]

As a owner of both the iPad mini 4 and the pro 9.7, plus many other iPads let me tell you: the mini 4 is a terrible purchase, it's unbearably slow with iPadOS 14 and 15. The 9.7 pro at $200 is a much better value as it's much faster than the mini 4 and has quad speakers, but it's still not a good idea, even at that price. It's much slower than a modern iPad and will soon stop receiving updates. A new iPad 9 is a much better value, even at a higher price.

 

[Warped9]

Buying an Amazon Fire is akin to flushing your money down the toilet. A base iPad is the best tablet you can buy in that price range. The Samsung Galaxy Tab comes in a bit cheaper, but it’s still not as good as the iPad. The Samsung probably won’t last as long either.

 

[sorgo †]

I adore my iPad 9, even with its relatively limited RAM and non-laminated display. An excellent, well-built value capable of pretty much all the same tasks as its pricier siblings.

 

[winxmac]

I could have chosen the base model iPad 9 if it was 128GB but since it is only 64GB I went with the 256GB model... For future-proofing/offline content...

 

[sorgo †]

I could have chosen the base model iPad 9 if it was 128GB but since it is only 64GB I went with the 256GB model... For future-proofing/offline content...

Great move. I went 64 to minimize the price and so far it’s worked out great, with about half the capacity taken up. I intended it to be a ”lite” companion to my 256GB iPhone on which all of my lossless music (the only media I consume in any serious, habitual capacity, other than YouTube trash) is stored.

I’ll probably trade this one in for a future baseline iPad with more storage if the level of build quality is sustained, but after this recent Air 5 debacle my expectations aren’t exactly high.

 

[winxmac]

Using the iPad 4 on iOS 10.3.3 and Netflix 11.3.0, which is the last 32bit iPad, I encounter several video lag/stutters every 15 minutes or so and no other app running in the background... And I'm finding it weird since I'm just watching videos and I don't suppose it's that demanding/resource hog but my current experience with it says otherwise... I don't know if it's because of 1GB DDR2 RAM or the A6 chip or both...

I went with 256GB iPad 9 for video downloads [Netflix, YouTube], music downloads [Spotify, YouTube Music], some apps, and taking pictures [I know, who uses an iPad to take pictures]

Using the iPad for watching videos is still better when not using the laptop and it has a bigger screen [although 4:3 aspect ratio instead of 16:9] compared to an iPhone...

 

[TechRunner]

As a previous owner of a Fire HD 8 tablet, the adage “You get what you pay for” really applies here. I basically ended up using it as a Kindle and little else. When I traded up (waaaay up!) to my 7th gen iPad, I was stunned at what I got for the money (bought it for $219 the weekend before Thanksgiving in 2019). Go with the 9th gen. You’ll be glad you did.

 

[Warped9]

It’s a shame supplies of the 9th GEN iPad are presently so constrained, particularly the 64GB version. If they were more readily available they would be flying off the shelves given demand and the 9th GEN’s value.

 

[Bodhitree]

I’ve been a fan of the base iPad for quite a while, I think iPadOS is so constraining for pro scenario’s that you’re better off using a Mac for those things and just use the iPad for what it’s best at.

 

[rui no onna]

As a previous owner of a Fire HD 8 tablet, the adage “You get what you pay for” really applies here. I basically ended up using it as a Kindle and little else. When I traded up (waaaay up!) to my 7th gen iPad, I was stunned at what I got for the money (bought it for $219 the weekend before Thanksgiving in 2019). Go with the 9th gen. You’ll be glad you did.

I miss the days when you could buy the basic iPad for $80+ off.

Ever since the pandemic, supply and demand has been crazy and it's not unusual to find the base iPad for more than MSRP at unauthorized resellers.

 

[Warped9]

I use my iPad far more than I use my iMac or iPhone.

The iPhone (for me) is largely a work tool and essential communications device. I actually don’t care for using it much given it’s size. At home I barely look at it. At work it’s a convenient tool for looking things up.

My iMac, which I treasure, is my work device at home. If I want to do 3D modelling, Photoshop, organize my music or any task thats intensive and/or time consuming I appreciate my iMac’s big display and power.

The iPad is for most emailing, visiting various websites of interest, dropping into Youtube, playing a few games and just general use. It’s easy to see how tablets have displaced laptops for mobility and general computer use—the general capability and ease-of-use fulfills most people’s needs. Laptops and desktops are now largely for specific functions that are work or school related.

 

[i4k20c]

I use my iPad far more than I use my iMac or iPhone.

The iPhone (for me) is largely a work tool and essential communications device. I actually don’t care for using it much given it’s size. At home I barely look at it. At work it’s a convenient tool for looking things up.

My iMac, which I treasure, is my work device at home. If I want to do 3D modelling, Photoshop, organize my music or any task thats intensive and/or time consuming I appreciate my iMac’s big display and power.

The iPad is for most emailing, visiting various websites of interest, dropping into Youtube, playing a few games and just general use. It’s easy to see how tablets have displaced laptops for mobility and general computer use—the general capability and ease-of-use fulfills most people’s needs. Laptops and desktops are now largely for specific functions that are work or school related.

it's interesting because i've held off on the ipad for so long because i actually don't think for my use case, there is a natural use for it.

i have my phone on me all the time, so i feel like i'm much more likely to use my phone for things like youtube. if i need a bigger screen, i screen share to my tv.

for any real workflow (doing taxes, emailing with attachments, looking up hospital bills, paying hospital bills, spreadsheet work, etc.) i use my laptop. i don't play games so don't have a use for that.

but idk, maybe that will change with that iPad.

 

[Warped9]

The great appeal of the iPad is its ease of use. For a laptop a 10in. display is too small, but for something you hold in your hand somewhat closer than a laptop would be then the 10in. display is ideal.

I, like many, found myself using the iPad ever more and more because it’s right there at hand and easy to carry around. The touchscreen UI is also a huge draw. It becomes an intuitive thing. Furthermore a phone is great for younger people with no vision issues, but the older the user the greater the appeal of a larger display.

In general a smart phone is an ideal device for quick information access and immediate communication needs particularly on-the-go or at work. It is not an ideal device for prolonged use in terms reading and general viewing. Furthermore smart phones default to utilizing mobile device versions of websites which are a pain in the ass. An iPad can access desktop versions of websites which are easier to understand and navigate.

 

[rui no onna]

The iPad is for most emailing, visiting various websites of interest, dropping into Youtube, playing a few games and just general use. It’s easy to see how tablets have displaced laptops for mobility and general computer use—the general capability and ease-of-use fulfills most people’s needs. Laptops and desktops are now largely for specific functions that are work or school related.

Agreed. I do most personal use stuff include banking and managing my 401(k) on the iPad.

I even prepared my pro-forma tax return on the iPad with TurboTax last year and that worked perfectly. Even scanned my W-2 with the camera so that was less hassle than PC. Granted, I prepared the final return on my laptop for backup purposes. I don't quite trust the iPad to have the only copy of my tax returns.

 

[Isengardtom]

base iPad is awesome value, especially with the storage bump which was the only downside of the older versions for most people

For most people it's the only home computer they'll ever need.

 

[Warped9]

For most people it's the only home computer they'll ever need.

Very true. Different markets may vary, but the base iPad is the go-to device for maybe 80-90 percent of iPad customers. The Mini is a niche device in comparison. The Pros are for particular users with specific needs. The new M1 Air will cut into Pro sales.