iPad Pro When do iPads die?

[Mark Holmes]

I do apologize for being repetitive, but I can’t help but think about this possibility.

I’ve never something like that myself, and my experience with iPads and battery life is that it’s extremely stable even years after purchase. Like I’ve often said, I have a nearly 7-year-old 9.7-inch iPad Pro running iOS 12 (so, the same model). Battery life only dropped from 14 hours of screen-on time to about 10-11 after Apple forced it from iOS 9, almost 4 years ago. It never dropped again, and I can consistently get 10-11 hours of light use today.

Saying that iPadOS 16 is to blame would be nothing new (and the right answer here), but what I’m curious about is whether software alone could fix the issue. My experience with severely degraded batteries and original (or early enough) iOS versions is great. I have an iPhone 6s (similar processor to this iPad) on iOS 10 with the original battery and it works almost like-new.

I’m curious about this: would a downgrade to iOS 10 (if it were at all possible) fix the issue? For this iPad to get 45 minutes it must be severely degraded, even on iPadOS 16, no doubt about that, but would a downgrade “magically” resolve the issue? Honestly, I’d love to try.

Do you know what was its battery health (on Coconut battery) and cycle count before the replacement?

I don't recall the actual amount, but I did do a Coconut battery test and the cycles were extremely high. My problem with it was, at least with the 9.7 iPad Pro, battery replacements weren't actually offered by Apple - they simply replaced the whole device. I'd be very curious if the newer designs (M1 especially) can actually have the battery replaced.
The days spent with Apple support entailed several clean wipes and re-installs, which did nothing to help. It was the battery.

 

[FeliApple]

I don't recall the actual amount, but I did do a Coconut battery test and the cycles were extremely high. My problem with it was, at least with the 9.7 iPad Pro, battery replacements weren't actually offered by Apple - they simply replaced the whole device. I'd be very curious if the newer designs (M1 especially) can actually have the battery replaced.
The days spent with Apple support entailed several clean wipes and re-installs, which did nothing to help. It was the battery.

Apple has never replaced a battery on any iPad. The latest 6th-gen iPad Pros and 5th-gen iPad Air don’t get battery replacements, they’re whole-unit replacements.

A restore and set-up as new (or clean wipe and reinstall, whatever you want to call it), just reinstalls the latest version, which is, I reckon, at least a large part of the problem. Like I said, I wonder how iOS 10 would fare on that iPad. Maybe its power requirements are light enough for it to work.


Also, what’s a ballpark of “extremely high”? 2000? Less? More?

 

[subjonas]

Ah, yes, but battery replacements aren't actually possible, due to the device being glued together in manufacturing.

That is very unfortunate. Also very strange that iPhones and MacBooks can be opened up, but iPads can’t.

 

[Mark Holmes]

That is very unfortunate. Also very strange that iPhones and MacBooks can be opened up, but iPads can’t.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-store-doesnt-replace-ipad-batteries.2350175/

 

[darngooddesign]

Ah, yes, but battery replacements aren't actually possible, due to the device being glued together in manufacturing.

It's difficult, but yes the battery is replaceable. Heat is often used to soften the adhesive.

 

[subjonas]

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-store-doesnt-replace-ipad-batteries.2350175/

Apple should use screws for iPads too. Whatever positives that gluing gives the user can’t outweigh the negatives, nor the environmental consequences if iPads are being retired early.

 

[DaveTheRave]

I don't think iPads really "die," I just think they become obsolete. Take for example my old 1st gen iPad Air, which lasted me from 2013 until 2021 (which at that point, an upgrade was LONG overdue). That iPad never got updates past iOS 12, and the 1080p grainy camera really made things worse. Now, I didn't use it as a daily device or anything, so the battery actually held up quite well, but the old A7 chip, or whatever it had, was super limiting. So my point is that iPads (or any device for that matter), if they're not used too heavily, don't really "die," they just become obsolete. At least that's my experience.

My kid gets good use out of our original iPad Air 1st generation. But yeah it’s showing it’s age. But the battery is surprisingly good.

 

[DaveTheRave]

I have a iPad Air which is in daily use and going strong. Used for browsing and some old games.

They are still totally fine for FaceTime and YouTube.

 

[DaveTheRave]

IPads don’t die. They just fade away.

More seriously, the hard cutoff usually is when the last supported Safari version doesn’t support modern websites anymore. My dad used an iPad 1 for about ten years before web browsing became increasingly problematic.

I would imagine that limited RAM makes using Safari a pain.

 

[WinterWolf90]

Oldest we have right now is the Air 2. Battery is crap and it’s slow but otherwise, everything else works fine.

Mind, the iPad 3 and 4 were built like tanks. Even battery was good when we traded them in. The iPad 3 in 2017 (5 years old) and the iPad 4 in 2021 (9 years old).

Still have the Air 2 as well. I use it mostly when cooking in the kitchen for recipes. If something gets on it no big deal because it's so old.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I still use my 12.9” iPad Pro (2015) every day but I think it’s on its last legs. The battery is down to just 5 hours of screen time between charges, the screen has a few splotches, things are generally a bit wobbly… Does anyone have experience with iPads that are long in the tooth?

What are you looking to ask here?

Yes, I have experience with iPads that are long in the tooth. The experience between them varies depending on model. Certainly, the worst ones were the first and third generation iPads capped on their final respective iOS releases. Basically things run slow and anything that relies on the Internet either stops working or becomes difficult to use. Locally stored media (presumably downloaded from the iTunes Store or synced from iTunes for Windows or Finder on macOS) ought to play back fine. You might even get the iTunes Store to allow you to rent/purchase/download content for a time.

But the degree to which software runs (or, more accurately, doesn't run) varies by age, the iPad in question, and the version of iOS/iPadOS that it is capped at.

As for hardware; the battery life will eventually degrade. The fact that these batteries aren't user-replaceable and that even Apple just wholesale replaces the iPad when there's a problem is downright criminal. Some displays (iPad Air 2, iPad Pro 9.7", iPad Pro 10.5", iPad Air Third Generation specifically come to mind) had issues to begin with and likely won't age terribly well. Others will last well past the point where you e-waste it. Certainly, NAND flash isn't built to last forever either, so that will probably also degrade over time.

I love iPads. But, especially with the iPod being defunct; they're about the most disposable product line Apple has next to the watch and Apple TV.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I love iPads. But, especially with the iPod being defunct; they're about the most disposable product line Apple has next to the watch and Apple TV.

And certainly, the iPhone is similar in its disposability, but at least the battery on those is designed to be replaced unlike that of the aforementioned.

 

[DaveTheRave]

And certainly, the iPhone is similar in its disposability, but at least the battery on those is designed to be replaced unlike that of the aforementioned.

Why is that? Why would it be so difficult for Apple to design iPads so that they could have a similar repair experience as an iPhone?

 

[I7guy]

What are you looking to ask here?

Yes, I have experience with iPads that are long in the tooth. The experience between them varies depending on model. Certainly, the worst ones were the first and third generation iPads capped on their final respective iOS releases. Basically things run slow and anything that relies on the Internet either stops working or becomes difficult to use. Locally stored media (presumably downloaded from the iTunes Store or synced from iTunes for Windows or Finder on macOS) ought to play back fine. You might even get the iTunes Store to allow you to rent/purchase/download content for a time.

But the degree to which software runs (or, more accurately, doesn't run) varies by age, the iPad in question, and the version of iOS/iPadOS that it is capped at.

As for hardware; the battery life will eventually degrade. The fact that these batteries aren't user-replaceable and that even Apple just wholesale replaces the iPad when there's a problem is downright criminal. Some displays (iPad Air 2, iPad Pro 9.7", iPad Pro 10.5", iPad Air Third Generation specifically come to mind) had issues to begin with and likely won't age terribly well. Others will last well past the point where you e-waste it. Certainly, NAND flash isn't built to last forever either, so that will probably also degrade over time.

I love iPads. But, especially with the iPod being defunct; they're about the most disposable product line Apple has next to the watch and Apple TV.

The biggest thing toward obsolescence that I’ve found for iPads and iPhones is hardware. Older hardware just stops supporting new software because the version of iOS is capped.

Unlike older intel CPU’s like the core duo is just slow, but runs windows 10.

 

[dk001]

Recently had my iPad Pro 11 Gen2 go to the great resting place all iPads go due to a failed USB C port. Lasted 3 years.
Replaced with a new Gen4.

Now the Magic Keyboard has also passed on. The “N” key died. It just sinks into the keyboard and stays there. Flip it upside down and it comes out. Right side up and it drops down.
Replaced with a new MKB.

Apple makes great hardware but I have had less than the best luck with the Pro line despite how good they work.

 

[sdfox7]

I have an original silver 2010 iPad 64GB (iOS 5.1.1), original 2013 silver iPad Air (iOS 12.5.7), 2014-2017 Gold iPad Air 2 (iOS 14.8.1), silver 2020 iPad 8th generation (first standard iPad with 6-core Bionic processor)

The first two are still on their original batteries and work. This probably due to the fact that they are obsolete for most apps and don't get used as often as my newer models.

The iPad Air 2 battery got below 80% and was replaced by Apple with a completely new unit, identical model, in January 2022.

The 8th gen was purchased in 2020 and still has plenty of battery cycles left.

 

[Yebubbleman]

Why is that? Why would it be so difficult for Apple to design iPads so that they could have a similar repair experience as an iPhone?

I don't know that it is necessarily difficult. They just choose not to. Personally, I wouldn't mind my iPads to be thicker if it meant that I could remove the display and batteries with screws rather than having to use a heat gun and spudgers.

The biggest thing toward obsolescence that I’ve found for iPads and iPhones is hardware. Older hardware just stops supporting new software because the version of iOS is capped.

I'd argue that's as much of a software thing (if not moreso). Every iPad is speedy as all hell out of the box, but with Apple ceasing optimization for the older hardware and forcing the platform to abandon older iOS and iPadOS releases, that's how these things end up night and day different at the end of their lives.

Unlike older intel CPU’s like the core duo is just slow, but runs windows 10.

You have no drivers support in Windows 10 for anything older than Ivy Bridge. Not saying you can't install Windows 10 on a Core Duo, but it's not a fair metric since there isn't actual support for a Core Duo in Windows 10.

 

[KPOM]

I believe the 2015 iPad Pro is “obsolete” at the end of the week. If you hurry you can get the battery replaced and maybe get another year or two out of it. Otherwise maybe an authorized repairer can still fix it with spare parts.