iPad Which iPad to buy.... Air 2 vs Pro

[wulfin]

I have an 32 gb Air 1. The screen is pretty cracked (yay to my hubby letting my 2yo jump on it one day when I wasn't home).. and it has issues charging (have to connect the cable 10+ times for it to start charging, and then I pray to the apple gods that it actually completes charging and doesn't stop in the middle of the night).

So, I waited with anticipation for the March announcement.

Anyways, like a lot of people, I groan at the price increase. I'm in Canada, so yeah, it just got a LOT more expensive for me ($999 for 128gb, $799 for 32gb).

So now I'm going back and debating getting an Air2. I know it's still a big upgrade from the 1 - but it's 16 months old now. But it's a lot cheaper ($640 for the 64gb which is still available locally).

Right now, I am crying for space - but I don't need 128 - that's overkill. 64 would have been perfect, for price and on my wallet - if that was available, it wouldn't be quite such a tough decision.

Pencil.. I would never use. Keyboard - I have a bluetooth one when I want.
The good things: speakers & camera... And while 128 is way overkill for what I actually NEED ... I would not lack storage ever again. Also, this will probably be my last ipad for many years, so the pro would be a lot more "future proof" while the Air 2 is already 16 months old.

But.. Air 2: Way cheaper. The additional RAM is still a big improvement on the original Air. 64gb gives me twice the space I have now.

For usage: I watch netflix, I watch tv, I play some games (hearthstone chews up 1gb all by itself..but most of my other games are little fb type games and don't eat up too much ram or anything else). I surf the web (darn those tab refreshes!) and am on IRC through it.

So yes, the Pro is probably overkill for what I use it for. But.. it's new and shiny. But expensive.

 

[mrklaw]

Air 2.

If you wanted the pencil or smart keyboard, I'd have said the pro.

The only caveat to that is how long you hope to keep it. The pro would probably last you another year or two longer than the air 2 before it really needed upgrading. So that might be worth the additional price?

But both will probably last a good long time - the 2GB ram in the Air 2 means it'll be around for a good few more years, performing well.

 

[sjleworthy]

i think the air2 will last a long time. longer than expected.

it's down to money really. i say, always get the best you can afford. whatever, you'll get a great device.

 

[bufffilm]

You're tailor-made for the Air2.

The Air2 is now the standard for post-2gb tablets. It will be supported for a very long time and will run iOS 10 just fine.

The pro 9.7" is overkill for you. Money to burn?...fine, get the pro 9.7.

But $500 now buys the air2 64gb...the new
iPad 2 of the new generation.

 

[wulfin]

Definitely dont have money to burn. This is where my tax return money is going.. And the more I save on this, the more I can pay on other debt (if not for my issues with my air 1, I would not be buying).

I definitely agree that the Pro is overkill, but my main concern is longevity .. Soon I'll be going from a working mom to a stay at home one, so money will be a bit tighter.

 

[dingclancy23]

Definitely dont have money to burn. This is where my tax return money is going.. And the more I save on this, the more I can pay on other debt (if not for my issues with my air 1, I would not be buying).

I definitely agree that the Pro is overkill, but my main concern is longevity .. Soon I'll be going from a working mom to a stay at home one, so money will be a bit tighter.

The iPad Pro is 4gb of ram though. If that holds true, you are getting much more longevity than the iPad Air 2, and the difference won't be a year. It will be probably 5 years before you need to upgrade the iPP.

 

[ttusomeone]

I have an 32 gb Air 1. The screen is pretty cracked (yay to my hubby letting my 2yo jump on it one day when I wasn't home).. and it has issues charging (have to connect the cable 10+ times for it to start charging, and then I pray to the apple gods that it actually completes charging and doesn't stop in the middle of the night).

So, I waited with anticipation for the March announcement.

Anyways, like a lot of people, I groan at the price increase. I'm in Canada, so yeah, it just got a LOT more expensive for me ($999 for 128gb, $799 for 32gb).

So now I'm going back and debating getting an Air2. I know it's still a big upgrade from the 1 - but it's 16 months old now. But it's a lot cheaper ($640 for the 64gb which is still available locally).

Right now, I am crying for space - but I don't need 128 - that's overkill. 64 would have been perfect, for price and on my wallet - if that was available, it wouldn't be quite such a tough decision.

Pencil.. I would never use. Keyboard - I have a bluetooth one when I want.
The good things: speakers & camera... And while 128 is way overkill for what I actually NEED ... I would not lack storage ever again. Also, this will probably be my last ipad for many years, so the pro would be a lot more "future proof" while the Air 2 is already 16 months old.

But.. Air 2: Way cheaper. The additional RAM is still a big improvement on the original Air. 64gb gives me twice the space I have now.

For usage: I watch netflix, I watch tv, I play some games (hearthstone chews up 1gb all by itself..but most of my other games are little fb type games and don't eat up too much ram or anything else). I surf the web (darn those tab refreshes!) and am on IRC through it.

So yes, the Pro is probably overkill for what I use it for. But.. it's new and shiny. But expensive.

If 32GB is enough space for you, then the Pro is $100 more than the 64GB Air 2. My usage is much the same as yours (I'm still using an iPad 2), but I'm going to opt to spend the extra $100 to have an almost two year newer technology so it will hopefully last me as long as my iPad 2.

 

[wulfin]

If 32GB is enough space for you, then the Pro is $100 more than the 64GB Air 2. My usage is much the same as yours (I'm still using an iPad 2), but I'm going to opt to spend the extra $100 to have an almost two year newer technology so it will hopefully last me as long as my iPad 2.

32 is barely enough space and the price difference is not $100.
64gb air 2 is $609 CAD.
32gb pro is $799 CAD.

That's $200.
Pricing is from apple canada
[doublepost=1458666300][/doublepost]

The iPad Pro is 4gb of ram though. If that holds true, you are getting much more longevity than the iPad Air 2, and the difference won't be a year. It will be probably 5 years before you need to upgrade the iPP.

Was the RAM confirmed? I didn't think it was.

 

[Krevnik]

I would suggest the Air 2. But not only the Air 2, but a refurbished Air 2 if in stock. Those dropped in price with the announcement too, so instead of 609$ CAD for the 64GB Air 2, you can get it for 509$ CAD. The only problem is that stock is sporadic, so you have to be on the lookout. But it would save you even more, and it does come with the same warranty (1 year) as new. With price being a concern, I don't see much point in buying new at a premium when considering the Air 2.

 

[ttusomeone]

32 is barely enough space and the price difference is not $100.
64gb air 2 is $609 CAD.
32gb pro is $799 CAD.

That's $200.
Pricing is from apple canada
[doublepost=1458666300][/doublepost]

Was the RAM confirmed? I didn't think it was.

Sorry I was talking about US prices. For a $200 difference I'd also go with the Air 2.

 

[bufffilm]

Definitely dont have money to burn. This is where my tax return money is going.. And the more I save on this, the more I can pay on other debt (if not for my issues with my air 1, I would not be buying).

I definitely agree that the Pro is overkill, but my main concern is longevity .. Soon I'll be going from a working mom to a stay at home one, so money will be a bit tighter.

You buy the Pro 9.7 and what will the 4gb RAM really get you?

Very little noticeable speed increase w/Safari. Yes, you can cache a helluva lot of pages.

The Air2 on iOS 10 will be fine. And iOS 11 is not a 'reach' by any means.

I'm using an iPad 2 from 2011. on iOS 7 (...stopped upgrading beyond that).

Do you think the Air2 or the Pro 9.7 does something that I can't do?

Let's see:

Web browsing
Email
Netflix/Movies
Reading books / magazines / newspaper
Music
Internet radio/Spotify/Pandora
Pictures
Facetime
Facebook/Twitter
Light gaming

The last two I don't do...just included them since many do.

Does this list look anything like yours?

The Air2 will remain relevant for many years to come, have no fear.

 

[wulfin]

I would suggest the Air 2. But not only the Air 2, but a refurbished Air 2 if in stock. Those dropped in price with the announcement too, so instead of 609$ CAD for the 64GB Air 2, you can get it for 509$ CAD. The only problem is that stock is sporadic, so you have to be on the lookout. But it would save you even more, and it does come with the same warranty (1 year) as new. With price being a concern, I don't see much point in buying new at a premium when considering the Air 2.

Had not considered refurb .. Can you still get AppleCare with that? I regret not getting it on my Air.
[doublepost=1458666841][/doublepost]

Sorry I was talking about US prices. For a $200 difference I'd also go with the Air 2.

I didn't mention canada anywhere.. So my mistake!!!

 

[DJTJ]

I am literally in the exact same boat as you, except my ipad air is 16gb (barf)

Hearthstone and a couple other games and this thing is packed to the gills.

I was thinking 64gb air 2 ($609) vs. 128gb pro 9.7 ($999)

For $400 im really really thinking the air 2 is just fine for me

 

[Krevnik]

Had not considered refurb .. Can you still get AppleCare with that? I regret not getting it on my Air.

According to this, very probably:
http://www.apple.com/shop/question/...-care-on-a-refurbished-ipad/QAYXUPD4PPJYJD72K

Apple also seems to link to their AppleCare products from the Refurb page and offer them when you add a refurb product to your cart/bag. So I'm guessing that's correct. Honestly, Apple's approach here with refurbs makes sense in light of their environmental stance: Recoup as much value on exchanged/repaired hardware as possible, make something more affordable, and less waste in the end. I've bought refurbished products in the past, and haven't had issues. If I didn't buy products near launch, I'd probably only buy refurb, to be honest.

 

[wulfin]

Hearthstone is a gb on its own.. Dont think I could survive on 16, so I'm impressed.

And I'm tending to agree. I really want the new shiny, but so far most people are suggesting to do what I thoughtis "right", but not the new shiny "what I want". I like shiny. LOL. But $400.....just .. Not justifiable.

Darn you, Canadian dollar!!

 

[bufffilm]

A 32gb Pro 9.7 doesn't cut it. Get the 128gb .

But a pretty big leap in cost over the Air2 64gb.

And yes...refurb is definitely worth a look. I would...

 

[wulfin]

According to this, very probably:
http://www.apple.com/shop/question/...-care-on-a-refurbished-ipad/QAYXUPD4PPJYJD72K

Apple also seems to link to their AppleCare products from the Refurb page and offer them when you add a refurb product to your cart/bag. So I'm guessing that's correct. Honestly, Apple's approach here with refurbs makes sense in light of their environmental stance: Recoup as much value on exchanged/repaired hardware as possible, make something more affordable, and less waste in the end. I've bought refurbished products in the past, and haven't had issues. If I didn't buy products near launch, I'd probably only buy refurb, to be honest.

Great, that's definitely an option then!! Returns usually go through strict testing, so I wouldn't be concerned that way.

 

[mrklaw]

The iPad Pro is 4gb of ram though. If that holds true, you are getting much more longevity than the iPad Air 2, and the difference won't be a year. It will be probably 5 years before you need to upgrade the iPP.

It could be 5 years before you need to replace the Air 2. That 2GB is still pretty new and it'll give it a much longer life than any of the 1GB devices that are still on the market - eg the mini 3.

4GB is lovely for future proofing, but you'll get years of enjoyment out of the air 2

 

[fischersd]

@wulfin, I'm in the same boat. I wanted to get a tablet that's going to last me for years. Was really hoping that the pricing compared to the US would have been maintained (10% premium - meaning we were actually paying less for Apple products than south of the border), but Apple fixed that. Adding an additional $200 premium on top just makes the Pro way too expensive (and Apple's forcing people to lean towards the 128GB as 32GB just isn't enough storage for most people). It's the same as what they've done with the phones - there 32GB was fine for lots of people, but they got rid of it, forcing most of us to go to 64GB.

So, I opted for the Air 2, 64GB, wifi + cellular with Applecare - taxes in, that costs me $959. (I'm adding it to my existing cellular data bucket for an additional $10 per month with Telus).

 

[dingclancy23]

It could be 5 years before you need to replace the Air 2. That 2GB is still pretty new and it'll give it a much longer life than any of the 1GB devices that are still on the market - eg the mini 3.

4GB is lovely for future proofing, but you'll get years of enjoyment out of the air 2

I stand corrected. It seems that the iPP 9.7 is at 2gb ram. That sucks.

 

[wulfin]

@wulfin, I'm in the same boat. I wanted to get a tablet that's going to last me for years. Was really hoping that the pricing compared to the US would have been maintained (10% premium - meaning we were actually paying less for Apple products than south of the border), but Apple fixed that. Adding an additional $200 premium on top just makes the Pro way too expensive (and Apple's forcing people to lean towards the 128GB as 32GB just isn't enough storage for most people). It's the same as what they've done with the phones - there 32GB was fine for lots of people, but they got rid of it, forcing most of us to go to 64GB.

So, I opted for the Air 2, 64GB, wifi + cellular with Applecare - taxes in, that costs me $959. (I'm adding it to my existing cellular data bucket for an additional $10 per month with Telus).

thank you for your experiences!! The price increase in Canada really is mindboggling .. However with exchange it is fair ($999 cad is $765 USD). Just is a hard pill to swallow as it was much better when our dollar was at par).

 

[DJTJ]

I stand corrected. It seems that the iPP 9.7 is at 2gb ram. That sucks.

Where did u read this? I thought most consensus was 4gb

 

[Krevnik]

Where did u read this? I thought most consensus was 4gb

Maybe 4GB. The problem is that the RAM for the A9X isn't in the SoC, but on the logic board, so it's more flexible than previous chips. MR Front Page is now saying it has 2GB. Boo.

 

[Toltepeceno]

Where did u read this? I thought most consensus was 4gb

What consensus? It looks like 2. Unless I needed the pen I would stick with the air 2.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/9-7-inch-ipad-pro-and-iphone-se-both-have-2gb-ram.1962771/

 

[wulfin]

The 2GB of ram definitely clinches it for the Air 2 for me - plus with the Pro only having 2 gb of ram, it shows the longevity of the Air 2 will be good

But, I guess they had to have SOMETHING other than screen size to differentiate the 12 and 9.7 models of the Pro (plus underclocking the processor).