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Which iPad to Buy My Grandma Who Currently Has iPad 3rd Generation?

HappyDude20

HappyDude20

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jul 13, 2008
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Los Angeles, Ca
hello,

My grandma has the iPad third gen which is the first iPad with Retina display. It’s time for her to upgrade. She only mainly uses it for YouTube app and occasional news websites so she doesn’t need the 12inch iPad Pro.

I was considering getting her the $329 iPad. The basic one. But I hear that the display isn’t laminated which sucks so I was considering getting her the iPad Air 1 or iPad Air 2. She doesn’t even have an email account. Purely YouTube videos.
[doublepost=1555130623][/doublepost]Edit: I guess to add to this. Is her third generation iPad w/ Retina display laminated? Which iPads have laminated screens? It’s just that I’ve owned the basic $329 iPad and I’ve definirely noticed the gap when using the screen. I know my grandma won’t complain but you know, she’s my grandma.
 
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I would also consider the weight of the device. Anything that is offered now has got to be better than the third gen. I would recommend the sixth gen iPad or the mini, the mini only being a bit more, has a laminated display, and is a lot lighter.
 
Any iPad is lightyears faster than that thing. The new iPad mini may be a good choice. Or the 329 iPad.
 
VertPin said:
I would also consider the weight of the device. Anything that is offered now has got to be better than the third gen. I would recommend the sixth gen iPad or the mini, the mini only being a bit more, has a laminated display, and is a lot lighter.
Click to expand...

Mini is a no go as she’s stated she prefers the larger normal size. I can’t believe she’s still using the third gen iPad w/ retina. I’m sure it’s slow for her.
 
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tobefirst said:
The regular ol’ iPad is the one to go with.
Click to expand...

Regular old? What do you mean? First gen ever? I loved the industrial feel but boy is it bulky compared to now.
[doublepost=1555130959][/doublepost]
haruhiko said:
Any iPad is lightyears faster than that thing. The new iPad mini may be a good choice. Or the 329 iPad.
Click to expand...

I’m currently researching on google which iPads have laminated displays since everyone says it’s a huge difference from the ones that don’t have it. If iPad Air 1 didn’t have it but iPad Air 2 does then I’ll probably get her her iPad Air 2.
 
https://support.apple.com/kb/SP692?locale=en_US

https://support.apple.com/kb/SP708?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

Look under display.
HappyDude20 said:
Regular old? What do you mean? First gen ever? I loved the industrial feel but boy is it bulky compared to now.
[doublepost=1555130959][/doublepost]

I’m currently researching on google which iPads have laminated displays since everyone says it’s a huge difference from the ones that don’t have it. If iPad Air 1 didn’t have it but iPad Air 2 does then I’ll probably get her her iPad Air 2.
Click to expand...
 
I second the regular ol’ iPad.

Maybe the Air 3 but for her uses it’s probably spending too much for not enough.
 
Chundles said:
I second the regular ol’ iPad.

Maybe the Air 3 but for her uses it’s probably spending too much for not enough.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same but if she's gonna keep if for 7 years like her old one it might be worth it to splurge a little. Thats a long time.
 
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Laminated display is a must. I’d go for the 2017 10.5 pro. It will last a couple years. 4 speakers she would appreciate. Will probably appreciate pro-motion. The new pros while nice isn’t worth the $$ for most people. It will feel like a 2019 device for your mee-ma
 
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scotsmandc said:
Laminated display is a must. I’d go for the 2017 10.5 pro. It will last a couple years. 4 speakers she would appreciate. Will probably appreciate pro-motion. The new pros while nice isn’t worth the $$ for most people. It will feel like a 2019 device for your mee-ma
Click to expand...
It may be a must to you, but is it really necessary for his grandmother who had been using the third gen iPad without a laminated display? His grandmother is unlikely to notice pro motion to be honest, and I, sure the sixth gen speakers are a noticeable improvement over the third gen. The bells and whistles the 10.5 have are great, but I don’t think they would fit her needs.
 
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VertPin said:
It may be a must to you, but is it really necessary for his grandmother who had been using the third gen iPad without a laminated display? His grandmother is unlikely to notice pro motion to be honest, and I, sure the sixth gen speakers are a noticeable improvement over the third gen. The bells and whistles the 10.5 have are great, but I don’t think they would fit her needs.
Click to expand...

True. She wouldn’t need ProMotion. Myself however would love ProMotion as I’m sure my parents would appreciate it too. I personally only have an iPhone and MBP at the monent. I’m
Planning on getting the newest 12.9 iPad Pro once they show up in the refurbished store.
 
VertPin said:
It may be a must to you, but is it really necessary for his grandmother who had been using the third gen iPad without a laminated display? His grandmother is unlikely to notice pro motion to be honest, and I, sure the sixth gen speakers are a noticeable improvement over the third gen. The bells and whistles the 10.5 have are great, but I don’t think they would fit her needs.
Click to expand...

HappyDude20 said:
True. She wouldn’t need ProMotion. Myself however would love ProMotion as I’m sure my parents would appreciate it too. I personally only have an iPhone and MBP at the monent. I’m
Planning on getting the newest 12.9 iPad Pro once they show up in the refurbished store.
Click to expand...

I use to have the same mentality older folks don’t need X features. I now choose to think they should get them. Why not, they should enjoy the same things we appreciate. The price of the 2017 pro is selling at a good price if you can still find one. The cheaper iPads just ruins the experience. Non-laminate screens causing really bad glare. If you choose the air 3, you may as well go for the 2017 pro, screen and speakers outweighs the new cpu chip. Better camera too.
 
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scotsmandc said:
I use to have the same mentality older folks don’t need X features. I now choose to think they should get them. Why not, they should enjoy the same things we appreciate. The price of the 2017 pro is selling at a good price if you can still find one. The cheaper iPads just ruins the experience. Non-laminate screens causing really bad glare. If you choose the air 3, you may as well go for the 2017 pro, screen and speakers outweighs the new cpu chip. Better camera too.
Click to expand...

If I was debating between the 2017 Pro or the new 2019 Air I would get the 17’ Pro in a heartbeat. But as of right now the Air 2 is winning for my grandma. Literally the only two apps she uses is the YouTube app and Safari for searching occasional news stories.

The great thing is in 3-6 years, ProMotion displays may be standard on iPads.
 
I wouldn’t go for something as old as the Air 2 tbh. Laminated screen matters to true ipad nerds/connoisseurs like us in a mac forum but regular folks I think would rather appreciate the much more powerful CPU in the regular Ipad. I get she doesn’t do anything advanced on it but you never know when youtube might get a new app update not optimized for old devices. Sounds like she might keep it for a while also. Of course if you can save a lot then maybe consider the air 2, but the base ipad is pretty cheap.
 
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I wouldn’t pay full price for the 6th gen with an A10 in it (the new iPads are A12), would she mind a refurb? I just came from the iPad 3rd gen to the Mini and think that’s what I’d have done if the Mini size hadn’t suited me.

3rd Gen is indeed slow, YouTube was fine but it wouldn’t play videos on DailyMotion for some reason.
 
HappyDude20 said:
If I was debating between the 2017 Pro or the new 2019 Air I would get the 17’ Pro in a heartbeat. But as of right now the Air 2 is winning for my grandma. Literally the only two apps she uses is the YouTube app and Safari for searching occasional news stories.

The great thing is in 3-6 years, ProMotion displays may be standard on iPads.
Click to expand...
Don’t get her an air 2, that’s so outdated now. Honestly the 6th gen is more than enough for her needs. It’s an upgrade in every aspect, the screen quality will still be better than what she has, laminated or not. It’s got thinner bezels, lighter, faster, louder, overall better. I mean if it’s your money you’re spending and not hers then go ahead and get her an air 3 but if she’s been happy with the visuals on her iPad 3 and just needs a decent performance boost, a 6th gen is a great buy. And back on sale again at amazon for $250
 
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Is not having a laminated screen the only reason you are not considering the 6th gen anymore? Because otherwise it seems like a no-brainier.

Not everyone cares about the laminated screen. Many don't find it better or worse than the regular screen. I was also using an iPad 3 until not too long ago and while it was slower than sloth the screen never was a problem. If anything it showed finger prints less. :p
 
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lamination and lightness are concerns of mine in making this decision. If the 2019 Air3 had 4 speakers I feel that would make me go for that one instead of the Air2. But of course, future-proofing by getting the 6th Gen iPad seems like a logical reason to get that one. $250 on Amazon isn't bad. I was looking at an Air2 for $150 refurbished (32gb).
 
scotsmandc said:
I use to have the same mentality older folks don’t need X features. I now choose to think they should get them. Why not, they should enjoy the same things we appreciate. The price of the 2017 pro is selling at a good price if you can still find one. The cheaper iPads just ruins the experience. Non-laminate screens causing really bad glare. If you choose the air 3, you may as well go for the 2017 pro, screen and speakers outweighs the new cpu chip. Better camera too.
Click to expand...
Exactly. Don’t think our grandparents are dumb. They like good things too. They probably just care less than us due to the problems they face in their senior years but I am sure they know what are good things.

I’m sure when I’m 80 I will like cutting edge gadgets too, if I still have the energy to play with them :)
 
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The Air 2 uses the A8X and the 6th Gen the A10, so the 6th Gen is probably going to get one more iOS update, though that’s only a prediction. The recently discontinued Mini 4 had the standard A8 variant, which should help in ensuring the Air 2 gets a decent level of support in going forward. Both the Air 2 and the 6th Gen have the same 2GB RAM, while the Air 3 has 3GB.

The A5 and the A5X were dropped by Apple at the same time, so the same may happen with the A8 and A8X. Support for the iPad 3 dropped in Summer 2016, so devices aren’t immediately dropped app support wise. That happened last year/this year, though the majority of apps I use were still asking for the 9.3 that the iPad 3 gets.

The Air 3 is a bigger screen, so you might rule that one out depending on how well you think your Grandma would cope with the transition from 9.7 to 10.5.

Coming from the iPad 3 the speakers on the iPad Mini feel like a great improvement to me. The same should presumably apply to the 6th Gen and the Air 3. I believe all three use the same speakers.
 
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