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

[rui no onna]

Heh. The iPad Pro 2018 is overkill even for me.

I was tempted, but in the end couldn't justify spending over 50% more for it and its accessories here. Basically the only things I really wanted from the 2018 Pro 11" were Face ID and wider screen, but it would have cost me over CAD$500 more to do it, after factoring in the real-world pricing of the iPad Pro, the Smart Keyboard, and Pencil. (Neither the iPad Pro 11" nor its Pencil 2 are on the Canadian refurb store, and for some reason the Smart Keyboard is much, much cheaper via Amazon sellers for the 10.5".)

Lol, I don't care about accessories and I don't like FaceID at all. It's the storage and LTE that's killer. Even the 512GB LTE model is notably more expensive than the Pro 10.5 at original MSRP and I really want 1TB LTE. I'll probably wait until the storage upgrade premium drops. I really want a 1TB iPad but even for me, I reckon 2TB is overkill.

 

[AutomaticApple]

The iPad 3 originally ran iOS 5.1 (released on March 7, 2012). it can go up to iOS 9.3.5 (released on August 25, 2016). The 2018 iPad originally ran iOS 11.3 (released on March 29, 2018). It can run the latest version of iOS (iOS 12.2) (released on March 25, 2019).

There will be a lot of new things software related when she gets her 2018 iPad (like the removal of slide to unlock).

 

[EugW]

The iPad 3 originally ran iOS 5.1 (released on March 7, 2012). it can go up to iOS 9.3.5 (released on August 25, 2016). The 2018 iPad originally ran iOS 11.3 (released on March 29, 2018). It can run the latest version of iOS (iOS 12.2) (released on March 25, 2019).

There will be a lot of new things software related when she gets her 2018 iPad (like the removal of slide to unlock).

OP, what OS is she running on that iPad 3? Cuz it's painfully, horribly slow on iOS 9.

 

[AutomaticApple]

OP, what OS is she running on that iPad 3? Cuz it's painfully, horribly slow on iOS 9.

Probably the latest software available.

iOS 9.3.5 is another reason the 2018 iPad will feel lightyears faster than the iPad 3.

 

[EugW]

Lol, I don't care about accessories and I don't like FaceID at all. It's the storage and LTE that's killer. Even the 512GB LTE model is notably more expensive than the Pro 10.5 at original MSRP and I really want 1TB LTE. I'll probably wait until the storage upgrade premium drops. I really want a 1TB iPad but even for me, I reckon 2TB is overkill.

The Apple Smart Keyboards for both the 10.5" and 11" are great. They actually have a very decent typing feel, mainly because of their decent 18 mm key spacing. And the fact they don't have to deal with Bluetooth is great.

In any case, the other problem with the 11" is that it too has only 4 GB RAM. To me it seems the 4 GB matches the performance of the 10.5" well. The performance of the 11" is more future proofed, but the RAM is not there to match it, and this year there are several applications that are coming out that will likely be able to make use of both that extra performance and that extra RAM.

I currently have the 64 GB 10.5" Pro. I'll probably buy an 11" with 128-256 GB storage sometime after it gets 6 GB minimum RAM. I have no need to get a 1 TB iPad to get that 6 GB RAM.

For LTE, I just tether to my iPhone. It seems our usage patterns are very different.

 

[rui no onna]

OP, what OS is she running on that iPad 3? Cuz it's painfully, horribly slow on iOS 9.

When the 2017 basic iPad was released, we had two iPad 3s that needed to be upgraded. One was running iOS 9 and the other iOS 6. Surprisingly, iOS 9 Safari rendered webpages faster than iOS 6. UI was noticeably laggier and more stuttery on iOS 9, though. Regardless of iOS firmware, the iPad 3 is just horribly slow. I guess that's one of the reasons why back when I still used one, I still regularly went to my laptop for web browsing.

 

[EugW]

When the 2017 basic iPad was released, we had two iPad 3s that needed to be upgraded. One was running iOS 9 and the other iOS 6. Surprisingly, iOS 9 Safari rendered webpages faster than iOS 6. UI was noticeably laggier and more stuttery on iOS 9, though. Regardless of iOS firmware, the iPad 3 is just horribly slow. I guess that's one of the reasons why back when I still used one, I still regularly went to my laptop for web browsing.

Yeah, Safari increased in speed with each major OS release, and sometimes with the sub-releases too. However, with each release, the OS usually got more bloated, requiring more CPU cycles and more RAM. The iPad 3 is short on both.

So, if you stuck just in Safari and never ran more than a couple of tabs, you were OK, but beyond that it's laaaaagggg.

 

[AutomaticApple]

Regardless of iOS firmware, the iPad 3 is just horribly slow.

A5X + Retina display = Unusable!

 

[EugW]

A5X + Retina display = Unusable!

My A5 + non-Retina display was quite decent until iOS 7, and not bad with some versions of iOS 8, but it was utterly destroyed by iOS 9. Even my four year-old was complaining about it.

It was that complaint that prompted me to give him my iPad Air 2, so I could have an excuse to upgrade to that iPad Pro 10.5".

 

[AutomaticApple]

My A5 + non-Retina display was quite decent until iOS 7

iOS 7 was slow?

 

[EugW]

iOS 7 was slow?

I mean everything including 7 was fine.

 

[AutomaticApple]

I mean everything including 7 was fine.

Oh, okay.

 

[rui no onna]

The Apple Smart Keyboards for both the 10.5" and 11" are great. They actually have a very decent typing feel, mainly because of their decent 18 mm key spacing. And the fact they don't have to deal with Bluetooth is great.

In any case, the other problem with the 11" is that it too has only 4 GB RAM. To me it seems the 4 GB matches the performance of the 10.5" well. The performance of the 11" is more future proofed, but the RAM is not there to match it, and this year there are several applications that are coming out that will likely be able to make use of both that extra performance and that extra RAM.

I currently have the 64 GB 10.5" Pro. I'll probably buy an 11" with 128-256 GB storage sometime after it gets 6 GB minimum RAM. I have no need to get a 1 TB iPad to get that 6 GB RAM.

For LTE, I just tether to my iPhone. It seems our usage patterns are very different.

Yep. Different usage patterns. One of the reasons I like tablets is because I find physical keyboards a pain when browsing while lying down. Really not a fan of the ASK. It's just not for me.

I consider the extra 2GB RAM on the 1TB a bonus (should help with Safari tabs and multitasking) but it's the storage I'm really interested in. I was prepared to spend around $1500 for 11" 1TB LTE. $1900 after tax was just too much.

If tethering was less of a pain I could do that but with how much I use my iPad in areas without wifi, I just prefer to have LTE built in. I use my iPad the way most people use their phones. Imagine how inconvenient it would be if you had to go to Settings - Wifi and connect to a network whenever you needed to check something quickly on your iPhone.
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I mean everything including 7 was fine.

Personally, I never liked performance of any A5 device on iOS 7+ (iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and iPad 3).

 

[AutomaticApple]

Personally, I never liked performance of any A5 device on iOS 7+ (iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and iPad 3).

What about the iPad Mini 1?

 

[rui no onna]

What about the iPad Mini 1?

I don't own the 1st gen Mini. I used one for maybe 5 minutes when my niece was showing me something and yes, I found that too laggy, too.

 

[Freakonomics101]

Entry level iPad. Anything else is overkill for her. Not sure why it’s even a discussion tbh.

I totally agree on this. Doesn’t seem like she cares to have all the extra perks. $250 for the 6th gen on Amazon is a great buy.

There will be a lot of new things software related when she gets her 2018 iPad (like the removal of slide to unlock).

I agree. I love that Apple added iPhone X gestures to the iPad. I never use the home button anymore, except to unlock it using Touch ID. The iPad Pro 10.5 with iOS 12 is amazing. It flies like a brand new device. It is now my main computer when my 2014 MBA used to be.

But like many have mentioned, 2018 iPad all the way.

 

[jerwin]

how she uses it can be a factor. Some people like a thick bezel for hand holding. If she watches movies on it, sound will be more important than if she watches something closer to a how to video.

And if she (alas) uses it in waiting rooms, she might use headphones instead.

I have an ipad 3. I really should replace it; I use it for ebooks and library visits, and for the latter use case, it is almost too slow to use.

 

[tps3443]

Well this turned in to a very informative thread.

 

[TheGenerous]

The iPad Pro 12.9. no question. Period.

• Get her the 2nd generation Apple Pencil so she can write the most incredible recipes and the list of TV shows she admires the most.
• On top of that get the latest Keyboard from Apple so she can practice her typing skills writing that award winning novel she's been cooking for many years.
• Not only that, she'll need a 8K monitor to review those photos she and your grandfather took of you in your baby days. Oh, and don't forget the postcards she wrote to your grand grand parents in her trips to Europe.
• Not to mention, she'll need an iPhone X+ to transfer those beautiful gardening shots she took last month of her tulips. Get her the iPhone with the most specs because gardening photography is demanding.
• If you wanna be a good grandkid, there's no doubt you'll follow all of these recommendations I'm giving to you. But it all can cost you to lose her love if you forget to add for her a MacBook Pro Retina Display Gigabite Extreme Creative Edition Bionic Core 6th Generation with all the specs maxed out so she can appreciate for what you truly worth to her and your family. (Don't forget to max out all of these products you need to get to her as the experience she'll have with them will be maximized).

 

[1BadManVan]

The iPad Pro 12.9. no question. Period.

• Get her the 2nd generation Apple Pencil so she can write the most incredible recipes and the list of TV shows she admires the most.
• On top of that get the latest Keyboard from Apple so she can practice her typing skills writing that award winning novel she's been cooking for many years.
• Not only that, she'll need a 8K monitor to review those photos she and your grandfather took of you in your baby days. Oh, and don't forget the postcards she wrote to your grand grand parents in her trips to Europe.
• Not to mention, she'll need an iPhone X+ to transfer those beautiful gardening shots she took last month of her tulips. Get her the iPhone with the most specs because gardening photography is demanding.
• If you wanna be a good grandkid, there's no doubt you'll follow all of these recommendations I'm giving to you. But it all can cost you to lose her love if you forget to add for her a MacBook Pro Retina Display Gigabite Extreme Creative Edition Bionic Core 6th Generation with all the specs maxed out so she can appreciate for what you truly worth to her and your family. (Don't forget to max out all of these products you need to get to her as the experience she'll have with them will be maximized).

Can’t believe you actually wasted all that time writing that

 

[HappyDude20]

OP, what OS is she running on that iPad 3? Cuz it's painfully, horribly slow on iOS 9.

Im pretty sure I updated her iPad a while ago to the latest iOS 9.xx
[doublepost=1555200283][/doublepost]

The iPad Pro 12.9. no question. Period.

• Get her the 2nd generation Apple Pencil so she can write the most incredible recipes and the list of TV shows she admires the most.
• On top of that get the latest Keyboard from Apple so she can practice her typing skills writing that award winning novel she's been cooking for many years.
• Not only that, she'll need a 8K monitor to review those photos she and your grandfather took of you in your baby days. Oh, and don't forget the postcards she wrote to your grand grand parents in her trips to Europe.
• Not to mention, she'll need an iPhone X+ to transfer those beautiful gardening shots she took last month of her tulips. Get her the iPhone with the most specs because gardening photography is demanding.
• If you wanna be a good grandkid, there's no doubt you'll follow all of these recommendations I'm giving to you. But it all can cost you to lose her love if you forget to add for her a MacBook Pro Retina Display Gigabite Extreme Creative Edition Bionic Core 6th Generation with all the specs maxed out so she can appreciate for what you truly worth to her and your family. (Don't forget to max out all of these products you need to get to her as the experience she'll have with them will be maximized).

Thank you for writing this. <3 Made me laugh. Ideally though that would be my own set-up.

 

[tps3443]

The iPad Pro 12.9. no question. Period.

• Get her the 2nd generation Apple Pencil so she can write the most incredible recipes and the list of TV shows she admires the most.
• On top of that get the latest Keyboard from Apple so she can practice her typing skills writing that award winning novel she's been cooking for many years.
• Not only that, she'll need a 8K monitor to review those photos she and your grandfather took of you in your baby days. Oh, and don't forget the postcards she wrote to your grand grand parents in her trips to Europe.
• Not to mention, she'll need an iPhone X+ to transfer those beautiful gardening shots she took last month of her tulips. Get her the iPhone with the most specs because gardening photography is demanding.
• If you wanna be a good grandkid, there's no doubt you'll follow all of these recommendations I'm giving to you. But it all can cost you to lose her love if you forget to add for her a MacBook Pro Retina Display Gigabite Extreme Creative Edition Bionic Core 6th Generation with all the specs maxed out so she can appreciate for what you truly worth to her and your family. (Don't forget to max out all of these products you need to get to her as the experience she'll have with them will be maximized).

So he’s gonna spend like $10,000 on his grandma, because her iPad started feeling slow?

Let’s get serious. BuY your grandma a iPad Pro 2nd gen 12.9” that would most likely impress her on a budget. Especially if she likes a large display.

 

[AutomaticApple]

The iPad Pro 12.9. no question. Period.

• Get her the 2nd generation Apple Pencil so she can write the most incredible recipes and the list of TV shows she admires the most.
• On top of that get the latest Keyboard from Apple so she can practice her typing skills writing that award winning novel she's been cooking for many years.
• Not only that, she'll need a 8K monitor to review those photos she and your grandfather took of you in your baby days. Oh, and don't forget the postcards she wrote to your grand grand parents in her trips to Europe.
• Not to mention, she'll need an iPhone X+ to transfer those beautiful gardening shots she took last month of her tulips. Get her the iPhone with the most specs because gardening photography is demanding.
• If you wanna be a good grandkid, there's no doubt you'll follow all of these recommendations I'm giving to you. But it all can cost you to lose her love if you forget to add for her a MacBook Pro Retina Display Gigabite Extreme Creative Edition Bionic Core 6th Generation with all the specs maxed out so she can appreciate for what you truly worth to her and your family. (Don't forget to max out all of these products you need to get to her as the experience she'll have with them will be maximized).

A parody of those kind of people, finally. Thank you for the laugh!
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Can’t believe you actually wasted all that time writing that

Sheesh!
[doublepost=1555208570][/doublepost]

Im pretty sure I updated her iPad a while ago to the latest iOS 9.xx

Ouch...

 

[ericwn]

Thank you. In fact, my grandma called me this morning mentioning she loves her iPad. I’m not exaggerating. She tells me at least once a month since 2013 (when I gifted her the iPad 3rd agent) that it’s the best computer ever and she never thought she’s be youtubing and googling. She doesn’t know I’m looking to get her a new one, so I’m sure either way she’s be happy. Admittedly when I present to her a new iPad I’ll want to let her know what the new features are so she can appreciate them. Going from 1.57lbs to 0.97lbs is gonna seem like a brand new world to her.
[doublepost=1555170329][/doublepost]

Having slept on it, you’re right. It seems like the standard iPad would be the best. Especially since we knit she’s gonna be using it for years to come. But is it really a big difference between the 17’ iPad vs. the 18’ iPad?
[doublepost=1555170449][/doublepost]

I’m not adverse to the idea but honestly when I first gifted her the iPad I truly believed she wasn’t even going to use it and I was convinced it was going to become a paperweight in her home. But to my amazement she uses it every day. With Apple it just works. So if this attachment to a TV can help her and is easy to use then I can get it for her too. However to this day she still
Uses one of those box televisions from the 90s. Definitely no hdmi port.
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Nope. Can’t. It’s a surprise.
[doublepost=1555170586][/doublepost]

LMAO.
[doublepost=1555170734][/doublepost]

I’ve been to the Apple store with her before and shown her all the iPads the store has had to offer and every time she always tells me that she loves her iPad 3. She says it’s perfect for her and wouldn’t need anything new. She is fascinated by seeing how packed the Apple store is and how everyone uses their own iPad for a variety of things. Also, she never takes the iPad out of the house for fear it’ll get stolen. Only ever uses it at home around the house and backyard.

The main user of the device seems satisfied, hence no need to upgrade unless it breaks.

Having a later device doesn’t always make sense especially if you don’t see the value in giving up a working tool for another tool that does exactly the same.

My mom has an air 2, it’s her first iPad and she’s been using it for years. She has no need or time to learn much about the device. She browses the web, sends messages and uses FaceTime. We’re not upgrading that device until the hardware is no longer up to her tasks.

 

[EugW]

The main user of the device seems satisfied, hence no need to upgrade unless it breaks.

Having a later device doesn’t always make sense especially if you don’t see the value in giving up a working tool for another tool that does exactly the same.

My mom has an air 2, it’s her first iPad and she’s been using it for years. She has no need or time to learn much about the device. She browses the web, sends messages and uses FaceTime. We’re not upgrading that device until the hardware is no longer up to her tasks.

Your mom's iPad Air 2 with anything from iOS 9 to iOS 12 is a MASSIVE improvement over grandma's iPad 3 with iOS 9.