Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPad 5 Reasons to Upgrade from iPad Air 1 to IPad Air 2
- Thread starter Finox831
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Nah. The faster chip is an OK thing to have but the rest is pretty meh. It's a mm thinner and like .06 lbs lighter. The camera updates and Touch ID don't appeal to everyone. Air owners are perfectly fine staying with what they have.
Terrible video - he couldn't even think of a fifth reason! I don't doubt that the air 2 outperforms the air in various tasks but he really didn't show that here - all I saw was it opening apps like iMovie and GarageBand at pretty much *exactly* the same speed as the air. I'm sure that when you're actually crunching data in apps like that there's a speed difference, but just switching between apps demonstrated nothing other than that any recent iOS device is pretty quick at opening apps.
The narration also made me cringe to be honest - a lazy mix of reading out specs we already know, with added swearing to prove he's a big boy.
The narration also made me cringe to be honest - a lazy mix of reading out specs we already know, with added swearing to prove he's a big boy.
I agree, I think it depends on the person too though. Some people like myself do enjoy the touch id, how light it is, and the speed. We're talking a $100 difference here, I mean, I'm not made out of money but it's worth it to me. My upgrade also had to do with the fact that I needed more space, took advantage of this new iPad Air 2 release and went from 16gb to 64gb.
The difference in weight is measurable, but not meaningful. I think that people who think they can feel the difference are actually perceiving the slightly (very slightly) thinner case.
Using FireCore's Infuse app, I was not able to stream 1080p videos from my shared drive in the same WiFi network to my iPad Air 1. Now the streaming is playing smoothly on the Air 2. Huge difference for me.
1. Because it's the new model.
2. Because all the cool kids have it.
3. Because it's magical.
4. Because that's what Steve would do.
And, the most important reason to upgrade to the Air 2...
5. Because I can.
2. Because all the cool kids have it.
3. Because it's magical.
4. Because that's what Steve would do.
And, the most important reason to upgrade to the Air 2...
5. Because I can.
2GB of RAM along with a CPU and GPU that give the MacBook Air a run for its money is what I wanted and was what I got. Add on a great camera, TouchID, supper thin build, and a laminated screen and I love my new iPad 
Yeah no kidding. Very unprofessional. Sounds like an excited teenager who just opened his Christmas present.
Actually the weight difference is obvious especially if you hold both the iPad Air 1 and iPad Air 2 at the same time. The iPad Air 2 is definitely putting less strain on my hands.
Hmm, not sure why you couldn't. I tested it on the Air 2 and iPad 4, and both handled the streaming of 1080p content just fine.
There is enough difference for me to warrant the upgrade from the 4.
As the owner of both versions of the Air, I can say that the new Air is better in just about every way. You can really feel the performance difference once you use it for a few days. Everything is just snappier and flows more smoothly. The 2gb of ram if definitely noticeable. The slight increase in thinness and weight is nice but not really that noticeable. It a great having Touch ID. The display is a bit better but not dramatically although it seems to be much better in outside use than the old air.
It's a solid upgrade. Should you spend the money to upgrade? Well, if you can sell the old one and get the new version and only have it cost you a couple of hundred bucks and you can easily afford it, I would say definitely. Is it a must have upgrade worth spending whatever it takes to get? That's debatable.
Folks have not commented on the battery life and the vibration, the latter depending upon how loud and whether or not you use earphones or external speaker.
Two negatives don't make a positive. And $100 single dollar bills flattens the wallet and even more if you owned the first Air and don't upgrade.
Two negatives don't make a positive. And $100 single dollar bills flattens the wallet and even more if you owned the first Air and don't upgrade.
I just returned my Air 2 for an original Air. I had used the first Air for a few months previously as well. While the 2 is thinner and lighter, you really do need to compare them side by side (and really, is this a practical all day effective issue?) then you can tell a slight difference. If you use one or the other exclusively, that difference in perception vanishes pretty quickly. The 2 is a bit snappier but for the majority of tasks such as browsing, email, photos and many, many other apps that I use personally and professionally the performance difference was minimal if any at all. Even heavier apps like Pixelmator run extremely well albeit a second or two longer to render a heavy effect, if at all. The screen is nice but it didn't blow me away in terms of making the original air look like a charcoal sketch. Both are great screens and the minimal increase in potential perceived improvement is very minor in my comparison. The original Air actually seems to have better touch response as I found myself needing to tap certain elements two or three times on the Air 2 to get it to register.
The Air 2 of course is priced well at $599 for the 64GB wifi model but wight the sale at Target for the original Air 32GB wifi (plenty storage for my needs) at $449 plus the RedCard discount bringing it down to around $425, I just couldn't see the difference in justifying nearly 1/3 more money to get essentially the same job done.
I'll be hanging onto this Air until next year when hopefully we will see another significant change.
The Air 2 of course is priced well at $599 for the 64GB wifi model but wight the sale at Target for the original Air 32GB wifi (plenty storage for my needs) at $449 plus the RedCard discount bringing it down to around $425, I just couldn't see the difference in justifying nearly 1/3 more money to get essentially the same job done.
I'll be hanging onto this Air until next year when hopefully we will see another significant change.
I just wanted to be a cool kid... so I traded my mini that I paid $200 for in to BB for $200 and upgraded.
Last edited: