Resolved Realistically how long is iPad 1 good for?

Well it is not supported by the new OS and there will be no more updates for it so it really is only a matter of time until apps stop working on it because most apps use the new software to run.

I still use mine every day for the purposes that I got it for. E-mail, netflix and web browsing. A few small games but i dont play many games on it. I also just recently began using it for mobile photo storage in the field. It still works great for these things. Yes, I cant use the newer apps, but I think it will still be useful for quite some time if I keep it for what I originally intended it for.

Steveo13 said:

Well it is not supported by the new OS and there will be no more updates for it so it really is only a matter of time until apps stop working on it because most apps use the new software to run.

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No, the same apps will still work on it, they just won't be able to update the apps.

It's a piece of electronics, not a carton of milk.

It should be fine for a few years.

Depends on the user.

I had been really struggling w/ my iPad 1 the last few months - lots of app crashes, etc. It just doesn't have the RAM to work well w/ complex apps and all the icloud features simultaneously in the background, in my experience. I also like to use art apps and photography apps, and those can require a lot of system resources. My ipad is both my laptop and smartphone, though, so I use it for just about everything. It got bad enough that I just upgraded to an iPad 4 on Black Friday.

On the other hand, I will be passing my iPad 1 on to either my husband or my in-laws. They are not terribly tech savvy, and will mostly use it for e-books, web browsing, email, and a little video streaming. An iPad 1 should be just fine for their purposes for quite a while.

For a kid, I would perhaps worry about the ability to play some of the latest games--some can be pretty resource intensive.

Only a few of the apps I use regularly have updates that require ios 6, but that number will likely grow.

I hope that's helpful.

Still rockin my iPad 1st Gen 64GB 3G without a lot of trouble. However, it is definitely showing its age. It lags when I type on it, is slow to open emails, and web browse. While I still use it on a daily basis, I will most likely upgrade next year when the 2nd gen iPad mini comes out - especially now that iOS 5 is the final supported version on it.

anemone said:

Depends on the user.

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^ This. For any electronic device. One person's obsolete electronic device is another person's still-useful electronic device. There's no single answer to the question the OP is asking and the OP hasn't given us anything that would allow us to even attempt to answer the question for the OP.

itzme said:

I myself just updated from an ipad 1 to 3 a few months ago, so I think it is still a good system, but the lack of up coming updates/not supported/and most importantly apps not supported is bothering me.

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Are you actually running into these problems or is the fear of these things bothering you? I'd suggest not worrying about it until it is a problem. It's good until your child outgrows it one way or another.

I just upgraded from iPad 1 to iPad 4, and I don't regret it at all. My iPad 1 was always crashing in safari. The 4 is just soooo much faster and fluid and the retina display is awesome. Cost aside, I think it's a no brainer to upgrade.

Everything is relative I guess. A restore once in awhile takes care of the iPad 1 keyboard lag and as long as you run less straining apps (A.D. 2010) I guess it's alright, but only as long as you don't touch a later generation iPad

I bought a 32GB wifi on US launch date w/ fw 3.2 on it and enjoyed it tremendously until I got an iPad 2 and for performance reasons I now dread even looking at it so handed it down to my kids to molest.