A quest to get an iPad 4 on iOS 6

[Dieulot]

Hi, my first device was an iPad 4 (that I still have) on iOS 6 and I thought it was superlatively good, I couldn’t believe a company in the real world could produce a product with such an attention to details and performance throughout a whole operating system! Then, eight months later iOS 7 came out and made me lose a great deal of respect for Apple. iOS 8 and 9 made me lose even more consideration for their current software.

So I’m trying to find an iPad 4 with iOS 6 on it. My best trail right now is someone selling her never-opened iPad 4 (though she wants a high price for it, not sure I can have her sell it to me at a reasonable price), but what I am afraid of is this: does Apple sell devices with an updated operating system? What I am afraid of is this is that this is an iPad sold after March 2014 and that it has iOS 7 on it. If that’s the case, is there a way to check at which date an iPad has been manufactured?

If anybody know of a magic trick to get an iPad 4 with iOS 6, I’d love to hear it! In the meantime, I’m hunting my country (France)’s most popular classified media site to try to find an iPad 4 with iOS 6 still on it, but that’s quite an undertaking.

 

[Shirtin]

I understand your affinity for iOS 6. I had kept my iPad 4 under iOS 6 the whole time. I gave the iPad to a friend with iOS 6 on it still. It is the least buggy iOS I have ever used.

I think there are webites with iOS 6 downloads try this website to get you started
http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/iosapps/how-downgrade-iphone-ipad-ios-7-ios-6-3469837/

 

[TacticalDesire]

Just be aware if you actually want to use the thing that most apps will no longer work on iOS6. Unless of course you have their older versions backed up somewhere.

 

[newellj]

The trick is going to be vigilantly searching eBay or other similar places for un-updated iPads. You're not going to find a NOS iPad 4 with iOS 6.

TD is right about apps. Lots of apps won't install at all and those that will install are going to be seriously old versions of the app that may lack a lot of functionality you would have expected.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, just trying to be candid.