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iPad Air to Air2 worth it? Debating returning my Air 2.

wickedwahine11

wickedwahine11

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 2, 2013
292
69
I got a 128GB silver Air yesterday. First impressions were that it is very slim and light. But in comparing it to my old Air, while it is slimmer and lighter, the difference is not that significant to me. I also have found Safari tabs are not refreshing as much, which is nice.

But I have noticed that the screen seems less responsive than my old Air - though that could just be an issue with my unit. For example in playing a game (Simpsons Tapped Out) I had to sometimes repeatedly tap (four or five times) to get it to respond. Other times it did fine the first time. I did take a video of it doing it so I can show the Genius Bar. I also had a Newsstand button have to be tapped repeatedly, as well as a Safari page.

I am also having a problem getting a couple of my Newsstand magazines to let me get access. This is not an Air issue - I guess their app or maybe iOs but it does make me wonder if I should just keep my perfectly good Air where everything is functioning perfectly...if it isn't worth the hassle to get this one going.

All in all (if the tapping issue is remedied) it is a wonderful device. I am just not sure it is worth the $450 to me (after the price I have coming on the sale of my Air).

Has anyone else upgraded from the Air to the Air 2 and if so, did you think the upgrade was worth it? I do think if you have anything other than an Air the Air 2 is a wonderful device and well worth the upgrade. I am just not sure I am getting enough of an upgrade over my Air to make it worth it.
 
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wickedwahine11 said:
I got a 128GB silver Air yesterday. First impressions were that it is very slim and light. But in comparing it to my old Air, while it is slimmer and lighter, the difference is not that significant to me. I also have found Safari tabs are not refreshing as much, which is nice.

But I have noticed that the screen seems less responsive than my old Air - though that could just be an issue with my unit. For example in playing a game (Simpsons Tapped Out) I had to sometimes repeatedly tap (four or five times) to get it to respond. Other times it did fine the first time. I did take a video of it doing it so I can show the Genius Bar. I also had a Newsstand button have to be tapped repeatedly, as well as a Safari page.

All in all (if the tapping issue is remedied) it is a wonderful device. I am just not sure it is worth the $450 to me (after the price I have coming on the sale of my Air).

Has anyone else upgraded from the Air to the Air 2 and if so, did you think the upgrade was worth it?
Click to expand...
I haven't noticed anything like that between the Ipad air and air 2
 
I upgraded from Air to Air 2. The thinness is definitely noticeable. Picking up my original air it feels huge in comparison. The weight difference is not noticeable.

TouchID is probably the best improvement for me as I use 1Password all the time. The speed difference is noticeable when browsing the web, it loads heavy pages quite a bit faster. The last thing is the display...which to me looks a lot better. the difference is about a millimeter, but the display just being right on the glass really is a marked improvement. Also it reduced the "tapping" noise...tapping on the Air's display was noticeably louder than any other iPad before it. The Air 2 is quite reduced in that regard, probably because of the display components being fused (Older iPad's didn't have it because of thicker glass.)

Overall I am happy with it, but I have not had any issues with touch sensitivity. I'd say for most people though it isn't really worth the upgrade year to year - you won't be able to do anything new with it that you can't do with the Air.
 
keep the Air 2 & sell the Air...might as well seeing you have received it:D.

Seriously if you think the change is minimal in terms of performance, resolution, functionalities ....oh if Touch ID is not a winner then you dont need it.
 
Air 3 will be the upgrade to get. If you can hold out until next year, the Air 3 will have the A9 processor built on a 14nm process. It will be significantly faster and even better battery life. From there, the upgrades won't be as significant because Apple will be stuck at 14nm process for a few years.
 
macguy360 said:
Air 3 will be the upgrade to get. If you can hold out until next year, the Air 3 will have the A9 processor built on a 14nm process. It will be significantly faster and even better battery life. From there, the upgrades won't be as significant because Apple will be stuck at 14nm process for a few years.
Click to expand...

Disagree.

Next iPad will likely have a res bump, with same RAM and a better GPU that may not quite be up to the task of shifting several million more pixels. The Air 2 hw appears to be a pretty perfect balance that we haven't seen in an iPad since the iPad 4 imo (which I never actually owned) - my rMini and 6 Plus are good, but 64bit and 1gb RAM isn't a great mix, and I'm not just referring to blooming Safari tabs - I'm talking about the extremely frequent app refreshes, which I'm hoping the Air 2 will handle better. With an even higher res requiring more assets yet using the same 2gb RAM, plus the extra pixel pushing, the next iPad might be an inbetweener.

For the sake of this argument, I'm ignoring the possible iPad Pro. Pointless discussing it until we know the baseline performance and differences from the normal iPad.
 
yegon said:
Disagree.

Next iPad will likely have a res bump, with same RAM and a better GPU that may not quite be up to the task of shifting several million more pixels. The Air 2 hw appears to be a pretty perfect balance that we haven't seen in an iPad since the iPad 4 imo (which I never actually owned) - my rMini and 6 Plus are good, but 64bit and 1gb RAM isn't a great mix, and I'm not just referring to blooming Safari tabs - I'm talking about the extremely frequent app refreshes, which I'm hoping the Air 2 will handle better. With an even higher res requiring more assets yet using the same 2gb RAM, plus the extra pixel pushing, the next iPad might be an inbetweener.

For the sake of this argument, I'm ignoring the possible iPad Pro. Pointless discussing it until we know the baseline performance and differences from the normal iPad.
Click to expand...

You make a good point. Also, there could be potential issues with the 14nm process. Intel has had trouble building 14nm processors and that is why Broadwell was delayed. Samsung will be the chip builder for the A9 because TSMC isn't able to build 14nm yet. I seriously doubt Samsung will be able to build a good 14nm process chip if Intel is having trouble.

Waiting for a 2nd generation 14nm build with hopefully higher ram will probably be the best bet.
 
Plutonius said:
The tabs still refresh ?
Click to expand...

No they are much better than they used to be. I have only had one refresh since I started using the device yesterday. That is a big improvement.

That is partially why I'm so torn. If the tapping issue is really an iOs issue (screen delay seems to be a bug in iOs for some people) then the iPad itself is great. I am just not sure I like it enough over my Air to keep it. Right now I am leaning returning (if for nothing else my Air has no tapping issues -- be they iOs or device related, all my stuff is loaded properly and it is already paid for).
 
In my opinion, this is the most overpowered iPad since the iPad 2. Remember the iPad 2 running on iOS 4 or iOS 5? It was an amazing experience, and I believe that we'll see this again with this product.

However, I totally understand why you'd considered returning your Air 2 if you have the 1st Air. In those respects, it's a modest upgrade.
 
Upgrades are not about specs and perceived speed.
Chips evolve, power amplifiers evolve, manufacturing in general evolves.
I would never return a product that represents the next step in technology.
I would always sell the old version instead.

Even if you don't notice it now. The code that uses the hardware, will slowly "grow" towards the limits of the hardware.

Then suddenly, the Air 1 you kept will start to be slow.

Today the just released Air 2 executes code that has evolved to push the limits of the Air 1. Once this fact changes, you'll be happy to have the newer model
 
Depends on how you use the iPad and what's important to you.

I heavily use 1Password and like the integration with the fingerprint reader on the iPhone 6. It would be nice to have this on the iPad, but my iPad Air of course does not have the fingerprint reader. Is that alone worth upgrading from iPad Air to Air2? ... Would have to think about that ...

Better camera on the iPad Air 2 is nice ... and the iPad screen is big enough to do some real image correction/manipulation work. But the work-around is to take picture with the iPhone 6 and work with the image on the iPad.

Apple Pay w/ fingerprint reader probably wouldn't be a big deal (for me) on the iPad, but it is a big deal on the iPhone 6. I always have the iPhone 6 with me anyway. I know a couple of people who always carry an iPad and don't have iPhones. If you are like that, then maybe the fingerprint reader and ApplePay would be the "killer app" for you.
 
macguy360 said:
You make a good point. Also, there could be potential issues with the 14nm process. Intel has had trouble building 14nm processors and that is why Broadwell was delayed. Samsung will be the chip builder for the A9 because TSMC isn't able to build 14nm yet. I seriously doubt Samsung will be able to build a good 14nm process chip if Intel is having trouble.

Waiting for a 2nd generation 14nm build with hopefully higher ram will probably be the best bet.
Click to expand...

Skylaky is still on schedule according to Intel
 
As always the hardware is amazing in looks and how it works. The OS is beginning to be the problem and has been since 7.
 
I sold my Air and picked up an Air 2 today and don't regret it at all. My old Air had two dead pixels and I made the mistake of buying it at Best Buy. Didn't want to get banned from exchanging too many times so I just dealt with it for the past year. Had I not had the dead pixels I probably still would've bought the Air 2, it just made the decision that much easier. My home router is AC wifi which the Air 2 supports. I like the screen better, the slightly reduced glare is way easier on my eyes depending on the ambient lighting. I will be using Log Me In Pro occasionally to remotely access my work PC, the increased memory of the Air 2 may be of use for that app, not sure yet. I love the specs of the Air 2, resolution and CPU combined with 2 gb ram is perfect as some others have said. The only other iPad I've kept beyond 1 year was the iPad 2. The Air 2 will likely be the next. Something better will always be around the corner. If you already bought an Air 2 and are thinking of returning and keeping the Air, will you regret the decision in 3 months? Also will you keep the Air 2 longer than you'd keep the Air? If so it's worth it to keep it in my opinion.
 
Charliebird said:
Keep'm both and you'll have the best and worst of both worlds.
Click to expand...

Great post. This is the most sensible answer I've heard today. The differences between the two tablets are so big.

But switching between Air and Air 2 will require dedication and practice. It's not really that easy.
 
OP not sure if he's getting an enough upgrade from an Air 1 to an Air 2



Gee... :rolleyes:


Should of just stuck with the Air 1

----------
Velin said:
Anyone else on whether upgrading from iPad Air to Air 2 is worth it?
Click to expand...

It's not. It really isn't.

Anyone upgrading from an Air 1 to an Air 2 are really fooling themselves.
 
I bought an iPad Air 16 GB model a few months ago. I liked it so much I returned it and upgraded to the Air 128 GB model. I have no regrets not waiting for the Air 2. Right now I am completely happy with the Air 1. If I was in the OP's situation I would give the Air 2 more time to try out and after that keep the one I really want regardless of any hassle to sell or return it. You are the one who has to be happy with your purchase in the long run.
 
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