I don't think the upgrade is worth it, had a look yesterday and am very happy I kept my Air 1, I'm sure I would have had nightmares if I'd bought the Air 2, too many things I didn't like. If my Air had 2gb ram I'd keep it till it dropped dead.
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iPad Air to Air2 worth it? Debating returning my Air 2.
- Thread starter wickedwahine11
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s2mikey
Suspended
The differences are not really that big though. It's been established that the camera updates and Touch ID are take it or leave it upgrades for lots of people. The performance upgrade looks good on paper but real world use for many users won't show this all the time. The current Air is pretty fast and smooth.
That leaves the screen "updates" which sounds nice but the pixel density is the same and there aren't any extra image quality controls so the laminated screen is all the update really is. Not a world changer either.
More thin? By a mm? Trivial. .05 pounds lighter? Again.... Seems trivial.
The Air 2 is an upgrade for people with a third gen device or older, IMO. Air owners can stay with their current device unless the couple of truly new features are that compelling in their eyes.
There is NOTHING about this refresh that makes me want to trade in my pristine 32GB Air. Not even a 2GB ram upgrade as i'm a casual Safari user who only keeps 1 tab open and nothing runs in the background so tab reloads are never a problem for me.
THANK YOU!
Been wondering whether it's necessary to upgrade from my 128G Air 1 cellular to Air 2. And I'm now sure those obvious-yet-trivial upgrades are not so compelling for me.
Gonna stick to my beloved Air 1 for now. It is always wise to upgrade Apple devices every two gens, instead of jumping on the "latest is the best" wagon.
Been wondering whether it's necessary to upgrade from my 128G Air 1 cellular to Air 2. And I'm now sure those obvious-yet-trivial upgrades are not so compelling for me.
Gonna stick to my beloved Air 1 for now. It is always wise to upgrade Apple devices every two gens, instead of jumping on the "latest is the best" wagon.
IMHO, nope.
It still runs the same OS at roughly the same speed.
It's almost the same weight and although a bit thinner, the iPad Air isn't exactly thick.
Touch ID is nice, but you can live without it.
Depending on your usage you may not notice the extra ram.
I miss the lock switch.
There will be an even better one out next year, save your money for that.
I upgraded from an iPad mini 1, and although I really like it, I felt like the hardware had really improved but the software was still exactly the same..a bit disappointing in a way. All this power and no where to really use it.
A bit like buying a Ferrari and being stuck in traffic on your morning commute I imagine, still going the same speed as the 15 year old civic next to you.
The Air 1 does not feel "huge". Talk about major over exaggeration to enforce your point.
Pick up an iPad 3 or 4 and then pick up an Air 2 (or Air 1) ... THOSE are "huge". A little over 1mm is not "huge".
Some of the stuff people post on here at times is ridiculous.
Have to agree with this - I have an Air 1 at home and a work issue iPad 4 which I switch between every day, and the difference between those is immense - the Air is a lightweight tablet, while the 4 feels like an actual stone tablet which might have a few commandments on the other side - properly huge.
The Air 2 is a little thinner and a little lighter. That it does that while having the extra horsepower is impressive, but doesn't change the fact that the original Air is also plenty thin and light.
The question is, paper specs aside, what is all that performance used for and where are you going to feel such a significant difference? Rarely in iOS 8 I'd suggest.
iOS 9 might introduce killer new features that require such high performance. The next generation of games maybe. But those are arguments for waiting for the Air 3 or whatever comes next, not upgrading the Air now for the sake of it.
I definitely agree with what you are saying. I think only video editing software would be able to take advantage of the ipad air 2 tricore cpu right now. But other than that there is simply no apps to take advantage of the ipad air 2.
Still...as far as what's better on the Air 2...were talking about a thinner and lighter design...were talking about unlocked cellular models out of the box, and were talking about almost double the speed in synthetic tests and a more secured biometric fingerprint security system in place. No more pass code...just a touch of the finger and that's it. To me the biometrics security feature is already worth the upgrade...I didn't have an ipad though, the ipad air 2 128gb cellular model is my first ipad. But I plan to use cellular service and didn't want to be tied with a specific carrier. I was an android tablet person before this. What sold me on the air 2 was the performance...that's what brought me over from android to apple. 🙂
Shanghaichica
macrumors G5
The air 2 update didn't excite me enough to make me upgrade from my air 1. I suppose if you have already bought the 2 you could keep it, if you haven't got anything else you'd rather spend the money on.
That's the thing that I find the "argumentative" Air 2 owners don't grasp, the fact that RIGHT NOW there is very little between the Air 1 and Air 2 in terms of performance.
Run any of the top games, the graphically demanding ones, and they run identical on both tablets. The only area I notice a slight difference is in the iOS 8 UI which is a little more "stuttery" in places. I had my iOS 8.1 iPad Air replaced with one on iOS 7.1.2 so I've got the UI smoothness back but I lose out on Metal on iOS 8, although aside from Asphalt 8 and some rain/flame effects there's not much utilising that feature just now.
No one is denying the iPad Air 2 is a beast, but right now it's not going to stretch it legs while there's a large install base of A7 devices and a full line up of A7 devices still being sold and selling well. Developers won't specifically target just the A8X chip because it's too small an install base, the money isn't there right now, but it will be in 6-12 months time.
And when iPad Air 3 comes out and all those with iPad Air 2's who said they "keep this one for a while" upgrade, they'll be the ones telling us that the Air 3 is what the Air 2 should have been, etc etc and it'll be another cycle because by then the A8 will have a strong install base and the Air 3 owners will be waiting for developers to fully utilise their device to the max.
Even the iPad Air 1 feels like its got leg room to spare, when running the newest apps and games it never feels like its struggling. When I get to the stage where it's hanging, lagging, and incapable of running the newest apps I'll look at upgrading.
In the last 30 or so months I've spent over £1500 on iPads via iPad 3, iPad 4, and now iPad Air. I think it may be time to press the pause button and stick with one devices for more than a year.
Then again, come June when the corporate offer come up through my work to take a new iPad, who knows ...
scotttnz
macrumors 6502a
I really don't get people who buy a new iPad (and probably an iPhone as well) every year. I try to skip at least 2 generations each time. Just replaced my 4S with a 6, and there is an Air 2 under the Christmas tree to replace my iPad 3. Each to their own though, I know I spend money on stuff that others think is silly. But wit 4 technology junkies in the house, upgrading everyone's stuff every year is out of the question for me.
I upgraded from the Air to the Air 2 and I think it is worth it. Thinner, faster, lighter and Touch ID did it for me. The first Air is a great device however and nothing wrong with keeping it if the vibration on Air 2 bothers you or you have better uses for the $450.
CalMin
Contributor
I had an iPad 3, upgraded it to a used Air 1 and was delighted. Orders of magnitude better.
I picked up an Air 2 on Black Friday and honestly the difference is underwhelming. I think that will change over time when the software is updated to take advantage of the 2GB and the CPU/GPU updates, but right now it's hard to tell other than benchmarks.
I picked up an Air 2 on Black Friday and honestly the difference is underwhelming. I think that will change over time when the software is updated to take advantage of the 2GB and the CPU/GPU updates, but right now it's hard to tell other than benchmarks.
TechZeke
macrumors 68020
I had an iPad 3 then went to the Air, Ultra orders of magnitude better.
Frankly, I think Apple has to be planning new features or is working with developers to add more demanding productivity Apps. This is vastly overpowered for things it needs to do as an iPad, at least for me. The tri-core in this beast benches higher than the i5 in my friend's 2010 15" MBP for goodness sake.
mattopotamus
macrumors P6
Reale values makes upgrading every year nearly the same price as buying outright every two years. A new iPhone and iPad (16gb models) would cost about $1200. To upgrade every year, both devices, cost me about $300-$400 because my old iPads maybe lose $120 and my iPhone $200.
If you are financing devices it makes things a little difference, but for people who buy outright it is not bad. Basically $30 a month to always have the newest devices.
XTheLancerX
macrumors 68000
I would take the Air 2 to the Genius Bar for a replacement since the screen not responding is not normal. After you get the new Air 2, sell your original Air to take some of the price off the Air 2.
You will enjoy this decision in the long run. You get another whole year of support (Maybe more!) than you would with the Air 1. Plus you get a little extra cash in your pocket, even if you haven't broken even by selling the Air 1.
Thinking ahead with technology purchase decisions is really a great idea that many people completely forget about... For all we know the Air 1 could be lagging TO HELL next year where the Air 2 will blaze right through everything with ease.
You will enjoy this decision in the long run. You get another whole year of support (Maybe more!) than you would with the Air 1. Plus you get a little extra cash in your pocket, even if you haven't broken even by selling the Air 1.
Thinking ahead with technology purchase decisions is really a great idea that many people completely forget about... For all we know the Air 1 could be lagging TO HELL next year where the Air 2 will blaze right through everything with ease.
I went from a 16GB iPad Air LTE to a 64GB Air 2 Wifi, for about $220 delta after Air 2 sale and Air off to Gazelle.
I am a heavy web browser, and the Air was just crashing/not loading pages properly. The Air 2 does much better, and since I can now tether, I don't need the LTE. Also, 16GB was just not enough room, not going to make that mistake again.
I am a heavy web browser, and the Air was just crashing/not loading pages properly. The Air 2 does much better, and since I can now tether, I don't need the LTE. Also, 16GB was just not enough room, not going to make that mistake again.
Yet it still can only run one app at a time lol. Once they give the iPad real multi-tasking, I'll consider upgrading. Until then, it's still just a 10" smartphone.
s2mikey
Suspended
.....that can't make phone calls or send texts to anyone other than Apple device owners. Ouch. 😀