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As far as I can tell, Apple hasn't made any efforts to future proof their products. The 5s got 1gb of ram, which will be its bottleneck. The iPad air did the same (I assume/think) and only has the A7, even if it is a higher clocked version. Apple also withheld the fingerprint reader, 8mp camera, and any actually new features. The iPod touch was one year behind when it came out and two the next year. Their best efforts are in the iPad mini, which while being in the same boat as the Air, at least got to skip the A6X. However that cost us $70. I agree 100% with the title of this thread and I cannot understand why Apple can't put everything into their products each year, and then again the next, rather than holding out on certain features. Maybe they should do the same thing as with their laptops and have a higher end version with double the ram and a better camera and one premium feature.
 
Up until now, the products have been resistant to obsolescence due to the lack of technological acceleration. For the first time, Apple is jumping to 64 bit which pretty much turns existing 32 bit hardware into dinosaurs.
 
Ripping off customers? I don't know, you explain. I was under the impression iPad 2 didn't even work well with ios 7, yet Apple is selling iPad 2 for $399.

ripping off customers? how do you figure? are they forcing people to buy an ipad2?
 
Anyone else think iPads become obsolete too quickly? The iPad 1 came out just over 3 and a half years ago and now it can't even download Google's YouTube app, can't run pinterest without crashing, and everything else is slow.

Watching some Jimmy Kimmel videos on youtube making fun of Apple products makes buying anything new feel dumb for me because all the points are actually true. It almost feels like Apple is doing something on the software end to make these devices become unusable so fast just so people can shell out 500+ every few years.

Anyone else feel this way? I get around 8 years out of my PC, Xbox 360, etc. Why not iPad?

Excellent Post , all they want is money . I mean my brother has iphone 5 , 1 year old right and after installing some updates , it screwed up , tried restoring but nothing could bring it back to point where it started .
I am a hundred percent believer they do ******* up older hardware with updates . Not only apple but other companies do that too .
 
Wow 8 years with the same computer? That is.. crazy or you don't play any games.

I upgrade my computer about ever 3 years. I have an iPad 2 and I will be buying the new iPad Air.
8 years omg. that's really crazy.

i usually upgrade when a new model comes out, so that means once a year, it depends.
 
The iPad 1 is the only one that's reached obsolescence, but then again, it was a first-gen product. Just like the first-gen iPhone, MBA, etc, they were underpowered. The iPad 2 onwards is significatly less obsolete, especially since they're still selling it (mainly still around for educational institutions though, like the eMac used to be).
Also, iPads, like most Apple things still hold their resale value quite well for a while, so regular upgrades are less painful than with other products.
 
I think that the only time I was irritated was the whole ipad 3 to ipad 4 issue. I had bought the ipad 3 only 2 months before and couldn't return it. I'm slowly trying to get rid of my ipad 2 and 3 so that I can use only the lightning connector and not have to carry 2 diff usb cables on trips.
 
iPad 1 suffered from low specs (256MB RAM, for example). iPad 2 is incredible. Still runs very well. It was ahead of its time. iPad 3 crammed retina into iPad 2 internals (with some more RAM), and it has suffered from that. iPad 4 was excellent and super-high-specced.
 
You're comparing to an xbox and PC - why not to a smartphone? Smartphones don't have 8 year useful lives, not even close.

What fantasy island do you live on?

In the business world, end point technology most certainly has 5+ "useful" years.

Hell, I am running my business on a launch day 3GS. Still makes phone calls, still checks/sends emails. Still gets my stock quotes. Battery still lasts all day.

Can I afford a new phone? Easily but that isn't the issue. The phone I have does just fine.

----------

The only obsolete iPad is the iPad 1. The iPad 2 and up can run every app just fine and has the latest software.

Curious. My ~60 year old mother still uses her iPad 1 every day. She checks her email (work and personal), surfs the web, plays Candy Crush, Facebooks, watches movies when traveling for business, managing her employees, ect.

Please define "obsolete" when she is able to use it to generate revenue for her consulting business.

I find this concept completely laughable.
 
Your argument makes no sense.

It can be a ripoff even if people willingly buy it.

Is the iPad no as advertised?
By definition a sale only happens if both parties would rather have what the other guy has than what they have to offer.

Someone is charging a dollar for a glass of lemonade and you would rather have your dollar? No sale.

Computers and especially iPads are elastic luxury items, terms like price gouging, rip off etc don't apply.

If you don't want one, don't buy it.
 
Is the iPad no as advertised?
By definition a sale only happens if both parties would rather have what the other guy has than what they have to offer.

Someone is charging a dollar for a glass of lemonade and you would rather have your dollar? No sale.

Computers and especially iPads are elastic luxury items, terms like price gouging, rip off etc don't apply.

If you don't want one, don't buy it.

rip-off
1.unfairly priced item: something that is not worth the price asked or paid
2.act of being dishonestly treated: an act or example of being cheated, tricked, or exploited
3.inexpensive copy: an inexpensive imitation of a prestigious product

The fact that you don't think an iPad can be price gouged says enough about you, though. I'm sure you'd pay whatever they asked, happily even. A computer can be a rip off.
 
rip-off
1.unfairly priced item: something that is not worth the price asked or paid
2.act of being dishonestly treated: an act or example of being cheated, tricked, or exploited
3.inexpensive copy: an inexpensive imitation of a prestigious product

The fact that you don't think an iPad can be price gouged says enough about you, though. I'm sure you'd pay whatever they asked, happily even. A computer can be a rip off.

and maybe the fact that you're willing to be nasty to a stranger on the internet based on a difference of opinion says as much about you.

worth is a subjective term. if someone is willing to pay X for Y then by definition Y is worth precisely X.
and unfair? what on earth is unfair about the price they're asking?

but yes i'd pay whatever they asked, happily even, if i valued the item at or above what they were asking.
 
In General, I plan on the following:

iPhone = 2yr replacement cycle (largely due to contract)

iPad = 3 yr replacement cycle (I am a little more than halfway there on my iPad 3)

Mac Mini = 4-5 yr replacement cycle (desktops generally get less wear and abuse than laptops)

All indications are that I should be able to easily achieve this plan, unless I drop or break a device....so, I really don't understand why the OP thinks this is unreasonable. Of course, I could keep the iPad longer than 3 years, but I shouldn't expect to benefit from the latest IOS and App updates at that time.

In fact, I am thinking about getting the Air, but that has absolutely nothing to do with need.....just pure lust.
 
Nope, because I want technology to advance as quickly as possible, I wish they would release 2 iPads a year with the same improvements per cycle as we got now

I have now replaced my Macbook Air/MacBook Pro with an iPad but I been upgrading my main device (laptop or iPad) every time they released a new version for years. I got my current iPad in March but i'll be getting the iPad Air next week.
 
In General, I plan on the following:

iPhone = 2yr replacement cycle (largely due to contract)

iPad = 3 yr replacement cycle (I am a little more than halfway there on my iPad 3)

Mac Mini = 4-5 yr replacement cycle (desktops generally get less wear and abuse than laptops)

All indications are that I should be able to easily achieve this plan, unless I drop or break a device....so, I really don't understand why the OP thinks this is unreasonable. Of course, I could keep the iPad longer than 3 years, but I shouldn't expect to benefit from the latest IOS and App updates at that time.

In fact, I am thinking about getting the Air, but that has absolutely nothing to do with need.....just pure lust.

I agree. It's all about products maturing and iPhones and iPads reached their maturity with retina screens and dual core processors. The first iPad was the first of the line and, like most of Apple's 1st gen offerings, was not much more than a proof of concept (like the first MBA and iPhone and iPod Touch).
Apple's iPad2, by contrast, runs fast enough for most applications and it would be hard for a casual observer to notice a considerable difference in speed to the iPad Air. Compare an iPad4 to the iPad air and the latter is really just thinner and lighter. The iPads have now reached a maturity comparable with Apple's laptops and desktops. Put an SSD and 8GB of RAM in a Mac from 2008 with a Core2Duo and in most applications it will be just as fast as the latest and greatest.
 
and maybe the fact that you're willing to be nasty to a stranger on the internet based on a difference of opinion says as much about you.

worth is a subjective term. if someone is willing to pay X for Y then by definition Y is worth precisely X.
and unfair? what on earth is unfair about the price they're asking?

but yes i'd pay whatever they asked, happily even, if i valued the item at or above what they were asking.

They're asking the same price two years running, when older models typically get cheaper. And I'm not being nasty, simply pointing out that you seem to enjoy being ripped off for some reason. They're selling an extremely obsolete model.
 
They're asking the same price two years running, when older models typically get cheaper. And I'm not being nasty, simply pointing out that you seem to enjoy being ripped off for some reason. They're selling an extremely obsolete model.

I don't own an iPad 2 nor do I "enjoy being ripped off"

Are people buying that "obsolete model?"
Then it's neither "unfair" nor can you claim it's not worth the price they are asking. Worth is entirely subjective. I wouldn't pay that price and obviously it sounds like you wouldn't either, but I wouldn't pay $3k+ for the new pro either. Does that mean it's not worth that much?

If the market can bear the price they are asking, why shouldn't they sell it at that price?
 
I don't own an iPad 2 nor do I "enjoy being ripped off"

Are people buying that "obsolete model?"
Then it's neither "unfair" nor can you claim it's not worth the price they are asking. Worth is entirely subjective. I wouldn't pay that price and obviously it sounds like you wouldn't either, but I wouldn't pay $3k+ for the new pro either. Does that mean it's not worth that much?

If the market can bear the price they are asking, why shouldn't they sell it at that price?

The market sometimes bears ripoffs.

If you look at a computer as a sum of its parts, which when it comes to different versions of the same computer it generally is, then you can gauge a normal monetary worth of that computer. Also, the iPad is a computer. Ergo, we can come up with a monetary value of the iPad 2.

People sometimes buy obsolete things, it doesn't make them any less obsolete. Selling a majorly obsolete model for the same price year after year is still a rip off. I'm starting to think you're just going to continue to defend with "well people buy it" as if that's a point that refutes whether or not it's a rip off.

If people buying it means it's not a ripoff, then it means nothing is a ripoff. But I'm starting to feel like you're just going to just ignore any point that says this is a ripoff, so I'm basically debating a wall.
 
Anyone else think iPads become obsolete too quickly? The iPad 1 came out just over 3 and a half years ago and now it can't even download Google's YouTube app, can't run pinterest without crashing, and everything else is slow.

Watching some Jimmy Kimmel videos on youtube making fun of Apple products makes buying anything new feel dumb for me because all the points are actually true. It almost feels like Apple is doing something on the software end to make these devices become unusable so fast just so people can shell out 500+ every few years.

Anyone else feel this way? I get around 8 years out of my PC, Xbox 360, etc. Why not iPad?

If this issue were limited to just iOS products you might have a point. Mobile technology is advancing at a faster rate than tech in general, which advances pretty fast in and of itself. With SoCs doubling their processing power every year, older devices are obsolete in 2-3 years. Try using one of the orginal Android phones...not a plesant experience.
 
The market sometimes bears ripoffs.

If you look at a computer as a sum of its parts, which when it comes to different versions of the same computer it generally is, then you can gauge a normal monetary worth of that computer. Also, the iPad is a computer. Ergo, we can come up with a monetary value of the iPad 2.

People sometimes buy obsolete things, it doesn't make them any less obsolete. Selling a majorly obsolete model for the same price year after year is still a rip off. I'm starting to think you're just going to continue to defend with "well people buy it" as if that's a point that refutes whether or not it's a rip off.

If people buying it means it's not a ripoff, then it means nothing is a ripoff. But I'm starting to feel like you're just going to just ignore any point that says this is a ripoff, so I'm basically debating a wall.

funny, i had the same impression. amazing how two people can see the world so differently, isn't it?

A few things - i don't think the iPad 2 is obsolete let alone "majorly obsolete"

Yes, if people buy it then no it's not a rip-off provided that they are clear on what it is they are getting and what the price is.

Part of the problem here is that we're both (and i am more guilty of this than you are) trying to bring technical analysis to a colloquial term. You are free of course to think whatever you want, but i would argue that while it's reasonable to believe that Apple would be ripping YOU off by expecting you to pay that price for the ipad 2, i don't think it's reasonable to accuse them of ripping other people off.

Who are you to tell people what their values are or how to spend their money? If Apple can sell the item for $300, demanding that they price it at $200 is no different than demanding they donate $100 to the people that only value it at $200 and feel entitled to it at that price.
That is no less "greedy" than them pricing it at $300 in the first place.

If the price really is too high then the market won't support it and they will be forced to drop the price.
 
funny, i had the same impression. amazing how two people can see the world so differently, isn't it?

A few things - i don't think the iPad 2 is obsolete let alone "majorly obsolete"

Yes, if people buy it then no it's not a rip-off provided that they are clear on what it is they are getting and what the price is.

Part of the problem here is that we're both (and i am more guilty of this than you are) trying to bring technical analysis to a colloquial term. You are free of course to think whatever you want, but i would argue that while it's reasonable to believe that Apple would be ripping YOU off by expecting you to pay that price for the ipad 2, i don't think it's reasonable to accuse them of ripping other people off.

Who are you to tell people what their values are or how to spend their money? If Apple can sell the item for $300, demanding that they price it at $200 is no different than demanding they donate $100 to the people that only value it at $200 and feel entitled to it at that price.
That is no less "greedy" than them pricing it at $300 in the first place.

If the price really is too high then the market won't support it and they will be forced to drop the price.

I'm afraid this discussion can't continue because you seem to be under the impression that words mean different things than they actually mean. I wish you the best of luck with your life and have a nice day.
 
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