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iPad Argument: what can the iPad Air 2 do that the iPad 3 can't?

Bought the IPad Air 2 and took it back the next day

Just my $.02 but I did not see a dramatic difference in performance versus my IPad 3, at least not enough to justify a new purchase of over $1,000 (I bought the 128GB with cellular and Apple Care).

It was peppier and nice to use but I am back on my 3 which I use extensively and it will do fine until Apple comes out with something dramatically different.

And also, I am a complete Apple geek that buys every new product the day that they come out to give some perspective.

I was definitely underwhelmed....
 
compumar said:
Just my $.02 but I did not see a dramatic difference in performance versus my IPad 3, at least not enough to justify a new purchase of over $1,000 (I bought the 128GB with cellular and Apple Care).

It was peppier and nice to use but I am back on my 3 which I use extensively and it will do fine until Apple comes out with something dramatically different.

And also, I am a complete Apple geek that buys every new product the day that they come out to give some perspective.

I was definitely underwhelmed....
Click to expand...

I noticed you got an iPhone 6 based on previous posts. How can you consider the upgrade from iPad 3 to Air 2 as insignificant compared to say an iPhone 4S or an iPhone 5 to an iPhone 6? The Air 2 is 4x more powerful than the iPad 3 and is half the weight and thickness.
 
The stutter/lag performance of my iPad 3 after installing iOS 8 is what got me to seriously consider the upgrade. I used to fluidly flip a page in iBooks, where suddenly I was waiting 1-3 seconds for the page flip. Weird Safari performance, not so much the tab reloads. It was probably a combo of the wifi connectivity and iOS 8. Certain games were no longer fluid. I just suddenly felt like I had an old device when in all of the 2 1/2 years of owning it, I never once felt that way.

However, I did want to see what improvements were being made on the Air 2 and I was happy to see the list included fast performance, 2GB RAM, TouchID (no more typing my passcode 50 times in a single use), the screen coating, and the lighter, thinner housing.

What sealed it for me was the Best Buy trade-in deal and additional mover's coupon discount. I don't need cellular on my iPad, so I could go there and purchase. 128GB Air 2 for less than the pre-tax price of the 16GB model.

Why would I bother to wait?
 
All that I can tell you is what I experienced in real life use. My IPhone 6 is dramatically improved performance-wise over my IPhone 5--I love the new phone.

The IPad Air 2 wasn't dramatic for me versus my IPad 3.

I am familiar with all of the specs, but I am just reporting what I found.

Specs don't always translate into performance--despite the additional RAM and faster processor it was not worth $ 1,000 to upgrade for me. It also depends on a lot of other factors including which apps you are using, speed of internet available, etc.

Your mileage may vary however--the best way to find out is to buy an Air 2 and if you aren't happy with it take it back to the Apple Store like I did.
 
My ipad 3 is doing just fine on iOS7.1 and I'm leaving it on that. Not going to upgrade to 8. I've got a rMini too (also on 7.1) and while it's faster, the difference is not that big on the things that I do with it (no games). Really wanted to upgrade my 3 and get the Air2, but with all the issues (vibrations, screendistortion and -yellowing) and the anxiety to enter the screenlottery again (I had some bad yellowing on my rMini and had to change it and didn't like that at all), I'll stick with my 3. Maybe Apple fixes these issues in future batches. If not I wait for the Air3 and hope they use amoled screens. As it is I'm not spending 600 euro's just for a faster device.
 
I had a 2. Loved it totally.

Replaced it with a 3 to get LTE and the retina display. Nice, but hated the weight, which was half again the weight of the 2.

Bought an Air last fall. It weighs what the 2 weighed, which makes a big difference if you are trying to hold the iPad one handed for any period of time.

Have not developed any Air 2 lust yet...can't comment on how a 3 would run on iOS 8, but my Air runs just fine. If I were buying today, I'd probably buy the original Air again.
 
Speed is the argument

Traverse said:
Maybe you can help me win an argument...or come to my senses.

I got caught up in the hype and am about to purchase an iPad Air 2 when my best friend asked me "What can the new iPad do that yours can't?" And I really didn't have a good answer.

It can utilize Air Drop and Handoff, but other than what can it do that a 3 cannot? Then I started to doubt my own purchase. I mean thinner, lighter, faster...yes, but the basic idea of the iPad hasn't changed.

How would you respond to this question?
Click to expand...

The features argument is always a loaded one. Yes, AirDrop and Handoff are cool features, as are better cameras and more advanced WiFi/Cellular/Wireless features (which are responsible for allowing AirDrop and Handoff), but honestly the reason to replace your third generation iPad with an iPad Air 2 is due to the speed difference between the two processors and how well iOS 8 and beyond will (or won't) handle on them.

As iPads and iPhones (and iPod touches) age past their date of introduction and as newer major releases of iOS are released for them, they gradually become slower and slower and eventually, running iOS 8.1 on your third generation iPad is a far cry, in terms of sheer responsiveness and speed, from iOS 5.1. Similarly, my original iPad Air runs 8.1 slower than it ever did 7.x and that trend will only further. Also, in this particular comparison, a lot has changed, under the hood, from the A5X processor in the third generation iPad to the A8X processor in the iPad Air 2.
 
Traverse said:
Maybe you can help me win an argument...or come to my senses.

I got caught up in the hype and am about to purchase an iPad Air 2 when my best friend asked me "What can the new iPad do that yours can't?" And I really didn't have a good answer.

It can utilize Air Drop and Handoff, but other than what can it do that a 3 cannot? Then I started to doubt my own purchase. I mean thinner, lighter, faster...yes, but the basic idea of the iPad hasn't changed.

How would you respond to this question?
Click to expand...


You could do what I did. I sold my iPad 3 (64GB) for $345. I bought a used iPad Air (64gb) 1st Generation for $350. Best $5 I ever spent.

And to answer your question, the Air really doesn't do much that the old one didn't. It's just nicer. I had a hard time justifying it too, but if you are patient and prepared to deal with Craigslist, then you can upgrade at a much lower cost. Especially now, because there are lots of iPad Air 1st Gen's available from those that have to have the latest and best.
 
Traverse said:
Thank you for this. It was a very thoughtful post.

After two weeks of serious thought I have decided to get one. I hesitate because I never want to be ungrateful for the stuff I have, but I've used my iPad 3 heavily for 2.4 years and it's served me well. I use it extensively for school and although the iPad 3 does fulfill my needs, I think the experience will be worth it. I hold my iPad a lot, the reduced weight will be greatly appreciated. My 3 has slowed noticeably to where it stutters and lags a lot while browsing.

I explained all this to my friend and they agreed that the package as a whole was nice, even if there were few specific features that it had over the 3. After carefully evaluating my usage and the funds on hand, I think it will be a nice enhancement. Plus, my friend is in school, but is in worse financial shape than me. All she has is a 5 year old windows PC and a 4 year old iPod. I'm going to surprise her with my iPad 3. She'll be delighted to have it and that makes the decision easier.
Click to expand...

Try selling your iPad 3 to ease off the cost constraint, every little helps#
 
Starting to really like the use of Airdrop to send pics from iMac to iPad easily.
 
I have sold my ipad 3 32 giga wifi for 250€ and i have bought the air 2 gold 64 for 565 € ... And is wonderful. Notice the change a lot. Speed, touch, no lags, and weight.
 
I know that :). I was just wandering if there was an app I can install onto my phone to make it AirDrop compatible so I can send stuff to it.
 
mickeydean said:
Nothing functional which is why the iPad sales aren't like those for the iPhone.

The screen size is the same, whereas that has been keeping some iPhone users coming back with another $1000 after each generation (4 to 5 to 6).

LTE and touch ID are more relevant for a mobile phone but for most people, these are not a big deal for the iPad (not sure what the numbers but the iPad WIFI is what I use).

Smaller and thinner have marginal diminishing returns.

Faster processing and more RAM on an iPad are not the biggest deal since you don't do anything more than consume on an iPad.

The oldest updatable iPad is the best value iPad until they start adding new functionality to the new iPads.

I've been trying to convince myself that I need the iPad Air 2 over the iPad 3.

Smaller, thinner, touch ID, better CPU and more RAM, and etc are all well and good but it doesn't let me do anything I can't already do at a cost that I can't currently afford.
Click to expand...

And this is the exact reason I have absolutely no desire to upgrade my 3 yet. I surely wouldn't mine having the air 2 but the few features/benefits you get sure isnt worth the 6-$700 upgrade over it. Since retina there haven't been a compeling reason for me to throw my money at apple for an iPad while drooling.
 
RenoG said:
And this is the exact reason I have absolutely no desire to upgrade my 3 yet. I surely wouldn't mine having the air 2 but the few features/benefits you get sure isnt worth the 6-$700 upgrade over it. Since retina there haven't been a compeling reason for me to throw my money at apple for an iPad while drooling.
Click to expand...

True. If I were in the market for a tablet it would be the iPad Air 2.

Kudos to Apple for making high quality devices that still work years on. My black macbook was the best purchase I ever made.
 
What can iPad Air 2 do what ipad 3 can't?
What can computer do that calculator can't!
PS; Can't even believe that this kind of question was raised to begin with.
Ignorance is bliss I guess ;)
 
atlatnesiti said:
What can iPad Air 2 do what ipad 3 can't?
What can computer do that calculator can't!
PS; Can't even believe that this kind of question was raised to begin with.
Ignorance is bliss I guess ;)
Click to expand...

2 years or so apart with few functional differences. More like 'what can computer do that a slightly older computer can't do!'
Ignorance is bliss indeed.
 
Hey everyone,

I just got my Air 2 and I love it! I used my 3 and Air side by side with several apps, general navigation, and games.

The Air 2 was faster (sometimes drastically so) at loading all apps and General navigation (scrolling, app switcher, closing apps, etc.) is much smoother. Mother Air can't currently doing anything that the 3 can't, but it does do it nicer. I can tell a slight improvement in screen quality.

I feel like I can see a little book spine, but I have color blindness and my friend with 20/20 vision she can't see it so I guess it's me...:(
 
osofast240sx said:
im comming from a iPad Air 1 and the laminated screen alone is worth the upgrade.
Click to expand...

I've got to be honest, I thought the laminated "more vibrant" display was all marketing, but I was wrong.

I loaded up a web page in both my iPad Air 2 and my iPad 3 and text did look bolder/blacker. I also opened the app Sky Guide and was blown away. The contrast difference was huge. Darker blood and brighter whites and yellows.
 
Traverse said:
It's not that it isn't impressive; it's enhanced in every way. Still, what fundamental change will it bring. On one hand, I use it everyday for school work and thinner/lighter plus 10x the graphics would be nice, but my iPad 3 isn't failing me.

I just wonder if upgrading is unreasonable. If Apple would have given something new like split screen or a better optimized OS I could instantly justify it.
Click to expand...

WOW split screen would get you to buy it. But none of the other stuff ����
If you don't think its worth it ,then don't do it. Don't let anyone to change your mind.
 
Hey guys, thanks again for all your feedback.

After using the iPad Air 2 for two days I have actually returned it and gone back to my iPad 3.

It was a series of things. The device was significantly faster in terms of UI, Safari, and some game loads, but most of my apps didn't experience a huge difference. An app that took 5 seconds to load on the 3 took 4 seconds on the Air 2. The vibration was annoying and the screen was cooler than I'm used to. There was also some book spine and I didn't feel like trying multiple returns.

None of those were that bad and i did like the device, but I was honestly underwhelmed. My general reaction was "meh, it's nice" and when I'm paying just under $1,000 for something I want a better reaction. Ultimately, when I picked up the Air 2, it felt like a faster iPad 3, not a new device. Does that make sense? It's a great device, just not worth it for me. Maybe next year.

Also, I do like the reduced weight, but the Air 2 felt kind of cheap to me.
 
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