All iPads Do iPads live for ever?

[Hunter5117]

I have a 4th generation "iPad Retina" that I bought back in 2014. It was my main iPad for a number of years, for work and personal use. It eventually got retired pretty late in its life so I kept it instead of trying to sell it on since it was worth very little.

I keep it at my weekend place and mostly use it at night to watch YT or videos while I fall asleep. Otherwise it stays on charge for 1, 2 even 3 weeks at a time.

The thing never quits. Last night I feel asleep and YT kept playing all night. I woke up to some random video and the battery was still over 70%.

I just wanted to post this in my amazement of how well made and robust these little computers are.

 

[Sullivan0930]

I have a 4th generation "iPad Retina" that I bought back in 2014. It was my main iPad for a number of years, for work and personal use. It eventually got retired pretty late in its life so I kept it instead of trying to sell it on since it was worth very little.

I keep it at my weekend place and mostly use it at night to watch YT or videos while I fall asleep. Otherwise it stays on charge for 1, 2 even 3 weeks at a time.

The thing never quits. Last night I feel asleep and YT kept playing all night. I woke up to some random video and the battery was still over 70%.

I just wanted to post this in my amazement of how well made and robust these little computers are.

whats it like having a weekend place?

 

[ericwn]

That’s amazing, these devices work for many years in a row. We have an Air 2 in the house that still works and gets the occasional use by the kids. Good stuff.

 

[sracer]

I have a 4th generation "iPad Retina" that I bought back in 2014. It was my main iPad for a number of years, for work and personal use. It eventually got retired pretty late in its life so I kept it instead of trying to sell it on since it was worth very little.

I keep it at my weekend place and mostly use it at night to watch YT or videos while I fall asleep. Otherwise it stays on charge for 1, 2 even 3 weeks at a time.

The thing never quits. Last night I feel asleep and YT kept playing all night. I woke up to some random video and the battery was still over 70%.

I just wanted to post this in my amazement of how well made and robust these little computers are.

Q: Do iPads live forever?

A: The older the generation of iPad, the longer they'll live.

My iPad 1 (day-1 pre-order) is still going strong. I highly doubt that the current generation iPads (Pro and non-Pro) will last as long.

 

[MBAir2010]

Anything with a logic board should work forever if kept okay and stable.
I have a 1978 Coleco baseball game that still works.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

whats it like having a weekend place?

Do weekend places last forever?

 

[AlexJ092]

I still have my 1st generation iPad around the house which is used to play music ?, still going with no battery replacement!

 

[E-MO-TION]

Yes. The fact is my iPad Air 2 is running iOS 15 and is still smooth like butter with good battery life.

 

[wolfie37]

I have a 4th generation "iPad Retina" that I bought back in 2014. It was my main iPad for a number of years, for work and personal use. It eventually got retired pretty late in its life so I kept it instead of trying to sell it on since it was worth very little.

I keep it at my weekend place and mostly use it at night to watch YT or videos while I fall asleep. Otherwise it stays on charge for 1, 2 even 3 weeks at a time.

The thing never quits. Last night I feel asleep and YT kept playing all night. I woke up to some random video and the battery was still over 70%.

I just wanted to post this in my amazement of how well made and robust these little computers are.

My iPad2 is now used by my cat!

 

[Richard8655]

iPads do almost last forever. They're built very well with high quality components, and that's why they're fairly expensive. My two iPad 5's are performing as well over these years as when initially out of the boxes.

 

[pianostar9]

iPads do almost last forever. They're built very well with high quality components, and that's why they're fairly expensive. My two iPad 5's are performing as well over these years as when initially out of the boxes.

You do, however, need to be careful to protect older devices from dropping, as my iPhone 5 can tell you the hard way.

 

[Richard8655]

You do, however, need to be careful to protect older devices from dropping, as my iPhone 5 can tell you the hard way.

Yes, very true. But that's usually true for most sophisticated electronics. That's why a good protective case for these devices is a necessity, especially as they get thinner and lighter.

 

[JPSaltzman]

My iPad Air (generation 1, refurbished) is still going. I don't find much use for it anymore; I paid for the AT&T Cellular connection, only because it gives me an additional 2GB Data Usage with my iPhone account (4GB total). If I cancel that Cellular connection, AT&T switches me to a whole other plan that is even more expensive than having the 2 devices; plus my data usage drops to 2.

It's extremely slow to upload movies to the iPad.... I mean, sloooooooowwwwwwwwwww.

Oh, First World Problems..... (sigh)

 

[MarkC426]

My iPad 2 still works great.
Replaced it with a 1st gen iPadPro (6 years ago), which is still like a rocket, as the specs are NOW similar to the current iPad. I would only ever buy a pro in the future, as it seriously extends the life.

Replaced the iPad 2 as there was a lag in typing in Safari, which really annoyed me.
It gets a look in now and then for minor things, which don't work on newer iOS versions.
With WiFi off, battery lasts for months (just looked it's at 90%, charged 18 days ago).

They really don't make things like they used to (in Steve Jobs era).

 

[collin_]

Aside from the batteries (which can be replaced) I think iPhones and iPads (maybe also some Apple Silicon Macs?) might be the closest thing to computers that don’t degrade.

Take a look at one of those YouTube videos that are like “trying to use an [insert really old iPhone model here] in 2021.” Modern devices will eventually run into the same problems, but I think it will take a very long time.

IMO the length of time that the latest Apple devices will remain practical to use will largely come down to how aggressively the Neural Engine and other special components/accelerators on Apple’s SoCs are added and improved. I think you’ll eventually start to really miss out on major software improvements on older devices because of that. Neural Engine performance increased by an order of magnitude from A11 to A12 and A11 and older devices are already missing out on stuff because of that. Of course, they will still work.

 

[ouimetnick]

Aside from the batteries (which can be replaced) I think iPhones and iPads (maybe also some Apple Silicon Macs?) might be the closest thing to computers that don’t degrade.

Take a look at one of those YouTube videos that are like “trying to use an [insert really old iPhone model here] in 2021.” Modern devices will eventually run into the same problems, but I think it will take a very long time.

IMO the length of time that the latest Apple devices will remain practical to use will largely come down to how aggressively the Neural Engine and other special components/accelerators on Apple’s SoCs are added and improved. I think you’ll eventually start to really miss out on major software improvements on older devices because of that. Neural Engine performance increased by an order of magnitude from A11 to A12 and A11 and older devices are already missing out on stuff because of that. Of course, they will still work.

Going to disagree here. Intel and PowerPC Macs don't "degrade" either. Eventually the software development support will stop. The PowerMac G5 I gave away last year was just as capable as it was on the day it was made. The original iMac G3 or Dell Dimension from 1999 is just as capable as it was the day it rolled off the line. Doesn't make them useful in today's world.

Unfortunately, my original 2007 hard drive based Apple TV is no longer able to access Apple's servers due to expired security certificates and Apple dropping support for it. My original 2007 iPhone can no longer access iTunes activation servers when connected to a Mac so I had to jailbreak it. The Stock and Weather app, are no longer functional due to server side changes and Apple not correcting it. Eventually that iPad Air will do less that the day it did when it was purchased. EVENTUALLY Siri, App Store, etc will no longer function.

 

[Bodhitree]

iPads do last a good while. But when system update support stops, there comes a point where it is no longer useable for most tasks.

 

[Richard8655]

I think the OP meant (as I also intepreted) iPad longevity from a hardware perspective. The processor, of course, will not be able to keep up with software advances (as is true for any device). This, I think, will happen a lot sooner than any hardware degradation of the iPad.

 

[kltmom]

I have my father's original iPad (iPad 1/1st Generation) which I occasionally use for nostalgic/sentimental reasons (my father passed away last year) and just for fun. I play old games and watch downloaded movies on it, still works great! The battery even still holds a very decent charge and doesn't drain quickly or badly at all.

I also still have my very first iPad, the iPad 2/2nd Generation. I got it in 2011, used it until I upgraded to an iPad Air 2 in 2014, at which point my husband used it for a while, then my mother-in-law used it until....(drumroll, please!)....last year! Yes, she used it daily until 2020, when we bought her an iPad 8th Generation. This iPad 2 was used daily for 9 (NINE!) years. I told my husband, that's like a lifetime in today's tech years. I have it back with me, and I do use it almost daily still, to play 32-bit games/apps that aren't supported anymore and I can't play on my iPad Pros (I have both the 12.9 inch 5th Gen and 11 inch 3rd Gen released earlier this year). Oh, and the battery also still holds a change really well, it's unbelievable.

So yes, iPads pretty much do live forever!

 

[rui no onna]

I think the OP meant (as I also intepreted) iPad longevity from a hardware perspective. The processor, of course, will not be able to keep up with software advances (as is true for any device). This, I think, will happen a lot sooner than any hardware degradation of the iPad.

The OG iPad to iPad 4th gen are built like tanks, though. I find Air and newer feel much flimsier. Kinda feels like Apple's been using lower quality batteries as well.

 

[Hunter5117]

I think the OP meant (as I also intepreted) iPad longevity from a hardware perspective. The processor, of course, will not be able to keep up with software advances (as is true for any device). This, I think, will happen a lot sooner than any hardware degradation of the iPad.

Yes I was mostly thinking from the hardware pov. Considering the age and how I keep in charging all the time, that the battery still runs for 8hrs plus is pretty amazing. Yes, I am topped out at I think iPadOS 12 but for simple tasks and consuming content it is fine. I have my newer iPads for more comprehensive tasks and especially keeping sync'd with my macOS apps.

 

[Ceed]

The two iPad Airs I owned in the past both randomly died on me, one where the screen stopped accepting input, and one that wouldn't even turn on at all. Both of these were sudden and unexpected; I woke up one day and it was just like that. The Air 3 I have now has lines randomly showing up in the screen, but still functions well besides.

I've also had a 2013 MBP just one day expand the battery into a "spicy pillow" that destroyed the machine, and a 2017 MBP that started frying eveything I plugged into the left side USB ports. Again, unprompted, just suddenly happened. Well cared-for machines.

 

[Richard8655]

The OG iPad to iPad 4th gen are built like tanks, though. I find Air and newer feel much flimsier. Kinda feels like Apple's been using lower quality batteries as well.

I completely agree. I think in the effort to satisfy the demand for ever more thinner and lighter, iPads are getting more and more delicate and fragile. Maybe batteries are following this trend too as they also need to meet the lighter requirement.

 

[Warped9]

Customer: “Why are iPads more expensive than Samsung Galaxy or other tablets?”

Me: “Because they’re built to last longer. Much longer.”

 

[Kuckuckstein]

A few weeks ago I would simply have said: yes. Unfortunately, no longer.

One night I placed my 3 year old iPad on a flat surface, cable in for charging. Next morning, when I picked it up … black. Tried hard reset and all the other tricks. Nope. Plugged it into my Mac and yes - it worked in the sense that I could see its contents on my Mac. Looked over and “heyyyy there you are” the screen was on. Unplug - look back - black.
Turns out there must be some kind of loose connection to the screen or at least the screen backlight, because it almost always goes dark after a recharge (especially when close to full - heat expansion or something like that? Or the lose connection is close to the lightning port?), but also just like that, after putting it away I may not be able to switch it on again. Yet, when I touch the dark screen and it comes back to live all kinds of apps have started and I can take screen shots of the “dark screen” and see what would have been on screen if it had backlight.

Will bring it to a repair shop and perhaps this can indeed be fixed easily.

But long story short - nope, they can be buggy, even though the battery can last forever.