Grandkids' ipads - WWYD

[ssledoux]

I know there will be those who tell me it's ridiculous that my grandkids all have iPads - no need for that. They are lifesavers in the car, and the older ones use them for home schooling.

With that in mind, I'm needing to do some upgrades for them and can't decide how to best do it, so I thought I'd ask here.

6yo - 2017 ipad
5yo - iPad mini 4
4 yo - iPad mini 4
3 yo - iPad mini 2
2 yo - iPad mini 2

Here's the issue. The mini 2s are just getting outdated to the point where I would like to update them. What I can't decide is whether I want to upgrade the oldest kids to the new iPad, so they'll have pencil support because they are all home schooling and I think it would really open them up to do more stuff on their pads and then give the little ones the mini 4s OR just sell all the minis and go with 2017 iPads for the younger ones and 2018 iPads for the older 3.

The reason being a couple of these have LTE and it's not really necessary, so I was thinking I'd just sell them and get wifi only pads across the board.

Thoughts?

 

[BarracksSi]

Get two 2018 iPads, and sell the two Mini 2s. So then you'll have three larger models and two small ones.

I'm just thinking that the 5- and 4-year-olds will grow big enough to carry the larger iPads within their useful lives (not the kids' useful lives, the iPads'...).

 

[ssledoux]

That’s what I was thinking except that’ll leave one of the bigger kids with no pencil support. The 4yo is almost 5, and I know the 3 older kids are all good to carry around and use the bigger pads.

 

[JPack]

I would sell all the mini 2 and mini 4 devices and replace them with 2017 or 2018 iPads.

Get your money while the iPad mini 4 is still listed as a "current" Apple product. By September 2018 at the latest, I would expect Apple to EOL the iPad mini 4.

Based on historical support timelines, the mini 4 is not expected to support future iOS versions beyond iOS 12. This is similar to iPad mini 2 being EOL'ed in March 2017.

 

[ssledoux]

Thanks! I was kinda thinking that, although I was on the fence about the smaller kids with the bigger pads. Makes sense though.

 

[ssledoux]

Well crap - with the $249 2017 ipads at walmart, I’m not sure I can justify getting the 2018s with pencil support. With the oldest already having the 2017 iPad, I can do 249 pads for the other 2 older ones and then give the mini 4s to the little ones, sell off the minis 2s and I’m basically out the cost of one $250 pad.

If I do 2018 pads for the 3 olders, I have to sell all 4 minis (granted the mini 4s will bring in a fair amount), then purchase a new 2017 and THREE 2018s.

I think I’d probably come out a lot cheaper hanging onto the mini 4s for now and just holding off on 2018 pads til later, but that’s NOT what I wanna do.

 

[Hubcapjw]

Wow $249 for the 2017!! That is a steal. Go with it.

 

[ssledoux]

It really is a great price!

 

[BugeyeSTI]

Sounds like you have it all figured out. I would do the same