Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPad Pro How many years do you think the new iPad Pro M4 will last ?
- Thread starter max2
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
At least 7-8 years of firmware updates. Probably won’t feel slow even then but it likely wouldn’t support the latest firmware features.
The issue is more whether Apple will replace the battery. As the Apple staff for my wife's 10.5 iPad Pro, introduced in 2017 but my wife bought it new from Apple in late 2018, Apple would not replace the battery. They blamed her not having formatted the disk, installed a fresh OS, and then install the same apps but doing so by downloading them individually from the App store. They said then the battery life issues would be "better". They also said that Apple doesn't like to replace iPad batteries, because they'd rather people buy a new iPad.
Why would Apple not replace a iPad battery if you paid for it ?
Because for the ~$100 fee, they don’t just replace the battery, they replace the entire iPad. Hence, they’re very strict with regards to what qualifies.
Simply saying battery doesn’t last as long doesn’t qualify for replacement. The battery needs to be below 80% health per their internal testing tools and by the time that happens, you’re probably tethered to a wall charger when you use your iPad.
Ok makes sense.
How can you tell what percent your battery is at on a iPad as a home user ?
You can’t. There are iOS shortcuts you can find online that analyzes iOS log files and give you battery health. Unfortunately, Apple’s internal testing usually reports higher numbers than the ones you get via shortcuts.
I suggest taking anecdotal iPad battery issues with a grain of salt. Based on my experience as an iPad user from the original iPad purchased from day 1 to the present and having multiple iPads over the period, I think iPad battery issues as are an exception.
You can test this yourself by simply searching for reports of iPad battery issues on MR, Reddit and elsewhere. I’m sure you will find reports but I think you will also find that this is spotty and neither a widespread problem nor one that needs to be seriously considered in making an iPad purchase decision — as the iPad is an exceptionally well designed (though feature-focused tablet — i.e., NOT a Mac), high quality and low maintenance computing appliance that you can generally expect to deliver years of problem-free operation for what it is designed for.
Net-net: The most important decision criteria is whether the iPad does what you want it to do vs what you wish it could do. The biggest iPad issues I see on MR is complaints about the iPad’s inability to run or work like macOS. I suggest focusing your decision on that question — not battery life. Hope this helps.
The first iPad Pro was released in 2015. The maximum OS it can run is iPadOS 16. The most recent update for iPadOS is January, 2024. [Thanks Digital Guy for the correction]
For what it's worth, the iPad Air 2 was released in 2014. The maximum OS it can run is iPadOS 15. The most recent update is January, 2024.
For what it's worth, the iPad Air 2 was released in 2014. The maximum OS it can run is iPadOS 15. The most recent update is January, 2024.
Last edited:
As it's been said battery is probably the bottleneck here.
This iPad will probably get 7-8 years of updates and will be plenty fast till the end of updates (and be usable also a couple of years after end of updates).
But in 7-8 years or more, the battery will be degraded. I talk by experience, I have had dozens of iPads and still have around 10 of them (I keep devices for many years while I buy new ones), so I have probably more experience than a lot of people here.
Apple goes out of their way to avoid the battery service. Their 80% threashold is actually more like 40% of the original battery life. And by the time it gets below that it's obsolete and not eligible for battery service.
I have had one battery replaced after 6 years (the device was lasting 1-2 hours at best) and all the other services refused until the device became obsolete (that's what happening with my 10.5 pro)
If you want your battery to last for that much you need to baby it, that's what I am doing now with my devices. But that's easy when you have many iPads, harder when you only have one. If you have one, just enjoy it and buy a new device when the battery life becomes too short.
This iPad will probably get 7-8 years of updates and will be plenty fast till the end of updates (and be usable also a couple of years after end of updates).
But in 7-8 years or more, the battery will be degraded. I talk by experience, I have had dozens of iPads and still have around 10 of them (I keep devices for many years while I buy new ones), so I have probably more experience than a lot of people here.
Apple goes out of their way to avoid the battery service. Their 80% threashold is actually more like 40% of the original battery life. And by the time it gets below that it's obsolete and not eligible for battery service.
I have had one battery replaced after 6 years (the device was lasting 1-2 hours at best) and all the other services refused until the device became obsolete (that's what happening with my 10.5 pro)
If you want your battery to last for that much you need to baby it, that's what I am doing now with my devices. But that's easy when you have many iPads, harder when you only have one. If you have one, just enjoy it and buy a new device when the battery life becomes too short.
The first pro (12.9) was released it in 2015 (I bought it on launch in 2015). It was the smaller first gen than was released in 2016
Thanks. I updated my post. It still runs iPadOS 16
They last forever.
My current iPad Pro 9.7 cannot be updated to iPadOS 17 (stuck on iPadOS 16) and it was released in 2016 and it got 7 years latest iOS/iPadOS update and I am on 8th year now only cos Apple didn't release any iPad last year. So I am expecting my new iPad Pro will last similar time at least.
I guess another question becomes "How do you measure 'last'"?
If you mean being able to generate value for the purpose you're purchasing it for, that depends on your work. It could be one year, it could be 20 years. Can't say.
If you mean for the latest updates, I would pencil in 7 years.
If you mean for security updates, I would pencil in for 10 years.
If you mean "accessing websites that require high security, i.e. Banking", I would pencil in 12 years.
If you mean "For as long as the battery lasts", that varies depending on the usage and climate. I would pencil in 3 years (for tropical climates), and 5 years for cooler climates.
If you mean "longevity until some of the parts wear out (like the charging port)", I would assume 15 years.
It just... depends.
If you mean being able to generate value for the purpose you're purchasing it for, that depends on your work. It could be one year, it could be 20 years. Can't say.
If you mean for the latest updates, I would pencil in 7 years.
If you mean for security updates, I would pencil in for 10 years.
If you mean "accessing websites that require high security, i.e. Banking", I would pencil in 12 years.
If you mean "For as long as the battery lasts", that varies depending on the usage and climate. I would pencil in 3 years (for tropical climates), and 5 years for cooler climates.
If you mean "longevity until some of the parts wear out (like the charging port)", I would assume 15 years.
It just... depends.
Depends what you do with it. I still use my 2015 Mini 4 all the time for web-browsing and streaming apps such as YouTube, Prime, Disney+ and Netflix. I don’t use my iPad for productivity so it’s still very useful today. An M4 iPad would do me at least 10+ years.