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Nikholai

macrumors newbie
Aug 18, 2014
5
0
As a gamer, I wholeheartedly agree!

More and more games are being released in a broken state these days.

It appears to have become the norm in many cases ...

If it was just a software issue... it's hardware too. Every major photographic brand has had some big failure with new products during the last 5 years. Wonder where are all the quality control employees.
 

mtneer

macrumors 68040
Sep 15, 2012
3,179
2,714
When 27 Percent of iPad users are using the iPad 2 (More than any other iPad) and when a further 20 percent are using the original iPad mini which is the same as the iPad 2, you've got to wonder if Apple would abandon a quarter of its users. I highly doubt it.

I hope you are right, but sadly I believe, from Apple's perspective, its the 27% of customers who have chosen to fall behind/ abandoned Apple. It is a "what have you paid me recently" world, not a "what did you pay me in 2011" world.
 

Morac

macrumors 68020
Dec 30, 2009
2,172
611
I hope you are right, but sadly I believe, from Apple's perspective, its the 27% of customers who have chosen to fall behind/ abandoned Apple. It is a "what have you paid me recently" world, not a "what did you pay me in 2011" world.


The original iPad Mini is still being sold and that's effectively got the internals and performance of an iPad 2. I can't see Apple selling that but not giving it updates.
 

mtneer

macrumors 68040
Sep 15, 2012
3,179
2,714
The original iPad Mini is still being sold and that's effectively got the internals and performance of an iPad 2. I can't see Apple selling that but not giving it updates.

Another poster already made the point of the original iPad and iPhone 4 sharing the same generation processor. One got capped at iOS 5 and the other went (albeit poorly) to iOS 7. So, I don't think we can hang onto the internals as any assurance for an update. The iPad 2 has not been sold for a while now and that is where I see its biggest weakness.
 

oldmacs

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 14, 2010
4,924
7,122
Australia
Another poster already made the point of the original iPad and iPhone 4 sharing the same generation processor. One got capped at iOS 5 and the other went (albeit poorly) to iOS 7. So, I don't think we can hang onto the internals as any assurance for an update. The iPad 2 has not been sold for a while now and that is where I see its biggest weakness.

No the iPad 1 had 256 MB of ram and the iPhone 4 had 512 MB of ram. The Mini 1 and the iPad 2 are almost identical- both have the same ram and processor.

The iPad 2 has only been off the market for 8 months which is not too long.

Apple does not need to follow any pattern with updates... its not like its locked in. The iPad 1 was also used by far less people than the iPad 2 when it was dropped. I believe about 5 percent of the iPad market share was the iPad 1 when it was dropped, compared to 27 percent for the iPad 2 at the moment.

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I hope you are right, but sadly I believe, from Apple's perspective, its the 27% of customers who have chosen to fall behind/ abandoned Apple. It is a "what have you paid me recently" world, not a "what did you pay me in 2011" world.

27 Percent is WAYYY too many to leave behind. Its 47 percent if you include the Mini and they can't drop the 2 without dropping the mini as they're essentially the same bar bluetooth and wifi.

Also look at the Mac side of things, Apple has been working to support a large range of hardware- back to 2007 in the case of the iMac and Macbook Pro :)

I honestly don't think Apple would have kept the Mini 1 and iPod Touch 5 in their range if they didn't intend on supporting A5 processors.
 
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RoboWarriorSr

macrumors 6502a
Feb 23, 2013
889
52
No the iPad 1 had 256 MB of ram and the iPhone 4 had 512 MB of ram. The Mini 1 and the iPad 2 are almost identical- both have the same ram and processor.

The iPad 2 has only been off the market for 8 months which is not too long.

Apple does not need to follow any pattern with updates... its not like its locked in. The iPad 1 was also used by far less people than the iPad 2 when it was dropped. I believe about 5 percent of the iPad market share was the iPad 1 when it was dropped, compared to 27 percent for the iPad 2 at the moment.

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27 Percent is WAYYY too many to leave behind. Its 47 percent if you include the Mini and they can't drop the 2 without dropping the mini as they're essentially the same bar bluetooth and wifi.

Also look at the Mac side of things, Apple has been working to support a large range of hardware- back to 2007 in the case of the iMac and Macbook Pro :)

I honestly don't think Apple would have kept the Mini 1 and iPod Touch 5 in their range if they didn't intend on supporting A5 processors.

You do realized that Apple still sells the iPhone 4 new despite no longer giving updates in India right? Also the iPod Touch 4 was still being sold when the iPod Touch 5 was announced and didn't get the iOS 7 update. I'm fairly confident that Apple will be dropping all A5 devices next year in the US.
 

Liam Steven

macrumors 6502
Oct 9, 2012
330
62
Since apple kept it around so long as it was probably good for their profits or whatever, that they have a responsibility of ensuring that software runs well on it.

29 percent of iPads in use today are iPad 2s...

The only reason why Apple supported iPad 2 on iOS 8 was so they could promote their latest "we have iOS 8 installed on over X%, lets look at how that compares to Android" keynote points.

The FACT is that iPad 2 shouldn't have received iOS 8. Period.

----------

As a gamer, I wholeheartedly agree!

More and more games are being released in a broken state these days.

It appears to have become the norm in many cases ...

Here here

----------

When 27 Percent of iPad users are using the iPad 2 (More than any other iPad) and when a further 20 percent are using the original iPad mini which is the same as the iPad 2, you've got to wonder if Apple would abandon a quarter of its users. I highly doubt it.

Please send source for your figures.

What benefit have I gained by updating my iPad 2? Yeah, I can make calls through it... So what, I can just grab my iPhone (6 btw).

iPad 2 didn't get any of the new features (handoff being an example) apart from the phone calling features. So what benefit did I get? Please don't tell me that I'm getting the latest security updates because iOS has always been regarded as one of the most secure mobile platforms.
 

Abba1

macrumors regular
Aug 6, 2014
117
0
To be fair they did release iOS 8 with the iPad 2 as a supported device! They did it with the iPhone 4 and iOS 7 and they've done it with the iPad 2.

I would have seriously preferred that they dropped support for iPad 2 and iOS 8.

Let's hope that they learn from their mistsake (let's be clear here, it was a bad call) with iOS 9 and don't make it available to the oldest device.

But, it works fine for some people on iPad 2 just as it doesn't work well for others. Sometimes it is not enough to do a simple settings/data reset if IOS 8 doesn't work right. For those who have problems, a restore to factory settings is always possible, and in my opinion, preferable than a simple reset. Many problems do get resolved when that is done.

I like the idea that Apple updates older devices as long as the architecture of the device allows the update. And, since each update offers greater security, it is always worth updating if your device permits it.

I am particularly pleased that although iPad 2 and iPhone 4S can't support all of the handoff functions of IOS 8, we can still use other functions of IOS 8 that are a step more advanced or newly developed than those of IOS 7. So, if IOS 9 (whenever that is developed) is available for any device I have that can be updated, I will certainly do so.
 

Liam Steven

macrumors 6502
Oct 9, 2012
330
62
No the iPad 1 had 256 MB of ram and the iPhone 4 had 512 MB of ram. The Mini 1 and the iPad 2 are almost identical- both have the same ram and processor.

The iPad 2 has only been off the market for 8 months which is not too long.

Apple does not need to follow any pattern with updates... its not like its locked in. The iPad 1 was also used by far less people than the iPad 2 when it was dropped. I believe about 5 percent of the iPad market share was the iPad 1 when it was dropped, compared to 27 percent for the iPad 2 at the moment.

----------



27 Percent is WAYYY too many to leave behind. Its 47 percent if you include the Mini and they can't drop the 2 without dropping the mini as they're essentially the same bar bluetooth and wifi.

Also look at the Mac side of things, Apple has been working to support a large range of hardware- back to 2007 in the case of the iMac and Macbook Pro :)

I honestly don't think Apple would have kept the Mini 1 and iPod Touch 5 in their range if they didn't intend on supporting A5 processors.

Yeah and my Macbook Pro mid 2009 takes 70 seconds to boot! It would probably be faster with an SSD but Mavericks wasn't as slow at booting...

I'm sounding like an Apple-hater but that couldn't be further than the truth. I just think they need to understand the hardware limits of an older iDevice.

----------

But, it works fine for some people on iPad 2 just as it doesn't work well for others. Sometimes it is not enough to do a simple settings/data reset if IOS 8 doesn't work right. For those who have problems, a restore to factory settings is always possible, and in my opinion, preferable than a simple reset. Many problems do get resolved when that is done.

I like the idea that Apple updates older devices as long as the architecture of the device allows the update. And, since each update offers greater security, it is always worth updating if your device permits it.

I am particularly pleased that although iPad 2 and iPhone 4S can't support all of the handoff functions of IOS 8, we can still use other functions of IOS 8 that are a step more advanced or newly developed than those of IOS 7. So, if IOS 9 (whenever that is developed) is available for any device I have that can be updated, I will certainly do so.

BUT what are these "other functions"? Please list them...

I have personally done a clean install, to the detriment of data/apps that I wanted to keep and it is still sluggish, even on 8.1.1.
 

oldmacs

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 14, 2010
4,924
7,122
Australia
You do realized that Apple still sells the iPhone 4 new despite no longer giving updates in India right? Also the iPod Touch 4 was still being sold when the iPod Touch 5 was announced and didn't get the iOS 7 update. I'm fairly confident that Apple will be dropping all A5 devices next year in the US.

Apple ceased selling the iPhone 4 new in India sometime earlier in the year. And that is just one country. The iPod Touch 4 was NOT the premium iPod Touch when it had support continued. No premium iPod Touch (As the iPod Touch 5 is now) has lost support within a year of it being sold.

The only reason why Apple supported iPad 2 on iOS 8 was so they could promote their latest "we have iOS 8 installed on over X%, lets look at how that compares to Android" keynote points.

The FACT is that iPad 2 shouldn't have received iOS 8. Period.

Nope. The iPad 2 holds a significant market share for 1, and was being sold 9 months ago so it has every reason for being supported(Including they still sell it now, miniaturised as a iPad Mini 1)

----------



Here here

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Please send source for your figures.

What benefit have I gained by updating my iPad 2? Yeah, I can make calls through it... So what, I can just grab my iPhone (6 btw).

iPad 2 didn't get any of the new features (handoff being an example) apart from the phone calling features. So what benefit did I get? Please don't tell me that I'm getting the latest security updates because iOS has always been regarded as one of the most secure mobile platforms.

The iPad 2 received a heap of new features
- SMS forwarding
- make phone calls
- swap keyboards
- app extensions
- iCloud Drive
- quick reply
- Notifications centre widgets
- mail enhancements
- customisable share menus,
- soundbites+location sharing in messages
- quick type (I LOVE THIS)
- Safari tab view , sidebar, request desktop
- better photos app

These are just a few of the features I enjoy on my iPad (I really love the new iOS 8 features). Also you're being deluded about the security thing. Apple has patched HEAPS of flaws and bugs with iOS 8 http://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201395



Yeah and my Macbook Pro mid 2009 takes 70 seconds to boot! It would probably be faster with an SSD but Mavericks wasn't as slow at booting...

I'm sounding like an Apple-hater but that couldn't be further than the truth. I just think they need to understand the hardware limits of an older iDevice.

----------



BUT what are these "other functions"? Please list them...

I have personally done a clean install, to the detriment of data/apps that I wanted to keep and it is still sluggish, even on 8.1.1.


I know several others with iPad 2s and they're happy they can upgrade. Older iDevices get slower with updates so if you were so adverse to your device slowing down, DON'T UPGRADE. Its pretty simple. I don't see why Apple should stop releasing updates for older devices because some people who CHOOSE to update are annoyed its slower, thus ruining it for people who actually do want to update.

Also on the Mac OS X side, my 2009 iMac and 2008 Macbook are now booting faster with Yosemite than with Mavericks. Its a delight that I have the option to upgrade on these old devices, and I don't see how it can be spun as a negative. Maintaining support for old systems, helps OS X be grounded, so it doesn't become a resource hog. Again if its too slow, don't upgrade.

Maceumours reported the usage share, as well as Locaylitics : http://info.localytics.com/blog/iphone-5-and-ipad-2-still-dominates. I can't find the most recent one, as int he most recent one the iPad 2 had fallen to 27 percent.

To get my iPad up to speed, I did a 'reset all settings' after I clean installed, then I turned off background app refresh, auto app updates, all location services I didn't use and a few other things.

The problem here is that iOS 8 is poorly written, even on A7 and A8 devices, which I've seen stuff crash/lag/fail. Think about it. If Apple optimises iOS 9 to run well on older devices it will be lightning fast on newer devices.
 
Last edited:

Morac

macrumors 68020
Dec 30, 2009
2,172
611
iPad 2 iOS 8 Performance

iPad 2 didn't get any of the new features (handoff being an example) apart from the phone calling features. So what benefit did I get?


You have that backwards. The only new feature in iOS 8 that the IPad 2 didn't get was Continuity. It got all the other new features including extendability, iCloud Drive, iCloud Photo Library, thirty party keyboards, etc.

I've been using iOS 8.1.1 on my iPad 2 and I don't find it that bad. Is it as fluid as iOS 7.1.2? No (my iPad 2 takes 2 minutes to boot up now), but it's definitely usable and I have yet to hit the bug I frequently hit in iOS 7.1.2, where ICloud features, including Find My iPad, would turn themselves off when my iPad 2 was low on memory. Is iOS 8.1.1 buggy on the iPad 2? Yes, but it's buggy on all devices to varying degrees.
 

Dino F

Suspended
Sep 16, 2010
4,515
3,403
Croydon, South London, UK
But, it works fine for some people on iPad 2 just as it doesn't work well for others. Sometimes it is not enough to do a simple settings/data reset if IOS 8 doesn't work right. For those who have problems, a restore to factory settings is always possible, and in my opinion, preferable than a simple reset. Many problems do get resolved when that is done.

I like the idea that Apple updates older devices as long as the architecture of the device allows the update. And, since each update offers greater security, it is always worth updating if your device permits it.

I am particularly pleased that although iPad 2 and iPhone 4S can't support all of the handoff functions of IOS 8, we can still use other functions of IOS 8 that are a step more advanced or newly developed than those of IOS 7. So, if IOS 9 (whenever that is developed) is available for any device I have that can be updated, I will certainly do so.

My iPad 2 has run like dog's poo on iOS8 and if am totally honest, iOS 8.1.1 did not really do much to speed things up, even though 8.1.1 was specifically for the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S.

However, the 3 features which I have turned off (which has now got my iPad 2 running as fast as it did pre-iOS 8) are:


  • Reduce Motion (turns off all the zooming in/out of folders/apps animations)
  • Reduce Transparency (gives the background of folders/Notification Center, a solid background as opposed to a transparent one)
  • Background Refresh

Disabling these 3 features alone now make my iPad 2 a joy to use again however having these enabled, really slows the whole thing up.
 

Liam Steven

macrumors 6502
Oct 9, 2012
330
62
I remember seeing a post on whether there was any difference between the original iPad 2 and the second revision of iPad 2.

There does appear to be a divide of opinion as some users have iPad 2's that run fine and others that don't.

I wonder if the difference is the different internals??
 

Dino F

Suspended
Sep 16, 2010
4,515
3,403
Croydon, South London, UK
I remember seeing a post on whether there was any difference between the original iPad 2 and the second revision of iPad 2.

There does appear to be a divide of opinion as some users have iPad 2's that run fine and others that don't.

I wonder if the difference is the different internals??

...I never realized there were 2 versions of the iPad 2 then?

How do I tell which version I have (mine is just the wi-fi model. Is that what you are referring to?)?
 

Liam Steven

macrumors 6502
Oct 9, 2012
330
62
...I never realized there were 2 versions of the iPad 2 then?

How do I tell which version I have (mine is just the wi-fi model. Is that what you are referring to?)?

I'm 99.9% sure that there was a minor re-release of iPad 2 which had minor hardware improvements.

There was no Keynote for this update.

I'm not entirely sure how one would identify the models but you could check your serial number and check the manufacture week/date. Obviously if you bought your iPad within months of launch then you have the original.
 

kdhoe

macrumors member
Aug 12, 2011
65
22
Belgium

oldmacs

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 14, 2010
4,924
7,122
Australia
I remember seeing a post on whether there was any difference between the original iPad 2 and the second revision of iPad 2.

There does appear to be a divide of opinion as some users have iPad 2's that run fine and others that don't.

I wonder if the difference is the different internals??

The iPad 2 was rereleased in 2012 with the iPad 3 I believe, the only difference is that the A5 chip was die shrunken, which apparently resulted in better battery life, but according to geek bench no real improvements in benchmarks...
 

Liam Steven

macrumors 6502
Oct 9, 2012
330
62
The iPad 2 was rereleased in 2012 with the iPad 3 I believe, the only difference is that the A5 chip was die shrunken, which apparently resulted in better battery life, but according to geek bench no real improvements in benchmarks...

No, iPad 3 was a new generation that introduced the Retina Display and (correct me if I'm wrong) the A5X which was poor alongside the Retina graphics.
 

RoboWarriorSr

macrumors 6502a
Feb 23, 2013
889
52
No, iPad 3 was a new generation that introduced the Retina Display and (correct me if I'm wrong) the A5X which was poor alongside the Retina graphics.

You're correct but on Geekbench the numbers were the same on CPU benchmarks but the graphic benchmarks saw improved numbers due to the quad core GPU (iPad 2/iPhone 4s had the dual core GPU variant). Both A5 and A5X used the same dual core CPU.
 

oldmacs

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 14, 2010
4,924
7,122
Australia
No, iPad 3 was a new generation that introduced the Retina Display and (correct me if I'm wrong) the A5X which was poor alongside the Retina graphics.

I didn't say anything about the iPad 3. I said that the new iPad 2 was introduced around the time that the iPad 3 was released.
 

mangomind

macrumors 6502a
Mar 15, 2012
542
5
I didn't say anything about the iPad 3. I said that the new iPad 2 was introduced around the time that the iPad 3 was released.

Wait, I thought the new iPad 2 was introduced a few months ago with 2GB RAM.

The last few posts in this thread are so confusing. Can we stay on topic please, this thread is supposed to be about the iOS 8 performance of the original iPad 2.
 

Morac

macrumors 68020
Dec 30, 2009
2,172
611
Wait, I thought the new iPad 2 was introduced a few months ago with 2GB RAM.



The last few posts in this thread are so confusing. Can we stay on topic please, this thread is supposed to be about the iOS 8 performance of the original iPad 2.


That's the iPad Air 2. What he's saying is there was a revised model of the iPad 2, but it just made it cheaper to make (I.e. more profit for Apple) and not any faster.
 

oldmacs

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 14, 2010
4,924
7,122
Australia
To clear things up:

There were two models of the iPad 2.

The original Model which was announced at a March 2011 event and sold from March/April 2011 till March/April 2012. It had a 45nm A5 chip, and came in 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB variants.

The revised model was not announced, but introduced around the time of March 2012 when the iPad 3 was announced. It was only 16 GB, and featured a 32nm A5 chip, which the same specifications as the original A5 chip. The ONLY advantage of this seems to be longer battery life as performance stayed the same. This model was sold from March 2012 to March 2014.

The question was whether iOS 8 performed better on the revised iPad 2 model, but as far as I can see there should be no performance improvement, as the only change was the die shrunken A5 chip.
 

Liam Steven

macrumors 6502
Oct 9, 2012
330
62
I didn't say anything about the iPad 3. I said that the new iPad 2 was introduced around the time that the iPad 3 was released.

You're right, I did misread your post; apologies.

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The last few posts in this thread are so confusing. Can we stay on topic please, this thread is supposed to be about the iOS 8 performance of the original iPad 2.

Who put you in charge of this thread?
 

mangomind

macrumors 6502a
Mar 15, 2012
542
5
You're right, I did misread your post; apologies.

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Who put you in charge of this thread?

So I am now in charge of this thread? I don't know who put me in charge, is there a way to check? I thought the people in charge of the thread are the thread starter and the administrators, but maybe someone put me in charge as well, I don't know. How can you tell?
 
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