iPad iPad 3 vs iPad Air

[UBS28]

Is there really a point of upgrading an iPad 3 to an iPad Air? The iPad 3 is fast enough still so far. It even plays infinity blade III fine.

The only places I use my iPad 3 sometimes in bed or when going to work. Or when reading (e)books.

 

[FAsnakes]

Nah, if I had your use for the ipad - I'd hold off..

That said, if you got the expendable $$, I would pick one up.. . I updated from an ipad 2 and IMO the update is so gloriously awesome.

I picked mine up on launch day and haven't been able to put it down since.

 

[UBS28]

Nah, if I had your use for the ipad - I'd hold off..

That said, if you got the expendable $$, I would pick one up.. . I updated from an ipad 2 and IMO the update is so gloriously awesome.

I picked mine up on launch day and haven't been able to put it down since.

I got the expandable $$. I'm just not sure if it really makes sense to upgrade. I don't think there is anything the iPad Air can do that my iPad 3 can't?

Probably I'll stick with my iPad 3 considering my uses.

 

[BenTrovato]

The Air is faster, nicer... all around way better than the 3. You won't get the Air and think for one second, "Ahh, you know what? I'm not enjoying this product, I should have kept the iPad 3". But of course, it sounds like you don't need it so if you can fight back today's society that presses on each of us to always have the latest and greatest, then keep what you have

 

[Ladybug]

I have a 3 and an Air. Obviously I chose to upgrade however if I wasn't using it constantly, I probably would have held off. If you only use it the way you say you do, I'd probably hold off until next year. That said, the Air is all around faster than my 3 which is still sporting iOS 6. If you buy now you have the extended holiday return period to change your mind. Just throwing that out there.

 

[DeSnousa]

I actually picked up a refurbished iPad 3 for the pice of the iPad 2, I wanted the retina display. So far the 3 seems sufficient for my needs of email, web, music and videos to AppleTV.

What I do not like is the weight and if you hate holding the iPad for extended periods of time than the Air may be worth it for you.

 

[madmaxmedia]

The iPad Air is pretty incredible, when you hold it in your hand you notice what difference in size and weight from the earlier iPads, obviously it's faster too. So it's up to you to decide what that is worth.

I recently bought an 64GB iPad 3 w/ Verizon (w/ free TMobile data plan) for pretty cheap (~$300), and I like it a lot. For me to upgrade to a similar spec iPad Air would cost me too much.

 

[JonMPLS]

Thinking rMini here . . .

Is there really a point of upgrading an iPad 3 to an iPad Air? The iPad 3 is fast enough still so far. It even plays infinity blade III fine.

The only places I use my iPad 3 sometimes in bed or when going to work. Or when reading (e)books.

I am working on the same decision. Main uses are iBooks, movies when traveling, and a little web surfing. The Air is smaller and lighter, but is it $600 smaller and lighter (trade in cost)? Personally, I am about to go with a rMini for a major change in form factor.

 

[Menel]

Is there really a point of upgrading an iPad 3 to an iPad Air? The iPad 3 is fast enough still so far. It even plays infinity blade III fine.

The only places I use my iPad 3 sometimes in bed or when going to work. Or when reading (e)books.

Nope. I sold my iPad3 just before the Air announcement. Regretted that maneuver.

Waste of money. As you said, the iPad 3 plays Infinity Blade and all the latest greatest 3D games in retina brilliantly.

 

[richardbb85]

i'd take a working, reliable OS ipad(ipad 3,4) over the air anytime

 

[mtneer]

The first time you bought an iPad - you got brand new abilities, performance and functions for $600+. Now that you have an iPad, all paid for, the same $600+ will only buy you an incremental improvement in performance. Some people value that increment as something worth $600+, others don't. Eventually in a year, or two, newer iPads will have abilities, performance and functions that the iPad 3 does not and at tht point, the first scenario plays all over again.

 

[smooth]

I have an iPad 3 and the possibility of upgrading never entered my mind. Sure, the Air looks like a great device but my 3 does everything I need it to. Considering I'd be lucky to recoup half of the cost by selling my 3, I'd basically be spending $200-$300 or a lighter device - and I don't think my 3 is heavy by any stretch.

 

[patseguin]

I upgraded from a 3rd to an Air and I think the upgrade was monumental. Not only us it faster but being is thin and light make it a delight to use, especially in bed. ;-)

 

[enzo thecat]

I've had an iPad 1, iPad 3 and now an iPad Air. The Air is the first one I pick to use over my MBPro.

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[Pharmscott]

I moved from iPad 3 to Air and I'm very pleased. It's notably faster and as others have said, the difference in weight is pretty amazing. You won't want to put it down. Zero regrets on the upgrade!

 

[Rodster]

I still have my iPad 3 and have held off upgrading to the Air. There isn't anything compelling me to upgrade. The weight of the iPad 3 is a non issue as it doesn't bother me a bit. In fact the weight gives it a feel of quality.

No issues with the screen and the resolution and internal ram are the same on both units. I'll probably upgrade when the future iPad does something my iPad 3 can't.

 

[enzo thecat]

I still have my iPad 3 and have held off upgrading to the Air. There isn't anything compelling me to upgrade. The weight of the iPad 3 is a non issue as it doesn't bother me a bit. In fact the weight gives it a feel of quality.

No issues with the screen and the resolution and internal ram are the same on both units. I'll probably upgrade when the future iPad does something my iPad 3 can't.

Thats what I thought too...until my mother brought her Ipad Air over for me to set it up for her. 20 Minutes with it and I knew I'd love it. I never knew how uncomfortable my 3 was until I held an Air.

 

[J&JPolangin]

Sorry for the slight thread hijack...I'm in the same situation...I have an iPad3 and just picked up a few iPads to think about:

1. 4th gen iPad w/ cellular 16Gb $349.00
2. iPad rMini 32Gb $470.00
3. iPad Air 32Gb $530.00

I have iPad3 cases and keyboard cases I can use with the 4th gen unit but its smaller than my 64Gb 3rd Gen iPad (w/ cellular)...

I'm considering the above 3 units so I can give my wife's 1st gen iPad to a relative and give my 3rd gen iPad to my wife but I'm torn on the fact that option 2 and 3 will require additional cases and option 1 is much smaller storage than I'm used to but the deal seemed like a really good price for a brand new unit...

What would you do with my "first world problem"n???

 

[Rodster]

Thats what I thought too...until my mother brought her Ipad Air over for me to set it up for her. 20 Minutes with it and I knew I'd love it. I never knew how uncomfortable my 3 was until I held an Air.

I had a chance to play with an Air at Best Buy and honestly it still didn't make me want to buy one. Don't get me wrong, they are nice but I feel the same way about my iPad 3.

 

[JGWolven]

The Air is a very nice upgrade. If given the choice, I'm sure you would enjoy the Air more. But the kicker is that you are happy with your 3, so why fix something that isn't broken? I think it'd be alright to hold out this generation. Maybe Apple will release an iPad next year with more RAM to bring more future proofing to the table and make it a more convincing upgrade for you.

 

[teknikal90]

To me the air feels flimsy..
I'm on ipad 4
And it's lighter yeah, but I still think it's still "heavy" enough that it doesn't make it infinitely better than the ipad 4 to use, you know?
Plus The thinness and the feeling that I can very easily bend it makes it feel less solid than my ipad 4

 

[Johnbrow]

Better For Sure, But Worth It?

I'll echo others in this thread. I have an original iPad, a third generation iPad and the iPad Air. I use the iPad way more than I use my MacBook, and I travel with only my iPad. In my opinion the only really superior feature of the iPad Air is that it's the first iPad which is truly as fast as a laptop. We have Verizon Quantum internet and I can get 82 Mbps download and 32 Mbps upload on the Air, which is similar to my MacBook Pro speeds whether wired or wireless. A little better than twice as fast as the iPad 3 side by side. Yes, the Air is also a little slimmer and a little lighter, but there are some negatives also-you have to use IOS 7 (hate it) and they've changed the rocker switch for volume to two separate buttons which are harder to find and use by touch.

I like my new Air because it's fast and has maybe a little better reception/antenna. Is is "worth" the extra money for buying a new iPad on a cost benefit basis? Heck no. You just have to want the newer, faster IPad-there's no way to justify the price of a new one-the Air does nothing new, just faster and with Apple's ultra crappy new IOS 7. So, the Air does not change your computer life in any way as did getting the original iPad. The Air is faster and better than previous generations, but mostly another example of Apple's marketing prowess, where small, incremental changes at huge prices still attract buyers. So, I did spring for an iPad Air just because I wanted it and because I could afford it. But, I view the iPhone 5s the same way and, for the phone, nothing could get me to buy one of those.

Probably my best advice is to save your money. You don't have to be an Apple Sheep like me. If you have a true need for speed and money to burn, go for it.

 

[Maziar]

I upgrade from 3 to Air and for me,it was totally worth it.Air is notably faster in day to day use(3 used to slow down with iOS 7) and is much lighter making it more comfortable to hold(even with 1 hand)

 

[Rodster]

The Air is a very nice upgrade. If given the choice, I'm sure you would enjoy the Air more. But the kicker is that you are happy with your 3, so why fix something that isn't broken? I think it'd be alright to hold out this generation. Maybe Apple will release an iPad next year with more RAM to bring more future proofing to the table and make it a more convincing upgrade for you.

Exactly !

The Air is a nice device, no doubt but I still like my iPad 3 and there aren't enough reasons for me to upgrade. They have the same resolution, run the same OS, etc. The Air is lighter and slightly smaller and those aren't an issue for me on my iPad 3.

Lets see what Apple offers next year.

 

[Tubamajuba]

I can certainly see how the iPad 3 is good enough for many people, but I personally can't stand it. Apps and system animations that are butter-smooth on my iPhone 5 stutter like crazy on my iPad 3 (restored as new, iOS 7.0.4). As such, I'm probably going to give it to my mother and get the iPad Air. Some people just don't care about that kind of thing as much as I do, and if they don't mind the extra weight, the iPad 3 is fine.