We're still rocking the iPad 3. It has gotten slower with each major release but if you disable some of the eye candy features it's actually pretty quick. We don't have any problems with it and will continue to use it until it completely dies. Battery life still lasts for several days before needing a recharge.
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iPad 4, Still used today?
- Thread starter gobikerider
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For the best usable experience (having compatible apps) update it to iOS 9 also I can pretty much gaurentee a iPad 3 will run better on 9 vs 8. Set it up as new though if your sister just clicks update then yah expect odd slowdowns, crashes, and Genral bugginess. I cannot think of a single iOS device that runs iOS 9 worse than iOS 8.
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Disable spotlight search and background app refresh for even more performance
I noticed a large performance increase going from 8 to 9 on the iPad 3.
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Please tell me what apps still work with iOS 7. Do they stop working or do they just not let you update anymore. Have any apps just flat out stopped working yet?
My brother and sister in law use an iPad 2 for just that purpose. I've seen them when they pull that thing out and it actually holds up well. Microsoft Office and iWork apps run pretty smooth on it.
Every iPad 2 and up is maybe slow to load things but once it is loaded up it is smooth as can be, the only exception would be games.
For the most part, apps just stop updating. There are some internet connected apps that will stop working (e.g. banking and finance) but most apps will continue working - you'll just be using an older version.
I've still got my iPad 4 128GB on iOS 6. I'm loathe to update as that combination has a level of smoothness that still hasn't been matched by any iPad running iOS 7 or higher. I guess too much eye candy. I mostly use the iPad 4 for DRM free comics and manga (via ComicGlass) and occasional web surfing. Interestingly enough, I believe ComicGlass is still getting app updates for iOS 6. It actually takes developers a while before dropping continued support for old iOS versions.
I'm loath to update any apps even when still supported. Comicglass is one of them...although that one is pretty safe.
Most updates now are for features that probably came after ios7 was coded. Don't want to chance breaking what I have.
I have an old version of the QVC app on my ipad2. A week ago, I loaded the latest version of that same app to my 6s.
Guess what?...the latest version frequently crashes on my phone; on the ipad2, it's rock-solid. There's a method to my madness.
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There was a thread a month or two ago where whether iOS 8 or 9 ran better on the ipad3 came up. The topic came up during the thread conversation - don't think the subject title reflected ipad3 specifically.
Tried searching for a day now, but coming up empty... one gent (Oldmacs?) had done what sounded like some pretty thorough testing and come to the conclusion that it was better on iOS 8, with one exception.
I, like you, have always thought ios9 ran better on acct of better optimization on Apples part because ios8 fared poorly. And I know one mans testing (even if he did it across a good sample of his company's iPads), isn't the definitive answer...
Thanksgiving, my younger sis and bro-in-law will be here and I can judge for myself. They have a Mini1 and an ipad2, both running 9.3.x
My older sis (who has the ipad3) won't be here, unfortunately.
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I still use an iPad 3. Almost exclusively to watch video, which its still good at and really most of what I ever used it for. The battery is good for about 4-5 hours of video at top brightness or 6-8 at nighttime levels.
I used to do some light web browsing on it too, but web pages have gotten heavier and it freezes too often to be a pleasant experience.
I'll probably upgrade some time in the next 12 months to something lighter and a bit more powerful. Also, something that supports the latest iOS and charging connectors.
But I'm not in any rush.
I used to do some light web browsing on it too, but web pages have gotten heavier and it freezes too often to be a pleasant experience.
I'll probably upgrade some time in the next 12 months to something lighter and a bit more powerful. Also, something that supports the latest iOS and charging connectors.
But I'm not in any rush.
AppAdmin (a Cydia jailbreak tweak) allows you to load and use older versions of current apps. I find that although my apps need to remain somewhat current on my iPhone, on the iPad it isn't as necessary (or even desirable).
You may not be using the right charger. If you are using a charger for another device (iPhone, Samsung tablet, etc. ) it will take a lot longer than with the original charger for that device.
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As a software developer, there isn't much need. Apple has required apps to support 64 bit for a very long time. Supporting 32 and 64 bit is really no problem. And nowadays Apple can download only the 32 bit parts to 32 bit devices, and the 64 bit parts to 64 bit devices, so having 32+64 bit in the store doesn't cost any download time anymore.
Fair, she doesn't have a mac just iPhone 6s+ so its still preferable for when she wants a big screen.
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I have told her that which makes it all the more impressive to her that a 4-5 (?) year old tablet fulfills her needs. Meanwhile I am about to upgrade my iPad mini 2 to the Air 2
IOS 9 runs very slow on iPhone 4S and IPad 2 . iOS 8 is where these devices started to get slow, and iOS 9 just made it worse.
To be honest, IOS 7 is where iPad 2 started to get slow, IMO
I recently downgraded from an iPad 4 to an iPad 2 because ever since I got a 2016 MacBook and an iPhone 6S (the latter I picked up over the past spring), the iPad was getting significantly less use. My mom has my 4 and it has yet to break on me for anything.
Until that point, I used my iPad to read news, write on Ulysses and play games. All of them were done out and about until I got my MacBook and the iPad became a home-only device.
Now with my iPad 2 (still on iOS 6!), it's just a news and blog reader during meals and downtime.
Until that point, I used my iPad to read news, write on Ulysses and play games. All of them were done out and about until I got my MacBook and the iPad became a home-only device.
Now with my iPad 2 (still on iOS 6!), it's just a news and blog reader during meals and downtime.
Wifey is still using her iPad 4 daily and ne re complains about it. If anything it feels soooooo heavy compared to newer iPads. Technically it works OK though. No issues.