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Love-hate 🍏 relationship

macrumors 68040
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Sep 19, 2021
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need an ipad soon for the univ,have to take notes and anotate a hell lot of pdf (in total should be around 4/5gb i believe ) ,should i get an ipad 9th gen or rather get an ipad air 4 ? i have a feeling the ipad air 4 will be supported for a shorter time than the ipad 9th lol

will the ipad 9th be enough or should i go air 4 second hand ? screen size doesnt seem to make a real difference tbf

also ,is 64gb enough for using goodnotes on these 5gb of pdf, several notes,bunch of apps and 5gb of pics MAX
 
need an ipad soon for the univ,have to take notes and anotate a hell lot of pdf (in total should be around 4/5gb i believe ) ,should i get an ipad 9th gen or rather get an ipad air 4 ? i have a feeling the ipad air 4 will be supported for a shorter time than the ipad 9th lol

will the ipad 9th be enough or should i go air 4 second hand ? screen size doesnt seem to make a real difference tbf

also ,is 64gb enough for using goodnotes on these 5gb of pdf, several notes,bunch of apps and 5gb of pics MAX
I'm a big fan of the 9th gen iPad and use it heavily daily as a digital notebook/journal. IMO, it is the best tech bargain these days...even at the MSRP of $329 for the entry model.

If you're going to be working with quite a few 5GB PDF files, then I would NOT recommend the 64 GB model. That's not enough storage to easily accommodate those files along with the other apps and data you'll most likely have. I have two or three such files on my 64GB iPad 9th gen, a few 100 mp3 files and a bunch of apps. While that leaves plenty of space available, I can easily see things getting tight if I were to have more of those larger files.

I also have a 256GB iPad Mini 5 and I have a TON of cbz/cbr files of vintage catalogs and magazine, 40 films stored locally, 1000+ mp3 and have about 100 GB still free.

With all that said, I'd recommend the 256GB iPad 9.
 
need an ipad soon for the univ,have to take notes and anotate a hell lot of pdf (in total should be around 4/5gb i believe ) ,should i get an ipad 9th gen or rather get an ipad air 4 ? i have a feeling the ipad air 4 will be supported for a shorter time than the ipad 9th lol

will the ipad 9th be enough or should i go air 4 second hand ? screen size doesnt seem to make a real difference tbf

also ,is 64gb enough for using goodnotes on these 5gb of pdf, several notes,bunch of apps and 5gb of pics MAX

I think both models will be fine for your needs, with getting the right Pencil version (Pencil 1 for iPad 9th Gen and Pencil 2 for Air 4). In regards to the life cycle of the products, I would expect both to be supported with updates to around 2027 (or beyond).

The iPad Air 4 will certainly be supported longer than the iPad 9th Generation. Though the 9th Gen is newer, it uses older technology (A13 CPU) and less RAM (3GB) than the Air. The Air 4 has the A14 CPU and 4GB RAM.

The Air 4 also has a laminated display and USB-C.

If you don’t find yourself downloading lots of apps, then 64GB is fine. You just have to keep an eye on your storage.
 
need an ipad soon for the univ,have to take notes and anotate a hell lot of pdf (in total should be around 4/5gb i believe ) ,should i get an ipad 9th gen or rather get an ipad air 4 ? i have a feeling the ipad air 4 will be supported for a shorter time than the ipad 9th lol

will the ipad 9th be enough or should i go air 4 second hand ? screen size doesnt seem to make a real difference tbf

also ,is 64gb enough for using goodnotes on these 5gb of pdf, several notes,bunch of apps and 5gb of pics MAX
Im not sure where you got the idea the 9th gen would outlast the air 4. Older cpu and less ram, but it should be more than fine for your needs. Though as others have said, get the bigger storage option
 
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need an ipad soon for the univ,have to take notes and anotate a hell lot of pdf (in total should be around 4/5gb i believe ) ,should i get an ipad 9th gen or rather get an ipad air 4 ? i have a feeling the ipad air 4 will be supported for a shorter time than the ipad 9th lol

will the ipad 9th be enough or should i go air 4 second hand ? screen size doesnt seem to make a real difference tbf

also ,is 64gb enough for using goodnotes on these 5gb of pdf, several notes,bunch of apps and 5gb of pics MAX
For you current needs (5GB of PDF files and 5GB of pics, plus some apps) 64GB storage is definitely enough, but if your needs change in the future it might not be. As other have said the Air 4 should be supported for longer than the iPad 9. Also, if you don't need it during the summer, I would wait for the iPad 10 in September, it should get USB C, and might get a new pencil and probably more RAM
 
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For you current needs (5GB of PDF files and 5GB of pics, plus some apps) 64GB storage is definitely enough, but if your needs change in the future it might not be. As other have said the Air 4 should be supported for longer than the iPad 9. Also, if you don't need it during the summer, I would wait for the iPad 10 in September, it should get USB C, and might get a new pencil and probably more RAM
I'd rather have it before I enter university which will be soon enough

the ipad 12.9 will suit my needs better ,but it's so expensive and I know I won't live in peace ,always afraid to break/damage it ...so idk
 
I'd rather have it before I enter university which will be soon enough

the ipad 12.9 will suit my needs better ,but it's so expensive and I know I won't live in peace ,always afraid to break/damage it ...so idk
Have you thought of an Apple refurbished 2018 12.9? It costs $629 and comes with a new battery, new screen, new back and warranty... It's basically the price of an air 5.
 
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