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iPad Ipad air $560 or Refurbished iPad 4 $380?

I

Iphone5s

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 25, 2012
5
0
Guys, I sold my iPad mini right before the new ones released last year. I was planning on getting the new mini but decided against it because my mini just felt too small. I owned an iPad 2 before I got the original mini and I am looking forward to a large iPad again.

So basically my question is, should I get a used iPad 4 for $380 from apples.ca or should I get a Air for $560 Canadian?

I have a 2013 11" macbook air so I am hoping I can get away without over spending and getting the refurbished iPad 4. What would you guys suggest?
 
Iphone5s said:
So basically my question is, should I get a used iPad 4 for $380 from apples.ca or should I get a Air for $560 Canadian?
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Really up to you to decide which one is better for your needs.

I use my iPad for web browsing, email, ebook reading and videos. For those tasks, the 4 is just as good as the Air. For me, the only noticeable difference between them is form factor and weight. If you play demanding games or run some CPU intensive stuff, the Air will likely be noticeably faster.
 
I will probably go with the iPad 4 and see if I am satisfied. If not I will switch it out for the Air. Hopefully using a case will hide the iPad 4s heat issues.
 
The Air is nicer and lighter and that's what you're paying the extra $200 for. If money is of no object, get the Air. If you want to make a value purchase, the 4 is a great choice.
 
iPad 4 simply because the iPad Air 2 will have Touch ID, meaning that you can save up more $ in the process even though the Air will have more value if you were to resell it.
 
Thanks guys. I ordered a iPad 4 to save some money. I will use this iPad for a year and a half before upgrading again so I am looking forward to it :).
 
BenTrovato said:
The Air is nicer and lighter and that's what you're paying the extra $200 for. If money is of no object, get the Air. If you want to make a value purchase, the 4 is a great choice.
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You are also getting a faster processor, better wifi capabilities, and some other little stuff that adds up too. The 4 is still a a solid device but unless there is a money issue, the Air is the better overall product.
 
s2mikey said:
You are also getting a faster processor, better wifi capabilities, and some other little stuff that adds up too. The 4 is still a a solid device but unless there is a money issue, the Air is the better overall product.
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At this point in the cycle, I would wait. The faster processor still only has 1GB RAM. The better wireless is still without AC. The Air 2 will be a big upgrade over the current Air with 2GB of RAM and AC. The best reason to get the Air today is if you want a lighter form factor.
 
Dmunjal said:
At this point in the cycle, I would wait. The faster processor still only has 1GB RAM.
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Fascinating how much of a meme the RAM has become. That's like saying buying an iPad 4 or iPhone 4S instead of iPad 3 or iPhone 4 wasn't a good decision, which sounds almost ridiculous from today's point of view because we can now see very clearly see how much a faster processor can help even if they have the same amount of RAM.

Just like iPad 3 vs iPad 4 or iPhone 4 vs iPhone 4S, at some point the iPad Air's added processing power will show up very significantly over the iPad 4's despite their identical RAM size. Also the Air has a vastly improved form factor unlike the iPad 4 or the iPhone 4S which didn't have any improvements in size or weight. Just loading the website, if the website had a lot of javascripts the Air shows a good deal of improvements and it'll only be more significant as iOS adds additional features in the future. Which is exactly what we've seen with the iPad 4 over the iPad 3.

Having said all that, since the iPad Air is now almost exactly in the middle of its expected new product cycle, I'd wait and see if there's a deal to be had first. Apple could stock refurbished ones soon as well.
 
fertilized-egg said:
Fascinating how much of a meme the RAM has become. That's like saying buying an iPad 4 or iPhone 4S instead of iPad 3 or iPhone 4 wasn't a good decision, which sounds almost ridiculous from today's point of view because we can now see very clearly see how much a faster processor can help even if they have the same amount of RAM.

Just like iPad 3 vs iPad 4 or iPhone 4 vs iPhone 4S, at some point the iPad Air's added processing power will show up very significantly over the iPad 4's despite their identical RAM size. Also the Air has a vastly improved form factor unlike the iPad 4 or the iPhone 4S which didn't have any improvements in size or weight. Just loading the website, if the website had a lot of javascripts the Air shows a good deal of improvements and it'll only be more significant as iOS adds additional features in the future. Which is exactly what we've seen with the iPad 4 over the iPad 3.

Having said all that, since the iPad Air is now almost exactly in the middle of its expected new product cycle, I'd wait and see if there's a deal to be had first. Apple could stock refurbished ones soon as well.
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It really depends on your usage. Some prefer the best gaming performance and CPU/GPU is the the most important criteria. Here Apple excels.

For some like me, I use an iPad for work and am constantly moving from one app to another and different tabs in Safari. For this, CPU/GPU is not as important as RAM.

To me, the iPad Air is like the iPad 3. It has mismatched hardware with a 64 bit CPU but not enough RAM.

At this point, it would be better to wait. The 2GB RAM upgrade will improve performance quite a bit.
 
Dmunjal said:
It really depends on your usage. Some prefer the best gaming performance and CPU/GPU is the the most important criteria. Here Apple excels.
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It's not just gaming, it's for everything. Again the iPhone 4s has the same amount of RAM as the iPhone 4, and iPad 4 has the same amount of RAM as the iPad 3. The processing power difference is so obvious now just browsing the web , loading apps, and so on.

Dmunjal said:
To me, the iPad Air is like the iPad 3. It has mismatched hardware with a 64 bit CPU but not enough RAM.
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The iPad 3 was a rare exception because its processor wasn't updated from the iPad 2. Notwithstanding the additional RAM requirements of the 64bit, in the future the iPad Air will make the iPad 4 look slow, just as the iPad 4 did to the 3. The A7 chip is twice as fast as A6 and it'll only be more obvious as we get new iOS updates.
 
Dmunjal said:
At this point in the cycle, I would wait. The faster processor still only has 1GB RAM. The better wireless is still without AC. The Air 2 will be a big upgrade over the current Air with 2GB of RAM and AC. The best reason to get the Air today is if you want a lighter form factor.
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Very possible but none of us really know what they'll do or won't do. You think the extra RAM would be in the next gen Air but apple always seems to be low on RAM in their devices. Been like that since the first gen iPad was released!
 
s2mikey said:
Very possible but none of us really know what they'll do or won't do. You think the extra RAM would be in the next gen Air but apple always seems to be low on RAM in their devices. Been like that since the first gen iPad was released!
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Yes. No one knows how much RAM will be in the next iPad. Instead of waiting for something that might not happen, now is a good time as any to buy because Apple now sells cheaper refurbished models of its current iPads.
 
Would definitely get the air. You don't think its a big difference but in the end it really is
 
ipad air for sure

I waited until I found a deal on ebay

A seller had a new Ipad air for 450 then -50 rewards then -20 ebay bucks :D

I was given a year warranty from the date registered with apple.
 
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