iPad Air just got old, SplitView only available on the iPad Air 2

[Truefan31]

I am not talking about an app update. I was talking about a major update to the system like you get with iOS9 and Lollipop (if Google's claims of its greatness are true). The iPad Air will get everything other than one feature from iOS9. The Asus I have gets nothing from Lollipop. Hope that helps clarify.

Yup and probably ios 10 and 11.

 

[Uofmtiger]

Lol in the mobile world 1.5 to 2 years is pretty significant. That's the case with most products in this category, besides Apple. That's 2 cycles of a product.

True and iOS9 has simply been announced. It isn't even out of beta yet. When iOS9 is officially released to the public, we will be much closer to the 2 year mark of the iPad Air.

Also, it is hardly obsolete when a huge percentage of iPad users are still on the iPad 2.

 

[toke lahti]

Lol in the mobile world 1.5 to 2 years is pretty significant. That's the case with most products in this category, besides Apple. That's 2 cycles of a product.

Still Apple is selling Air1 in their own store "as new". Not "old", "outdated", "with insufficient ram" or "not going to have the best feature of next version of its os". Apple believes in customers' ignorance and customers believe Apple's products are perfect. Here we go...

 

[Uofmtiger]

Still Apple is selling Air1 in their own store "as new". Not "old", "outdated", "with insufficient ram" or "not going to have the best feature of next version of its os". Apple believes in customers' ignorance and customers believe Apple's products are perfect. Here we go...

They are selling it for less money for a reason. A customer should do at least 5 minutes of research to figure out why.

I went into a BMW dealership and they had several different 3 series. I drove off the lot with the cheapest one and was shocked to find out later that it had different abilities from the m3.

 

[mi7chy]

This would be a non-issue if Apple had spent an extra $5 for another gigabyte of DRAM back in 2013.

The competition did it in 2012 with 2GB DRAM, split view and picture-in-picture.

 

[Uofmtiger]

This would be a non-issue if Apple had spent an extra $5 for another gigabyte of DRAM back in 2013.

The competition did it in 2012 with 2GB DRAM, split view and picture-in-picture.

Right now you can get a Samsung tablet with 3GB of RAM. So the bigger numbered option is still out there if that is what you care about. In five minutes (or so), Samsung will release a 4GB model that makes that model "obsolete", so be careful.

 

[Truefan31]

Still Apple is selling Air1 in their own store "as new". Not "old", "outdated", "with insufficient ram" or "not going to have the best feature of next version of its os". Apple believes in customers' ignorance and customers believe Apple's products are perfect. Here we go...

Why would the air be old or outdated? Insufficient ram is subjective as is the best feature of its os.

Who said Apple was perfect? Nobody in here I've read. The issue is people thinking older models should get everything the new models get even though their still supported.

 

[Truefan31]

They are selling it for less money for a reason. A customer should do at least 5 minutes of research to figure out why.

I went into a BMW dealership and they had several different 3 series. I drove off the lot with the cheapest one and was shocked to find out later that it had different abilities from the m3.

Yeah I don't get it really. So they want everything regardless of model of device. Swear if the new iPad has 3 gb ram they'll be moaning how the air 2 is outdated smh

 

[toke lahti]

I think this is a good read on the RAM story, including supply constraints Apple could be facing if they implement more RAM, which, according to some answers here, they get around with by having more efficient usage of it:
http://www.quora.com/Why-is-the-iPh...ete-with-more-than-2-GB-RAM-of-Android-phones

I don't mind people complaining on forums, but it's always better if you do some reading too and then post links, there's this thing called Google and all that other search engines, stop making yourself sound emotional and even closer to trolling.

That link points to this source:
http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/appl...5-of-all-dram-in-the-world-next-year-3573930/
And it has so many flaws, that it's hard to believe to be "reliable source". First they talk about "all DRAM" in the headline, then about NAND in the text and then saying that next mbp would use LPDDR3.

Ram constraint is certainly possible, but the real question is in what level. If Apple bought the first megabyte per device at $5, maybe the next megabyte would have cost $10 (in 2013). And maybe for a last year, when supply has grown, they are getting as much as they want with $3/GB. Whether this should define how much Apple puts memory in devices that cost $500-$1000, the decision is of course yours.

 

[toke lahti]

Why would the air be old or outdated? Insufficient ram is subjective as is the best feature of its os.

Who said Apple was perfect? Nobody in here I've read. The issue is people thinking older models should get everything the new models get even though their still supported.

I think this is the first time that only one gen old device will miss the most important feature of next OS release. I think this is significant.

 

[Uofmtiger]

I think this is the first time that only one gen old device will miss the most important feature of next OS release. I think this is significant.

The iPad Air was released with iOS 7. It got every feature of iOS 8. It will not get every feature of iOS 9. The third gen iPad got Siri (iOS 5), the iPad 2 ( released with iOS 4.2.1) didn't. This was about a year after release.

The worst iPad, by far, for future capability was the Original. The original iPad runs iOS 5.1.1, iPad 2 runs the latest iOS (with some missing features).

Nothing outside of Apple's iPad record going on here.

How bout' those poor iPad 3 owners that dished out several hundred dollars in March 2012 for a brand new iPad to see it replaced by the much more powerful iPad 4 with lightning port in November 2012? FYI I was one of those poor souls, but I was able to use the 3 right up until the time I got the Air 2.

 

[Truefan31]

The iPad Air was released with iOS 7. It got every feature of iOS 8. It will not get every feature of iOS 9. The third gen iPad got Siri (iOS 5), the iPad 2 ( released with iOS 4.2.1) didn't. This was about a year after release.

The worst iPad, by far, for future capability was the Original. The original iPad runs iOS 5.1.1, iPad 2 runs the latest iOS (with some missing features).

Nothing outside of Apple's iPad record going on here.

How bout' those poor iPad 3 owners that dished out several hundred dollars in March 2012 for a brand new iPad to see it replaced by the much more powerful iPad 4 with lightning port in November 2012? FYI I was one of those poor souls, but I was able to use the 3 right up until the time I got the Air 2.

Yes. The air did get every iOS 8 feature. Now it gets 1 less on iOS 9. Why is this all a sudden a travesty?

 

[malih]

That link points to this source:
http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/appl...5-of-all-dram-in-the-world-next-year-3573930/
And it has so many flaws, that it's hard to believe to be "reliable source". First they talk about "all DRAM" in the headline, then about NAND in the text and then saying that next mbp would use LPDDR3.

I don't know, probably because companies that manufactures DRAM also manufactures NAND.

Ram constraint is certainly possible, but the real question is in what level. If Apple bought the first megabyte per device at $5, maybe the next megabyte would have cost $10 (in 2013). And maybe for a last year, when supply has grown, they are getting as much as they want with $3/GB. Whether this should define how much Apple puts memory in devices that cost $500-$1000, the decision is of course yours.

I guess it's down to Apple obsession with thin design, they need high density ram for that, and supply for high density ram is limited, at least according to a simple Google search, and based on Apple sales number, they must be requesting a lot in comparison to phone makers other than Samsung.

In relation to pricing, aside from requiring specific components, designing a thin device also requires a lot of effort because they have to pay attention to heat dissipation and all that, based on what ASUS said: http://www.cnet.com/news/asus-explains-why-smartphones-are-more-expensive-than-the-249-fonepad/
Add to that with Apple enforcing their high profit margin... resulting in a very expensive device.

I'm not saying that device matches its value in dollars, but I'm trying to objectively seek the reason why Apple do this or that, instead of just bashing them based on rumours or accusations (this is certainly not pointed at you, but haters/bashers in forums).

I certainly don't see any value in iPhone 6 over the competition, which is why I don't own one.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Yes. The air did get every iOS 8 feature. Now it gets 1 less on iOS 9. Why is this all a sudden a travesty?

iPad owners have a much better ride than said devices with 3GB of ram and split view. Buy a Samsung tablet and it will most likely be superceeded by a newer device within 6 months. As far software updates you might be lucky to get one 6-8 months after general release and that's your lot.

 

[ipaddaro]

I think this is the first time that only one gen old device will miss the most important feature of next OS release. I think this is significant.

ipad 3 missed air drop feature of ios 7... and ios 7 was announced on spring 2013 while ipad 3 was released only one year before, less time than between ipad air release and ios 9 announcement.

 

[mrex]

iPad owners have a much better ride than said devices with 3GB of ram and split view. Buy a Samsung tablet and it will most likely be superceeded by a newer device within 6 months. As far software updates you might be lucky to get one 6-8 months after general release and that's your lot.

even samsung supports its highend devices better. I bought my Note (N8000) on 2012 with ice cream sandwich 4.0.x, it got an update to jellybean (4.1.x) after few months, then few months later it was updated with a premium package providing more features. some secure fixes came too during these years and finally they provided kitkat (4.4.x) on 2014/2015 (depending on a region).

and still im coming back to the same thing, even if you buy a flagship model (android) you dont buy an option to get any os updates. that is the reality. if you are whining about getting os updates, please show me where did they promise to update your device when you bought it... only google has this 18 months policy for nexus line. (and some other companies like oneplus one has promised to keep its phone updated for two years).

but i dont disagree or agree with this policy. im sure all of us hoping to get the newest and greatest, but in a reality, it cost money. you are not willing to pay more but you are willing to get everything. it doesnt bother me if my devices dont get the latest os update, but i hope to get security fixes. sometimes getting them is impossible or it takes too much time.

 

[newellj]

I think this is the first time that only one gen old device will miss the most important feature of next OS release. I think this is significant.

The iPhone 4 didn't get Siri, arguably a much more significant feature.

 

[toke lahti]

Siri and airDrop are valid points here, but they were not significant for me because the language constraints and because my 4S/mbp/mp didn't support airDrop.

The difference between these and splitScreen is that the former ones needed new tech (chips), but the latter one just needed Apple to put enough the same memory to a device that it was already using.

I don't know, probably because companies that manufactures DRAM also manufactures NAND.

Nope,
These articles are just speculation based on rumors.
Only papers that have real info are from those market research companies like Dramexchange and you have to pay to get those numbers. And even they just get a part of the truth, since a lot of big deals have secret price. Nobody but Apple and the seller knows what Apple has paid for their LPDDR3. At least I haven't heard any Apple Wikileaks...

I guess it's down to Apple obsession with thin design, they need high density ram for that, and supply for high density ram is limited, at least according to a simple Google search, and based on Apple sales number, they must be requesting a lot in comparison to phone makers other than Samsung.

In relation to pricing, aside from requiring specific components, designing a thin device also requires a lot of effort because they have to pay attention to heat dissipation and all that, based on what ASUS said: http://www.cnet.com/news/asus-explains-why-smartphones-are-more-expensive-than-the-249-fonepad/
Add to that with Apple enforcing their high profit margin... resulting in a very expensive device.

You are referring a lot of these "simple google searches". Why don't you just point some valid links.
When supply is "limited", it doesn't mean that you can't buy them, it only means that you have to pay a bit more. There has been overall over capacity in dram making in the world for over a decade or something. There's always some fluctuation, but overall things remain the same.

Ipad is so much bigger than a phone that it does not have same heat and space problems.

I'm not saying that device matches its value in dollars, but I'm trying to objectively seek the reason why Apple do this or that, instead of just bashing them based on rumours or accusations (this is certainly not pointed at you, but haters/bashers in forums).

I'm not saying that Apples devices are not value of their price for some, but these things like planned obsolescence are not raising their value. I do understand that there's no point making handheld device, where user could add RAM later, like you should be able to do with desktop computers (which Apple has also ruined), but there should be at least possibility to make your device more future proof by buying more ram as BTO. Just like with macs.

 

[malih]

but i dont disagree or agree with this policy. im sure all of us hoping to get the newest and greatest, but in a reality, it cost money. you are not willing to pay more but you are willing to get everything. it doesnt bother me if my devices dont get the latest os update, but i hope to get security fixes. sometimes getting them is impossible or it takes too much time.

Agreed, not getting an OS update means not getting the latest security fix, also some apps sometimes require newer OS version to install.

Missing new features seems to be small compared to that.
I wouldn't want Apple to not give new hardware better specs and implement new features just because they don't want the last gen buyers to be disappointed, that's a step backward.

 

[Shanghaichica]

even samsung supports its highend devices better. I bought my Note (N8000) on 2012 with ice cream sandwich 4.0.x, it got an update to jellybean (4.1.x) after few months, then few months later it was updated with a premium package providing more features. some secure fixes came too during these years and finally they provided kitkat (4.4.x) on 2014/2015 (depending on a region).

and still im coming back to the same thing, even if you buy a flagship model (android) you dont buy an option to get any os updates. that is the reality. if you are whining about getting os updates, please show me where did they promise to update your device when you bought it... only google has this 18 months policy for nexus line. (and some other companies like oneplus one has promised to keep its phone updated for two years).

but i dont disagree or agree with this policy. im sure all of us hoping to get the newest and greatest, but in a reality, it cost money. you are not willing to pay more but you are willing to get everything. it doesnt bother me if my devices dont get the latest os update, but i hope to get security fixes. sometimes getting them is impossible or it takes too much time.

I've had 2 Samsung tablets and never had more than 1 software update. Galaxy tab 2 10.1 went from ICS to jelly bean. The tab pro 10.1 hasn't received its lollipop update but I expect that it will even though Samsung have washed their hands of it now that they have the Tab S. When you spend that much on a device you would expect it to be updated for a few years at least. The other OEMs are likely better but Samsung are very quick to move onto the next thing. Usually you need the latest and greatest to make use of their new services or features. E.g the premium tab pro line does not support flow. The S5 was not compatible with gear VR even though it was only released a few months before gear VR was announced.

 

[malih]

Ipad is so much bigger than a phone that it does not have same heat and space problems.

You must be talking about Android tablets, because of, again, Apple obsession with thin design, they want to make it thinner and lighter... but at the same time still have space for the massive battery to power that big tablet display.

It seems with Apple it all returns back to thin and light, at least for the past couple of years.

 

[cynics]

Agreed, not getting an OS update means not getting the latest security fix, also some apps sometimes require newer OS version to install.

Missing new features seems to be small compared to that.
I wouldn't want Apple to not give new hardware better specs and implement new features just because they don't want the last gen buyers to be disappointed, that's a step backward.

That's not always the case. Android updates apps separate of the the OS.

For example if there is a security issue with mail Apple needs to update iOS. Even if that is all the update fixes it will be iOS 8.3.1 or something. Takes forever. If Android has a security issue with mail (gmail app in Androids case) they push an update through their App Store specifically to update that app.

If your device is no longer supported by the manufacturer and running an older version of Android you'll still get these updates. I have an ICS and JB device that still do.

That applies to features as well. Apple mentioned at WWDC maps will have various transit support in iOS 9. Features like that are pushed out for core apps on Android quite frequently. This is demonstrated by the ever evolving google map app even on the none latest versions of Android.

Both methods in the end have similar results. While neither method is perfect I feel Googles approach is not only necessary due to Android being open source and manufacturer controlled but better on a technical level.

 

[mrex]

Agreed, not getting an OS update means not getting the latest security fix, also some apps sometimes require newer OS version to install.

Missing new features seems to be small compared to that.
I wouldn't want Apple to not give new hardware better specs and implement new features just because they don't want the last gen buyers to be disappointed, that's a step backward.

android works abit differend than ios in this case which is good. you dont need to wait major os release to get fixes and new features. apps are updated via playstore and they are updated even without the os update. of course some new features may need newer api to work, but in a general, you dont need to get the newest os to get security fixes for apps or not even for newer features (if they dont need a new api for example). but if the security issue is in the android itself, then it is a differend thing. you may get a security fix or not. and im not happy about that. the older (and cheaper) the device is the less possible it is to happen.

 

[malih]

I have an ICS and JB device that still do.

FYI, there's security hole with Android WebView for Android below KitKat that'll be never be fixed...
http://www.zdnet.com/article/google...s-for-pre-kitkat-webview-abandons-930m-users/
http://www.zdnet.com/article/google-why-we-wont-patch-pre-kitkat-android-webview/

And that vulnerability is fixed for KitKat, but I never got newer Android WebView update through Play Store, cause I remember getting Android WebView update through Play Store only after updating to Lollipop.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/23/android_lollipop_webview_component_unwrapped_for_developers/

Of course going forward that'll improve, especially when the majority of Android devices has moved to at least Lollipop. But today, that's not the case just yet.

 

[mrex]

that is a good example. and i have agree with google not patching it. it would be just a time consuming patch that probably never be released to any of those older phones. it doesnt matter if google builds a patch, it still have to go the whole oem cycle. that is also the reason why is it now updated from playstore to prevent it happening again. there are no manufacturers that will provide this kind of patches just for 50dollars phones.