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Chambolle

macrumors newbie
Apr 5, 2016
2
1
Upgrading from the iPad Air and very happy with the new Pro 9.7. I love the faster processor, true tone display and much improved speakers. One minor note, my unit has a small cosmetic blemish on the aluminum body. I have arranged to swap it out for a new unit. For the amount of $$$$, I expect a perfect product.
 
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Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,617
7,794
iPad 2: lighter, added camera, *RAM increase from 256MB to 512MB
iPad 3: retina, *1GB RAM
iPad 4: lightning port, *128GB storage option
iPad Air: lighter
iPad Air2: 2GB RAM, *touch ID
iPad Pro: True Tone, 4 speakers, Pencil support, **Smart connector, *better camera, *256GB storage option

(All generations had faster processors than the previous)

Am I missing anything? Which gen was the worst upgrade? Discuss. ;)
*Edited to add missed improvements, corrections
**Changed "keyboard support" to "smart connector"
 
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CE3

macrumors 68000
Nov 26, 2014
1,808
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Worst update? Ever here of the iPad 4? Considering you have an Air 2 aside from the ram what makes it that much better than an Air?
http://apple-history.com/compare/ipad_air/ipad_air_2

The RAM and the faster processor offered welcome performance improvements, and the screen of the Air 2 feels much more solid vs. the flexi Air 1 screen.
[doublepost=1459879144][/doublepost]
iPad 2: lighter, added camera
iPad 3: retina
iPad 4: lightning port
iPad Air: lighter
iPad Air2: 2GB RAM
iPad Pro: True Tone, 4 speakers, Pencil & Smart Keyboard support

(All generations had faster processors than the previous)

Am I missing anything? Which gen was the worst upgrade? Discuss. ;)

iPad Pro also got the 6S Plus camera.
 

rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,428
12,443
iPad 2: lighter, added camera
iPad 3: retina
iPad 4: lightning port, increased RAM
iPad Air: lighter
iPad Air2: 2GB RAM
iPad Pro: True Tone, 4 speakers, Pencil & Smart Keyboard support

(All generations had faster processors than the previous)

Am I missing anything? Which gen was the worst upgrade? Discuss. ;)
iPad 3 got 1GB RAM, same CPU as iPad 2 and 2x GPU performance. iPad 3, 4 and Air all have 1GB RAM. It's really only now that one can fully appreciate how much faster the iPad 4 is compared to the 3. I have both and on iOS 7/8, I found web browsing to be unbearable on the 3 while the 4 mostly kept up with the Air. Now that they're on iOS 9, the speed increase on the Air over the 4, is becoming more apparent.

Really though, they've all just been incremental upgrades. You need to skip a generation or more to see significant changes.
 

Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,617
7,794
iPad 3 got 1GB RAM, same CPU as iPad 2 and 2x GPU performance. iPad 3, 4 and Air all have 1GB RAM.

I thought there was a RAM increase from 3 to 4. Wasn't the complaint back then that iPad 3 got the retina screen, but not enough RAM to drive it?
 

moosington

macrumors member
Mar 16, 2016
66
55
San Antonio, TX
Got mine (256gb gold) Saturday night on somewhat of an impulse buy. Woke up in the middle of the night, erased it and planned to take it back the next morning. We could afford it, but i have trouble making bigger purchases. I thought "it's worth the money, but maybe just more than I want to spend. It's almost the same as my 6+!" My wife and I are both getting MacBooks to work remote with when they refresh too, what if I don't use one or the other much??

I mulled it over the next morning and decided to keep it. I'm happy I did. The pencil really is awesome for productivity and playing with. I spent all Sunday drawing on it and checking out tablet apps. It really is a different beast than the phones. I've brought it to work to take notes on, we'll see how that goes. I just found out I can auto tether to my phone when off WiFi, which is pretty sweet. We've used it every morning to do yoga with too, which beats the hell out of our phone screen. It's an all around pleasure to use so I'll be keeping it!
 
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Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,617
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You need to skip a generation or more to see significant changes.

I'm thinking the most significant update might have been from iPad 1 to 2. I loved the original iPad, but boy, was that thing heavy! I think it had less RAM than the 2, too -- wasn't sure, so didn't put that in my list.
 
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RedOrchestra

Suspended
Aug 13, 2012
2,623
3,237
I thought there was a RAM increase from 3 to 4. Wasn't the complaint back then that iPad 3 got the retina screen, but not enough RAM to drive it?

Nope, the 3 got the 1GB of RAM, which was an increase over the 2; the complaint came in the increase in weight due to the larger battery needed to support the Retina screen.
 

rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,428
12,443
I thought there was a RAM increase from 3 to 4. Wasn't the complaint back then that iPad 3 got the retina screen, but not enough RAM to drive it?
Retina increased resolution to 4x (786k to 3.1M) but RAM only increased to 2x (512MB to 1GB), GPU by 2x and CPU stayed the same. With the benefit of hindsight, it's really the CPU/GPU that's the problem with the iPad 3, not RAM. Of course, more RAM would be welcome but at this point, I've given up on expecting Apple to suddenly become generous with RAM.

I'm thinking the most significant update might have been from iPad 1 to 2. I loved the original iPad, but boy, was that thing heavy! I think it had less RAM than the 2, too -- wasn't sure, so didn't put that in my list.
Weight, form factor (iPad 2 was a lot slimmer), single-core to dual-core CPU and 256MB to 512MB RAM. Even the iPhone 4 had 512MB RAM so really, the 256MB on the original was just too little.
 
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dazz87

macrumors 68000
Sep 24, 2007
1,626
1,708
the pro is just another tablet with better speakers. I dont know what people are expecting from it
 

Ries

macrumors 68020
Apr 21, 2007
2,317
2,895
iPad 2: lighter, added camera
iPad 3: retina
iPad 4: lightning port, increased RAM
iPad Air: lighter
iPad Air2: 2GB RAM
iPad Pro: True Tone, 4 speakers, Pencil & Smart Keyboard support, better camera, 256GB storage option

(All generations had faster processors than the previous)

Am I missing anything? Which gen was the worst upgrade? Discuss. ;)
*Edited to add missed improvements.

The air got 64-bit CPU and a 128 GB option too and most of them had keyboard support, just not from apple. And theres was non-apple stylus before the iPad Pro.

iPad 3: retina, better camera
iPad 4: lightning port, increased RAM
iPad Air: lighter, 64-bit CPU, 128GB option, IGZO display.
iPad Air2: 2GB RAM, touch id, better camera, 802.11ac, timelapse and slow motion
iPad Pro: True Tone, 4 speakers, better camera, 256GB storage option
 
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rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,428
12,443
The air got 64-bit CPU and a 128 GB option too and most of them had keyboard support, just not from apple. And theres was non-apple stylus before the iPad Pro.

iPad 3: retina, better camera
iPad 4: lightning port, increased RAM
iPad Air: lighter, 64-bit CPU, 128GB option, IGZO display.
iPad Air2: 2GB RAM, touch id, better camera
iPad Pro: True Tone, 4 speakers, better camera, 256GB storage option
Correction, the iPad 4 was the first to have 128GB option. It just kinda went the same way as iPad Pro 12.9 where the 128GB option came around 4-5 months later. And again, increased RAM came with iPad 3, not 4. I'm not entirely sure but I think the 3 also added a back-facing camera while the 2 only had a front-facing one. I'm not sure if it was mentioned but Air 2 is also lighter than Air although it's not as pronounced as the difference between iPad 2/3/4 and Air.
 

TrueBlou

macrumors 601
Sep 16, 2014
4,531
3,619
Scotland
I'm all for people have opinions on things. That's what these forums are for! But wouldn't any number of a bunch of other threads have covered this? Liiiiike....https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/how-happy-are-you-with-your-new-9-7-ipad-pro.1964991/

It's just kind of odd. Saying you didn't know if you needed to upgrade because "well true tone is nice and it has nice speakers, but I don't know!" Well...those were the upgrades. If you didn't think those features among the other new ones were worth it, why did you get it ya know?

There's a lot of psychology that goes on with purchases. Especially these days when you have the media and giant multi billion dollar companies telling you what to buy. Back when I was a kid, people didn't really buy things unless they had a strong need. "Back in my day" (when saying that, I get to feel old) you kept your tv until it died. Same with phones and everything else. Now people are spending hundreds of dollars on a product for a couple minor features they don't even know they need. And despite how fast tech seems to be moving, there aren't any quantum leaps in technology. Especially when you already have a product that just a month ago was the newest most current one. That's why on all these sites they ask this very question. "If I have an iPad Air 2, should I get the new iPad Pro?" And it's pretty much a consensus that unless you're dying for an updated speaker set up or a better camera, your iPad Air 2 is just fine. It's like if someone warns you not to put your hand in fire then you do it anyway, then you make a thread about it saying "damnnnn that was hot! I probably shouldn't have done that!" Then people look at you like dude. You were warned. How can you be that shocked? You should have thought this through. Are the people that tell him to be more careful in the future just a bunch of jerks?

I don't know. Maybe I bring too much of my own perspective with my comments sometimes and it can be jarring to some people. I can be a little too blunt sometimes.




Trouble these days I think seems to be that some people just never seem to be satisfied with what they have no matter what.

I mean if you like your current device and it fulfills all of your needs then, well, don't upgrade. Wait until either the device you have no longer does what you need it to, becomes too slow to bear any longer or breaks.

That's my mantra at least. Maybe it's partly because I, like you grew up in a, replace it when it's broken household. Maybe it's because we didn't have a huge amount of money when I was young and got taught to have a certain respect for the things I had, who knows. But If there's no perceivable improvement over my current devices for my needs, then I've nothing to gain, so what's the point, beyond desire, in replacing it.

Sure there's times when I'll get an newer version of something I have just because I like what the new version offers and want to treat myself. But if I'm doing that it means I've already researched it and know what to expect. If I still want it once my research is done, how can I possibly have remorse.

I'm 42 now and I can honestly say that I've never had buyers remorse. I know what I'm buying before I buy it and why I'm buying it. Keeps me a happy chappie that way.
 

Ghost31

macrumors 68040
Jun 9, 2015
3,341
5,149
Trouble these days I think seems to be that some people just never seem to be satisfied with what they have no matter what.

I mean if you like your current device and it fulfills all of your needs then, well, don't upgrade. Wait until either the device you have no longer does what you need it to, becomes too slow to bear any longer or breaks.

That's my mantra at least. Maybe it's partly because I, like you grew up in a, replace it when it's broken household. Maybe it's because we didn't have a huge amount of money when I was young and got taught to have a certain respect for the things I had, who knows. But If there's no perceivable improvement over my current devices for my needs, then I've nothing to gain, so what's the point, beyond desire, in replacing it.

Sure there's times when I'll get an newer version of something I have just because I like what the new version offers and want to treat myself. But if I'm doing that it means I've already researched it and know what to expect. If I still want it once my research is done, how can I possibly have remorse.

I'm 42 now and I can honestly say that I've never had buyers remorse. I know what I'm buying before I buy it and why I'm buying it. Keeps me a happy chappie that way.
You remember the old days as well as me? I remember having an old beat up black and white tv with bunny ears where it didn't work half the time and you had to hit it every now and then to get the picture to work. We still didn't buy a new tv for quite awhile after that. We found a great method to fixing it every now and then. Put a spoon on the tip of the antenna and the picture will come in! Oh wow! I should be an engineer. Everybody would have a dedicated tv spoon in their house.

These days, people live in cities blanketed in Internet and get to watch whatever they want on demand on any number of devices. Then, when a new device comes out every year that just a decade ago would be considered science fiction with its awesome technology, you see complaints on the Internet "yawwwwnn. Not impressed". I think Arthur C Clark may have said something in the past about how people get excited for a new technology when it gets but then get complacent and grow just as bored with it as everything else. He said "someday people will have the Internet and treat it like people do today's phones. Like an appliance". Or something like that. I'm paraphrasing here.

I didn't really mean to jump on OP, but just consider my perspective. We are living in a time that will be remembered as the great boom of widely used technology. And OP, who had a perfectly fine iPad, bought a new one just for the heck of it even though the features didn't interest him AND (he said himself) he didn't have the money to spend in the first place. It's so....backwards the way people shop these days to me. You look at a product, decide if it's meant for you and either buy it or don't. And if you didn't have the money to buy it in the first place, don't even consider it. Just wait.
 
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Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,617
7,794
iPad 4 was significantly faster then the iPad 3, which was actually SLOWER then the iPad 2 because of the retina screen

True. But for me, it was like:
iPad 1 -- Finally, an Apple tablet! Must have!
iPad 2 -- much lighter and thinner, camera. Must have!
iPad 3 -- Retina! Must have!
iPad 4 -- Faster, but it's only been 8 months since I bought iPad 3, and what's this Mini? Guess I'll try the smaller size one instead. Skip!
Air 1 -- Much lighter! smaller! Must have!
Air 2 -- slightly lighter, faster, hmmmmmm. Oh, boss lost his iPad and wants to buy my Air 1! Lucky! Buy! Probably would have skipped it otherwise.
Pro 12.9 -- Bigger screen! Buy!
Pro 9.7 -- TrueTone seems nice, but not going back to smaller size. Skip.

So that was a long winded way of saying iPad 4 was, to me, the least impressive iPad upgrade, and the only one I skipped. Pro 9.7 I think is a great upgrade from the Air 2, but I've simply moved on to the 12.9 size.
 

Ghost31

macrumors 68040
Jun 9, 2015
3,341
5,149
True. But for me, it was like:
iPad 1 -- Finally, an Apple tablet! Must have!
iPad 2 -- much lighter and thinner, camera. Must have!
iPad 3 -- Retina! Must have!
iPad 4 -- Faster, but it's only been 8 months since I bought iPad 3, and what's this Mini? Guess I'll try the smaller size one instead. Skip!
Air 1 -- Much lighter! smaller! Must have!
Air 2 -- slightly lighter, faster, hmmmmmm. Oh, boss lost his iPad and wants to buy my Air 1! Lucky! Buy! Probably would have skipped it otherwise.
Pro 12.9 -- Bigger screen! Buy!
Pro 9.7 -- TrueTone seems nice, but not going back to smaller size. Skip.

So that was a long winded way of saying iPad 4 was, to me, the least impressive iPad upgrade, and the only one I skipped. Pro 9.7 I think is a great upgrade from the Air 2, but I've simply moved on to the 12.9 size.
I can't even remember what the iPad 4's big thing was. Was it just that they switched to lightening and bumped the processor? I don't remember giving a hoot. I never got too crazy about the iPad until the air came out. That's what really blew my metaphorical skirt up
 

TrueBlou

macrumors 601
Sep 16, 2014
4,531
3,619
Scotland
You remember the old days as well as me? I remember having an old beat up black and white tv with bunny ears where it didn't work half the time and you had to hit it every now and then to get the picture to work. We still didn't buy a new tv for quite awhile after that. We found a great method to fixing it every now and then. Put a spoon on the tip of the antenna and the picture will come in! Oh wow! I should be an engineer. Everybody would have a dedicated tv spoon in their house.

These days, people live in cities blanketed in Internet and get to watch whatever they want on demand on any number of devices. Then, when a new device comes out every year that just a decade ago would be considered science fiction with its awesome technology, you see complaints on the Internet "yawwwwnn. Not impressed". I think Arthur C Clark may have said something in the past about how people get excited for a new technology when it gets but then get complacent and grow just as bored with it as everything else. He said "someday people will have the Internet and treat it like people do today's phones. Like an appliance". Or something like that. I'm paraphrasing here.

I didn't really mean to jump on OP, but just consider my perspective. We are living in a time that will be remembered as the great boom of widely used technology. And OP, who had a perfectly fine iPad, bought a new one just for the heck of it even though the features didn't interest him AND (he said himself) he didn't have the money to spend in the first place. It's so....backwards the way people shop these days to me. You look at a product, decide if it's meant for you and either buy it or don't. And if you didn't have the money to buy it in the first place, don't even consider it. Just wait.



Yeah I remember those days well, and fondly. I remember us having an old coat hanger as a replacement for the broken tv aerial. My grannie making dinner on the coal fire because there wasn't enough money for power that week (oh how they hated me at age four when my posh auntie was visiting and I piped up with that story. To shouts of, it was a power cut, go out and play :D) An old Betamax that needed to be slapped around thoroughly before it would work. Coats on the bed in the winter because it was cold. Ah, happy days :D

Thing is, we were happy, it was a different world to today's luxury item, throwaway culture. Not that I'm not happy now of course, were very lucky. But I think growing up like that taught some valuable life lessons that many people under the age of 40 or so miss out on completely.
 
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FrozenDarkness

macrumors 68000
Mar 21, 2009
1,729
969
let's be honest here, it's not the incremental upgrade that pisses people off, it's purely 99% the $100 price increase. Apple doesnt' do the price increase, this conversation would not be had.
 
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Ghost31

macrumors 68040
Jun 9, 2015
3,341
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let's be honest here, it's not the incremental upgrade that pisses people off, it's purely 99% the $100 price increase. Apple doesnt' do the price increase, this conversation would not be had.
Total agreement here. I don't know why they did it. I was so sure for awhile there leading up to it "well it might be rebranded pro, but it'll stay the same price cause that's just how it's always worked". Nope. Was totally wrong there.

I think it's still worth it for all it does. The market will decide the same. If it's not worth it, people will vote with their wallets. Or buy it and complain on forums about it anyway
 

TrueBlou

macrumors 601
Sep 16, 2014
4,531
3,619
Scotland
let's be honest here, it's not the incremental upgrade that pisses people off, it's purely 99% the $100 price increase. Apple doesnt' do the price increase, this conversation would not be had.

So we should expect everything any company releases to remain at a fixed price point ad infinitum?

Why? Because it suits us? Because we deserve it? Because they have no right to charge whatever they want? Because it's not 1000X more powerful than the last one? Because we spent billions of dollars developing it and spend billions more providing year-round support for it?

Really, I'm genuinely curious, what right do we have to expect any company to charge what we want them to charge for any product, rather than what they deem to be the appropriate price point? I'd sure love for my energy bills to have not increased by over 100% in the past three years, but I don't exactly get a choice.

At the end of the day, if we deem a product to be beyond that which we consider value for money. The singular thing we can do is not buy it. Kind of how consumerism has worked since the days when people exchanged bits of wood with notches carved into them to represent the exchange of value between parties.


Damn I need more coffee, I'm grumpier than usual this morning :D
 
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