iPad iPad purchase advice needed

[hminer205]

Hi, I would like some views and tips about my next iPad purchase.

I am currently using an iPad 2 and I thought it was time I upgraded.

I haven't really kept current with Apple product news or anything so I don't know what's in their pipeline.

Is this a good time to be buying an iPad Air?

What features will I likely be missing by getting iPad Air and not the next model? I don't think I will miss touch id all that much, but I would be sorry for 2GB ram.

Is a price drop expected some time in the near future, given what's happened to previous models?

I've heard complaints about how Safari crashes really easily on iPad Air with iOS 7. Which is funny because Safari doesn't crash that often on my iPad 2 with iOS 7. It is slow, for sure, but I haven't experienced a whole lot of crashes. This gets me a bit nervous about getting an iPad Air.

Another issue is that I am a JB user. There are certain tweaks without which I simply can't use the iPad for the intended purpose in purchasing one. If I get the next model, how long should I expect to wait (time for the new model to come out + time for that model to get JB'd + time for my indispensable tweak to get an update)?

Also, if I buy an iPad now, how do I ensure it's got iOS that's still jailbreakable? In other words, how can I avoid devices with iOS 7.1 loaded on them? Should I check serial code or production date range or something on the box?

Anything else I should know about getting an iPad Air?

Some advice and discussion welcome.
Thank you.

 

[960design]

I'm sorry, I don't know how to answer your questions.

Is this a good time to be buying an iPad Air?

It's mid cycle, so I'd say it's a good time to purchase. I would personally wait until after the June Conference to see what may be coming in the future, but if you need it now, no harm would be done by picking it up.

What do you feel the 2GB would help with?

I've heard complaints about how Safari crashes really easily on iPad Air with iOS 7

I have over 2500 iPads running iOS7 with no problems of Safari crashing. Safari is used extensively for research and testing. I'm sure I would hear of it if this was a 'real' problem. My iPad Air has not had a problem with Safari crashing and I try to crash it all the time, it's my job.

JB as you know, and you are on your own. No guaranties implied and expected.

Anything else I should know about getting an iPad Air?

They are really snappy and responsive. I use it almost as much as I use my MBP.

 

[Night Spring]

At this point, I'd definitely wait until after the June 2 announcement. While hardware features wouldn't be announced, new software features would be, and from that we can sometimes extrapolate whether or not new hardware would be advantageous for those features. Who knows, some of the functions which now need a jailbreak might be incorporated into the next iOS. I used to jailbreak, but skipped it this time around, because so many of the JB features I used are now part of iOS. Only JB feature I sometimes miss is the ability to run any app in the background anytime I want. But more and more apps have been updated to run in the background, so it's the occasional older and non-updated app that needs that.

But if you really do need the JB, I'd run and get the Air now, who knows how long before we get an iOS 8 jailbreak. To find one with the jailbreakable iOS version, find the date when the unjailbreakable iOS 7 version was released, then get one that was manufactured before that date. There's websites that will parse the serial # and get you the manufacture date. If buying used, you need to find one that hasn't been updated OTA. Oh, and the earliest versions of iOS 7 were prone to crashes, not just Safari, but everything crashed. Not enough to put a huge dent in my usage experience, but enough that I felt like I was using Winfows! Another reason I skipped JBing this time around, I decided I'd rather get 7.1, which was supposed to get more stable, than stay on 7.0.x.

 

[hminer205]

I appreciate both of your inputs.

What do you feel the 2GB would help with?

Opening tabs after tabs on Safari? Which is how I (would like to) use a web browser - hence my specific concern with Safari crash in my OP. I have nearly a hundred tabs open on my desktop browser. I would certainly appreciate more ram.

I find this question puzzling. What couldn't more ram help with? As far as ram's concerned, I know it's the more the better.
Yes, I know iOS is incredibly good at memory management, yes, I know 1GB on iPad Air is probably good enough for most uses, and yes, I am not a complete computing noob to know that there of course comes a point where more ram becomes unnecessary and the same money can be better spent on other aspects of the spec, but I don't think iPad has reached that point quite yet. That's based on my own needs anyway.

If nothing else, more ram will prolong the life of the device. Mind you, I've been using iPad 2 up until this point since I bought it soon after it came out. I feel that with 2GB ram, I would be able to slave drive my device for years and years.

 

[hminer205]

But if you really do need the JB, I'd run and get the Air now, who knows how long before we get an iOS 8 jailbreak. To find one with the jailbreakable iOS version, find the date when the unjailbreakable iOS 7 version was released, then get one that was manufactured before that date. There's websites that will parse the serial # and get you the manufacture date. If buying used, you need to find one that hasn't been updated OTA. Oh, and the earliest versions of iOS 7 were prone to crashes, not just Safari, but everything crashed. Not enough to put a huge dent in my usage experience, but enough that I felt like I was using Winfows! Another reason I skipped JBing this time around, I decided I'd rather get 7.1, which was supposed to get more stable, than stay on 7.0.x.

Thank you, this is useful.

 

[Night Spring]

Opening tabs after tabs on Safari? Which is how I (would like to) use a web browser - hence my specific concern with Safari crash in my OP. I have nearly a hundred tabs open on my desktop browser. I would certainly appreciate more ram.

In my experience, Safari doesn't crash -- at least it only crashes as often as any other app. It just tends to reload the tabs very frequently. For me, I've been able to keep three tabs open without reloading. Any more, and the pages reload each time I switch tabs.

 

[s2mikey]

It's very difficult if not impossible to time an electronics purchase perfectly. Even when buying on release day, you still will start to hear rumblings about the next edition of your device within six months or so. It goes by fast.

So, I say just buy when you want and enjoy it now. I wouldn't worry about safari either. It seems to only affect certain users and certain websites. Mine has never had any safari problems, even reloading. Granted, I usually only have a few tabs going at once but exactly how many tabs do people have going at once?

Buy it now. Life is short.

 

[Night Spring]

but exactly how many tabs do people have going at once?

When I visit MacRumors, I often open all threads I'm interested in in separate tabs then read them one by one. When I'm shopping on Amazon, I often open products I'm interested in in separate tabs. When I visit news sites, I open each article I want to read in separate tabs. So I often have a dozen tabs, and sometimes more, open at once.

 

[Lyn2012]

When I visit MacRumors, I often open all threads I'm interested in in separate tabs then read them one by one. When I'm shopping on Amazon, I often open products I'm interested in in separate tabs. When I visit news sites, I open each article I want to read in separate tabs. So I often have a dozen tabs, and sometimes more, open at once.

This is how I work too and on my iPad R Mini Safari crashes frequently and is always reloading tabs. On my iMac I often have 40 tabs open and would like my tablet to be able to do the same otherwise, most of the time, I choose to work on the iMac.

 

[darngooddesign]

...but I would be sorry for 2GB ram.

While no one knows for sure, that does seem like a likely upgrade.

 

[phpmaven]

2GB of RAM is not going to happen, so you can forget that one.

The only upgrade likely on the next iPad is the fingerprint reader and slightly faster processor. If those things are really important to you, then wait. Otherwise, buy the Air. It's a fantastic "piece of kit" as the Brits would say.

 

[s2mikey]

When I visit MacRumors, I often open all threads I'm interested in in separate tabs then read them one by one. When I'm shopping on Amazon, I often open products I'm interested in in separate tabs. When I visit news sites, I open each article I want to read in separate tabs. So I often have a dozen tabs, and sometimes more, open at once.

That's cool, I've read some others claim they use this many so it's more common that I expected. I guess for me, I just never get to more than a few at once. I'm too easily confused to do more than a few things at once. I'm a terrible multi tasker.

 

[Jambalaya]

I am still using my trusty iPad1 (iOS 5) and the release of the Air was the first time I thought I really should upgrade. I am waiting for the end of the year as I think (hope) the Air2 is going to be another jump forward. If it he wasn't for your jailbreak issue I'd say wait and get the latest machine but as the new machine will be iOS8 and not downgradable maybe you are better off getting a current Air or older.

BTW on iOS 5 / iPad1 Safari crashes all the time, even on an Air iOS7 my friend gets the odd crash fairly regularly, we assume due to advert coding/animation.

 

[Night Spring]

That's cool, I've read some others claim they use this many so it's more common that I expected. I guess for me, I just never get to more than a few at once. I'm too easily confused to do more than a few things at once. I'm a terrible multi tasker.

I wouldn't call opening multiple tabs multitasking. It's more like creating a to-read que. If I keep following links literarily like from A-B-C-D, I'd forget to come back to an interesting link to B1 that was on page A. So while on page A, I open all links B1-Bwhatever in new tabs. Then the open tabs remind me to come back to them. But I only read one tab at a time, so that's surely not multitasking!

 

[s2mikey]

I wouldn't call opening multiple tabs multitasking. It's more like creating a to-read que. If I keep following links literarily like from A-B-C-D, I'd forget to come back to an interesting link to B1 that was on page A. So while on page A, I open all links B1-Bwhatever in new tabs. Then the open tabs remind me to come back to them. But I only read one tab at a time, so that's surely not multitasking!

Gotchya. Then I'm a lame multi tab user. . This issue just doesn't seem to effect me but I hope it gets sorted out at some point.

 

[Yebubbleman]

Hi, I would like some views and tips about my next iPad purchase.

I am currently using an iPad 2 and I thought it was time I upgraded.

I haven't really kept current with Apple product news or anything so I don't know what's in their pipeline.

Is this a good time to be buying an iPad Air?

What features will I likely be missing by getting iPad Air and not the next model? I don't think I will miss touch id all that much, but I would be sorry for 2GB ram.

Is a price drop expected some time in the near future, given what's happened to previous models?

I've heard complaints about how Safari crashes really easily on iPad Air with iOS 7. Which is funny because Safari doesn't crash that often on my iPad 2 with iOS 7. It is slow, for sure, but I haven't experienced a whole lot of crashes. This gets me a bit nervous about getting an iPad Air.

Another issue is that I am a JB user. There are certain tweaks without which I simply can't use the iPad for the intended purpose in purchasing one. If I get the next model, how long should I expect to wait (time for the new model to come out + time for that model to get JB'd + time for my indispensable tweak to get an update)?

Also, if I buy an iPad now, how do I ensure it's got iOS that's still jailbreakable? In other words, how can I avoid devices with iOS 7.1 loaded on them? Should I check serial code or production date range or something on the box?

Anything else I should know about getting an iPad Air?

Some advice and discussion welcome.
Thank you.

It's presumed that new iPads are due out around October at the latest. It's the tail end of May right now, so I'd only buy an iPad Air if:
(a) you feel like you can't wait four and a half ish months for its successor or:

(b) if you buy it via the Apple Certified Refurbished iPads section of the online store as those deals don't depreciate on the same timeframe as the new models do.

As for the performance of the iPad Air itself, I don't get where all of the complaints about performance come from, I am an iPad Air owner myself and have little trouble with Safari or anything, really. Where people often have issues that are mistaken for CPU performance is low disk space. If your iPad is nearly filled, it will run sluggishly, 2GB of RAM, 1GB of RAM, A6X, A7, doesn't matter.

That being said, if you are anxious to get onto a newer iPad and have Jailbreak support sooner, I'd go the Apple Certified Refurbished route and be done with it. Here's the link for their supply of iPad Air models:

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/ipad/ipad_air

 

[rui no onna]

Is this a good time to be buying an iPad Air?

Personally, I dislike buying products mid-cycle unless I can get a good discount (15+%).

Is a price drop expected some time in the near future, given what's happened to previous models?

I've occasionally seen brand new iPad Air 16GB Wi-Fi on sale for $400 which is pretty good and used to be unheard of. With earlier iterations (and a spring release), you'd see at most $50 off during Thanksgiving. If you're aiming for a top of the line 128GB/LTE model though and can make do with the iPad 2 for now, it might be worth waiting for October this year for even bigger discounts. Entry level doesn't really get discounted much but the higher end models tend to enjoy some steep price drops when the new versions are announced. Of course, by then you might just decide to buy the latest iteration.

I've heard complaints about how Safari crashes really easily on iPad Air with iOS 7. Which is funny because Safari doesn't crash that often on my iPad 2 with iOS 7. It is slow, for sure, but I haven't experienced a whole lot of crashes. This gets me a bit nervous about getting an iPad Air.

Safari crashes were pretty common with iOS 7.0 but not so much with iOS 7.1. I'd say Safari browser reloads occur with greater frequency on iOS 7.1 than on iOS 6.1 but it's already greatly improved compared to iOS 7.0. I still get some Safari crashes but from what I can tell of the website with the issue, it seems like it has more to do with bad javascript code.