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iPad upgrade decision

Salty Pirate

Salty Pirate

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 5, 2005
614
818
kansas city
I have a 16GB ipad air with cellular.

I use it mostly to consume content, read, browse, youtube.

I also use it at work when I go to customer sites to support/install our security server product.

The ipad pro 9.7 looks cool, but I would not really ever be a smart keyboard guy or pencil guy.

Ipad Air2's are going for ridiculously cheap prices right now on ebay. I could basically get a month or two used air with more storage by selling mine and buying used for maybe 150-200 out of pocket or less.

The ipad Pro is $729 plus tax for the 32GB cell version and I would also need to buy a new smart cover, 800 bucks when all is said and done, so 600 out of pocket.

Is there anything must have about the pro vs the air2????
 
Really? Another new thread with the same exact questions?

If you don't need the stylus or the keyboard, stick with the Air 2.

If you need the stylus and keyboard or just want the latest and greatest, go with the IPP.

Honestly, even though benchmarks show the new IPP is supposed to be much faster, I'm not sure that many of us will notice.

Another concern has been 'future proofing.' The Air is about 18 months old at the moment and no one knows how long it will support iOS upgrades. Both have 2GB of RAM (we think).
 
Salty Pirate said:
I have a 16GB ipad air with cellular.

I use it mostly to consume content, read, browse, youtube.

I also use it at work when I go to customer sites to support/install our security server product.

The ipad pro 9.7 looks cool, but I would not really ever be a smart keyboard guy or pencil guy.

Ipad Air2's are going for ridiculously cheap prices right now on ebay. I could basically get a month or two used air with more storage by selling mine and buying used for maybe 150-200 out of pocket or less.

The ipad Pro is $729 plus tax for the 32GB cell version and I would also need to buy a new smart cover, 800 bucks when all is said and done, so 600 out of pocket.

Is there anything must have about the pro vs the air2????
Click to expand...


Simply put No. On the other hand is there any must have over a Honda Civic over a Ferrari No. Both will do what you need.

Only in the case of the iPad Pro 9.7 the 25% improved colors over even the iPad Pro 12.9 of 4 months ago really tells me of the Apple's team refinement.

You mostly Consume content read, browse, and Youtube. is an out of pocket expense of $600 ish worth it. I really don't know.

That being said its the best device on Earth for the activities you stated, and then some.
 
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Salty Pirate said:
I have a 16GB ipad air with cellular.

I use it mostly to consume content, read, browse, youtube.

I also use it at work when I go to customer sites to support/install our security server product.

The ipad pro 9.7 looks cool, but I would not really ever be a smart keyboard guy or pencil guy.

Ipad Air2's are going for ridiculously cheap prices right now on ebay. I could basically get a month or two used air with more storage by selling mine and buying used for maybe 150-200 out of pocket or less.

The ipad Pro is $729 plus tax for the 32GB cell version and I would also need to buy a new smart cover, 800 bucks when all is said and done, so 600 out of pocket.

Is there anything must have about the pro vs the air2????
Click to expand...
Not really. The RAM is the same. The single core scores are a lot better, but the multicore scores are only slightly better. So apps like Safari will have a noticeable improvement in performance, but it's unlikely you'll notice it for the extra money spent. You might notice improvements in certain high-level games, but I doubt many games will take full advantage of the new chips in the next year. If you don't need the extra accessories the main difference then is the display and the speakers. If you use your iPad outside a lot, the new display is less reflective. But the iPad Air 2 was also much less reflective than the old iPad Air and earlier. The speakers are a lot louder, so if you watch your iPad from across the room while doing housework or whatever then it could be useful. But would it justify the extra expense? That's up to you. I'd just get the super cheap iPad Air 2. I even do photo editing in Lightroom Mobile on mine and it's fine. Multitasking works great on it as well, and the tabs stay loaded into memory pretty well in Safari. If you want to increase performance even more, a good ad blocker such as 1Blocker does wonders for speeding up the browsing experience. Not that it was slow, but using one makes it blazing fast as much fewer graphics need to be rendered to the page. I did a test at one point and I think I reached the limit on tabs in Safari with none of them reloading when I used an ad blocker. Without one I think I crapped out between 15-20 tabs. So it's still pretty good.

ALSO BE AWARE: The iPad Air 2 is thinner than the iPad Air and requires a different case. Luckily there are more on the market right now and you can probably find one for cheaper. My favorite is the Apple smart case which they don't sell anymore for the newer Pro models, which require buying the back and the cover separately for more money.
 
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the funny thing is, my ipad air has just been trucking along, working great. Stereo speakers and a better screen are always welcome, but I would get those things with an air2 upgrade
 
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I'd get the air2.

The pro 9.7" is faster but real-world use ...difference in speed between the two is a half-second difference on Safari pages, etc.

If that matters to you, then get the pro.
 
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The new Pro has a better screen, faster processor, better speakers, and pencil support. I don't think any of those are must haves. So if you are looking to save money, get the Air 2.

Me, I'd never buy old tech. But that's me. YMMV.
 
Thank you for putting out the Air2 is 'old tech'.

We would never have known otherwise.

Know what the funniest part of all this is?...aside from the pencil support, the 4 speakers, and the improved display...the pro 9.7 basically mirrors that 'old tech'.

I guess there's still some truth to the adage "everything old becomes new again".
 
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The whole "old tech" criticism is silly. The wheel is old tech. The toilet is old tech. Just because something has been around for more than a year doesn't mean it's obsolete. The internals of the Air 2 still put it among the best tablets on the market. The Mini 4 is one of, if not the best 8" tablet on the market despite being based on the "old" A8 chip.
 
If you're not going to HEAVILY use the Apple Pencil it's a waste of an upgrade, especially with the 2GB RAM, let alone the same old gen 1 Touch ID and same screen resolution
 
Bottom-line, this Pro 9.7" is an incremental upgrade.

Apple had a chance to really wow us and they didn't.

It remains to be seen whether the Pro line will really bring the iPad to the next level. It will take more than just nicer hardware and a Pro name to do it.

Apple needs to rethink the App Store, probably add mouse support... among other things, to bring this to a successful conclusion.
 
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bufffilm said:
Bottom-line, this Pro 9.7" is an incremental upgrade.

Apple had a chance to really wow us and they didn't.

It remains to be see whether the Pro line will really bring the iPad to the next level. It will take for than just nicer hardware and a Pro name to do it.
Click to expand...


Its is a MAJOR update. Just suspend reality and imagine for a Second the hype and launch of the 12.9 iPad Pro and all the innovations it brought now imagine they would have launched the 9.7 inch Pro first.

In terms of Upgrade factor the iPad Air 2 is a bicycle and the iPad Pro is a Ducatti 899 Panigale.
 
Sort of in the same boat, lost my iPad on a plane and have been debating over the Air 2 and Pro. The speakers, pencil support, true tone display and processor do it for me. I plan on keeping this for a few years, so an extra $200 for the latest and greatest seems worth it.
 
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Ever since I moved to the plus sized iPhones, I have not upgraded my iPad. My iPad 3 is still going strong. It does everything I need from a content consumption point of view.
 
Pulled the trigger. Bought the 9.7 ipad pro with cell.

I actually turned off the cell data on my old ipad air to see how tethering with my iphone would work and honestly, it was a pain. It was an extra strep, where on a cell enabled ipad, I just whip it out and get busy. It also would not switch back and forth between my tethered iphone and available wifi networks.

There are times I am on public wifi nets and they become unresponsive. It is nice to have the ability to switch between wifi and cell. I only have 20 GB to share and my kids chew through most of that, so I am always watching to make sure if there is a good wifi, I am using it. It is a $140 dollar delta, plus $120 a year to AT&T, but I find it convenient and worth it.

Oh, and the ipad pro hauls compared to the air. Noticeably way faster. I also totally notice the stereo speakers. Huge upgrade. The screen is nice, but I honestly do not notice it as much as I thought I would.

All in all, very happy.
 
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