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Here are my reasons you will be underwhelmed after a couple of weeks:-

weight/bezel - Air is smaller & lighter but that becomes immaterial once you put it in a case. Lets face it iPad2 was barely heavy for day to day use.
Retina display - I could not see any difference when watching films, youtube.... Use your usage habits to determine if you will benefit from retina.. Sure the screen icons on retina iPad look better, but I did not buy it just to stare at icons!
MIMO wireless tech - IF you don't have wifi range issues with the iPad2 then you certainly won't benefit from this in any way
Faster Processor - I don't play games so could not see a difference in normal usage
Siri - This is a gimmick i don't use
Better camera For me this is literally the best feature
128GB - Next best advantage if you are a space junkie that would rather pack the iPad with content rather than use iCloud

I would say you are better of playing with both side by side for a prolonged period before deciding on the purchase … or just wait 8 months for the next Air

1. Except your iPad 2 will weigh even more after putting in a case.

2. It's because your videos are with lower resolution. If you view blurred text on a clear screen the text will still be blurred. Maybe next time try to view any websites with a lot of text or 1080p videos. Also, the screen has much better colour reproduction (gamut) than your iPad 2. Huge difference.

3. It's faster WiFi, not just about the range. You can connect to 802.11n WiFi network at 300Mbps compared with ~54Mbps for the iPad 2. If you still cannot get a decent speed maybe you can take a look at your network configuration or upgrade to a new router. That's why your YouTube videos are always in low res.

4. The faster and more efficient A7 processor is the key to achieve the speed, lightness, high resolution screen and (still) 10 hour battery life.

5. Siri - true, not much use. Apple needs to enable offline use.
6. The camera is not very good indeed.
7. 128GB - true. But they could've made it cheaper. I just can't justify the price.
 
Definitely, big upgrade. I considered it a but upgrade from my 3 so the upgrade from a 2 should be pretty dramatic.
 
The main reason to hold out for an iPad 6 (or whatever they call it) would be for the increased ram (hopefully) and maybe even a quad-core processor. Touch ID doesn't excite me terribly, though I suppose it's always welcome.
 
The main reason to hold out for an iPad 6 (or whatever they call it) would be for the increased ram (hopefully) and maybe even a quad-core processor. Touch ID doesn't excite me terribly, though I suppose it's always welcome.

That's if they even do the extra RAM. The tab reload issue really seems to be a safari and iOS thing. Touch ID isn't a big deal for me either.
 
Ram has never been an issue for me on any iOS device. I just think that ios7 introduced a buggy memory management system. Hopefully to be fixed I've 7.1
 
That's if they even do the extra RAM. The tab reload issue really seems to be a safari and iOS thing. Touch ID isn't a big deal for me either.

Anandtech mentioned something about the 64-bit processor supposedly being more aggressive in chewing up RAM. I was really hoping that Apple would have stuck to their annual doubling of RAM in their iPads...:( That would have allowed for 2gb of ram in the iPad air, paving the way for 4gb of ram in 2014's model...
 
I went the other way, returned my iPad Air, and bought a refurb iPad2 because of the Air's iOS and browser issues. I'll wait for Apple to figure it out until I try to upgrade again.
 
How does data work. I bought the AT&T one. Does it go automatic or I have it sign up.

You need to sign up if you want to use data. I choose small data plan because I use wifi most of the time at home and school. You also can cancel data plan anytime.
Good luck with your new toy! :apple:
 
If I pay for data but cancel mid month does it get prorated? Not sure if I'm making sense.
 
Personally it was a waste and I should have kept hold of my money. I bought the Air because I thought that the so called retina display will give me a good real estate screen for when I connect to my home servers via RDP apps. WRONG!. The ipad2 & Air looked exactly the same …..

Ummm, this post is full of misinformation, and I'm going to correct it.

Retina display - I could not see any difference when watching films, youtube.... Use your usage habits to determine if you will benefit from retina.. Sure the screen icons on retina iPad look better, but I did not buy it just to stare at icons!

If you can't see the difference between the two, then you need glasses. It's as simple as that. The retina screen has 4x the number of pixels and has significantly more pixels than your TV, unless you have a 4K screen. The non-retina screen has significantly less. Video looks far improved, though you won't see much of a difference if the video is not HD, since the improved resolution of the screen doesn't help you there. Text is FAR sharper and easier to read, however, and that's a huge plus if you do any significant amount of web browsing.

MIMO wireless tech - IF you don't have wifi range issues with the iPad2 then you certainly won't benefit from this in any way

Being able to get on the 5 GHz band of N is certainly very helpful as is 802.11ac. Once ac routers become more common, speed will be significantly enhanced.

Faster Processor - I don't play games so could not see a difference in normal usage

The processor is worlds faster than the processor in the iPad 2, fast enough to affect general usage. Apps should launch much faster and accomplish tasks faster as well.

This isn't to say I think your conclusion is wrong; if the improvements of the Air don't help you very much, then it's not worth it for you (and it's not a great feeling to spend a lot of money on something that doesn't give you much of a perceived benefit). I simply want to correct the factual errors of your post.

You're right that the Retina display doesn't actually give you more usable screen real estate; everything is the same size, but 4x as detailed. This is helpful for anything related to creating content and it makes the text far sharper, but you can't actually fit more "stuff" on the screen. This is why I'd buy a Mini if I was buying a new iPad today; same amount of stuff in a smaller package!

To OP: the move from a 2 to the Air is huge, you won't regret it.

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If I pay for data but cancel mid month does it get prorated? Not sure if I'm making sense.

No, you pay for each month in a block. If you cancel halfway through (I don't know if you can even do that on the month-to-month plan), there's absolutely no benefit. You don't save money or data.

Essentially, you can pay for a month at a time, at which point you have however much data you purchased to use in that month. If you don't use all of it, it doesn't carry over.

Things are different if you add it to a share plan or a two year contract.
 
Ummm, this post is full of misinformation, and I'm going to correct it.



If you can't see the difference between the two, then you need glasses. It's as simple as that. The retina screen has 4x the number of pixels and has significantly more pixels than your TV, unless you have a 4K screen. The non-retina screen has significantly less. Video looks far improved, though you won't see much of a difference if the video is not HD, since the improved resolution of the screen doesn't help you there. Text is FAR sharper and easier to read, however, and that's a huge plus if you do any significant amount of web browsing.





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I was going to say the same thing. Anyone with a set if eyes can tell the difference between the ipad2 and the retina. The speed and form factor make it all the much better.
 
Ummm, this post is full of misinformation, and I'm going to correct it.



If you can't see the difference between the two, then you need glasses. It's as simple as that. The retina screen has 4x the number of pixels and has significantly more pixels than your TV, unless you have a 4K screen. The non-retina screen has significantly less. Video looks far improved, though you won't see much of a difference if the video is not HD, since the improved resolution of the screen doesn't help you there. Text is FAR sharper and easier to read, however, and that's a huge plus if you do any significant amount of web browsing.



Being able to get on the 5 GHz band of N is certainly very helpful as is 802.11ac. Once ac routers become more common, speed will be significantly enhanced.



The processor is worlds faster than the processor in the iPad 2, fast enough to affect general usage. Apps should launch much faster and accomplish tasks faster as well.

This isn't to say I think your conclusion is wrong; if the improvements of the Air don't help you very much, then it's not worth it for you (and it's not a great feeling to spend a lot of money on something that doesn't give you much of a perceived benefit). I simply want to correct the factual errors of your post.

You're right that the Retina display doesn't actually give you more usable screen real estate; everything is the same size, but 4x as detailed. This is helpful for anything related to creating content and it makes the text far sharper, but you can't actually fit more "stuff" on the screen. This is why I'd buy a Mini if I was buying a new iPad today; same amount of stuff in a smaller package!

To OP: the move from a 2 to the Air is huge, you won't regret it.

----------



No, you pay for each month in a block. If you cancel halfway through (I don't know if you can even do that on the month-to-month plan), there's absolutely no benefit. You don't save money or data.

Essentially, you can pay for a month at a time, at which point you have however much data you purchased to use in that month. If you don't use all of it, it doesn't carry over.

Things are different if you add it to a share plan or a two year contract.

So once I reach for example 5gb data cuts off or do I pay for going over if that makes sense.
 
You'll pay overage costs. Typical usage won't come anywhere near 5 GB unless you are watching lots of videos. Make sure you're on the WiFi at home and you'll be fine.

I'm just thinking about when i go on vacation. IF i go to europe all i have to do is get a sim card in europe and put it in my iPad?
 
I'm just thinking about when i go on vacation. IF i go to europe all i have to do is get a sim card in europe and put it in my iPad?

Yup that's all you need to do. You can then tether to iPhone and both devices can access the internet.
 
I have an ipad 2 and considered the air... But decided to keep what I have. I'm not disputing the many improvements, but consider what you use it for and whether the improvements will matter given your personal uses.

Personally, I use it primarily for netflix/YouTube/HBOgo, sometimes for readings iBooks, rarely for email/web. Im not saying there would be NO improvement with an air, but I'd essentially be doing the same things with maybe a minor visual enchantment (in some cases - not for streaming video). I could maybe get $200 for my ipad now, and the air would cost $600 (32 gb) plus tax and a new cover for the front and skin for the back... Probably $700 out the door. So a $500 loss for... A few ounces and crisper text on my books? Doesn't make sense - for my particular uses.
 
I have an ipad 2 and considered the air... But decided to keep what I have. I'm not disputing the many improvements, but consider what you use it for and whether the improvements will matter given your personal uses.

Personally, I use it primarily for netflix/YouTube/HBOgo, sometimes for readings iBooks, rarely for email/web. Im not saying there would be NO improvement with an air, but I'd essentially be doing the same things with maybe a minor visual enchantment (in some cases - not for streaming video). I could maybe get $200 for my ipad now, and the air would cost $600 (32 gb) plus tax and a new cover for the front and skin for the back... Probably $700 out the door. So a $500 loss for... A few ounces and crisper text on my books? Doesn't make sense - for my particular uses.

i was in the same boat as you. I wouldn't have bought one if my dad didnt want one, so i gave him my old one. I do like that now i have cellular!
 
It will be a major upgrade, but it is shocking how well the ipad 2 still handles IOS 7

Which is little surprise, considering that my 4s handled IOS7 fairly well too. Conversely, IOS7 lags a fair bit on my ipad3, which I suspect is mainly due to the A5x processor not being able to handle both the retina display and the increased animations.
 
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