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boombox15

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 17, 2013
272
22
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
I am looking for a brand new iPad. I want it to cost $400 or less and have at least 32GB. I have seen some brand new ones on eBay and it seems like a good deal, but I am unsure if it's the right thing to do. I don't really care about things like camera quality and touch ID, but I do care about things like performance. I will usually just download a lot of apps, very few games that aren't GPU intensive, web browsing, listening to music, and email. Would an iPad 4 be a good buy for these uses?
 
I am looking for a brand new iPad. I want it to cost $400 or less and have at least 32GB. I have seen some brand new ones on eBay and it seems like a good deal, but I am unsure if it's the right thing to do. I don't really care about things like camera quality and touch ID, but I do care about things like performance. I will usually just download a lot of apps, very few games that aren't GPU intensive, web browsing, listening to music, and email. Would an iPad 4 be a good buy for these uses?

I suppose iPad 4 is good but you could check with Apple refurb store to see if the price still good for you and they come with warranty eBay seller does not have warranty for you.
Also I don't know if iOS 9.1 will run smoothly on an iPad 4?
 
I am looking for a brand new iPad. I want it to cost $400 or less and have at least 32GB. I have seen some brand new ones on eBay and it seems like a good deal, but I am unsure if it's the right thing to do. I don't really care about things like camera quality and touch ID, but I do care about things like performance. I will usually just download a lot of apps, very few games that aren't GPU intensive, web browsing, listening to music, and email. Would an iPad 4 be a good buy for these uses?

If you look at staples today, they have the iPad Air 32gb for under 400 today
 
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Definitely no, you could probably find a 64GB iPad Air 2 or iPad Mini 4 at a price close to that this month. The A6X at this point is much too old to buy and use for a couple more years.
 
So the A6X wouldn't be good for even basic uses? And also, is the display difference between the iPad Air and iPad Air 2 noticeable enough to spend a bit of extra money to get it?
 
So the A6X wouldn't be good for even basic uses?
The progress in Apples own ARM chips has been huge every single year for a couple of years now. Because it all started from a very slow beginning, tremendous improvements have been made. The A6X was the last 32-bit processor before the 64-bit A7. So when iOS drops 32-bit support any year now, the iPad 4 will stop getting new iOS updates. Soon you won't be able to install apps which demand the current iOS version. If you already own an iPad 4, you should absolutely continue to use it. But don't spend fresh money on it, at any price!
And also, is the display difference between the iPad Air and iPad Air 2 noticeable enough to spend a bit of extra money to get it?
The iPad Air 2 has an anti-glare coating, which Apple claims reduces reflections by 55%. That's definitely worth a little bit of extra money. And the Air 2 also has three CPU cores instead of two and 2GB of RAM instead of 1GB in the iPad Air. So don't try to save every single dollar here.
 
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I have an iPad 4 with IOS 9.1. I installed the new IOS from scratch in DFU mode. It was ok but a little slow (especially Safari). After same optimization (like riduce animations, Siri suggest, ecc.) now it is ok.
 
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So the A6X wouldn't be good for even basic uses? And also, is the display difference between the iPad Air and iPad Air 2 noticeable enough to spend a bit of extra money to get it?
The A6X is good enough for basic uses, but definitely not worth spending any money on today (considering it's a 3-year-old chip, plus you can get A7 and A8X devices at good prices this month).

The iPads 3, 4, and Air all have the same display but the iPad Air 2 has an anti-reflective coating and a fully-laminated display (which makes you feel like you're touching the content on the screen).
 
The A6X is good enough for basic uses, but definitely not worth spending any money on today (considering it's a 3-year-old chip, plus you can get A7 and A8X devices at good prices this month).

The iPads 3, 4, and Air all have the same display but the iPad Air 2 has an anti-reflective coating and a fully-laminated display (which makes you feel like you're touching the content on the screen).


Yes to all of this, with a note that IIRC the glass covering the retina display in the Air was not only different from the laminated Air 2 but also from the iPad 3 and 4. It had a hollow feel and sound that drove some people crazy. It took me a little while to get used to it, though there was no functional problem.

IMO the difference between the cost of the Air and the Air 2 is well-justified. The better SoC and RAM are going to make a difference in how long it's going to be practical and enjoyable to use.

I also have some reservations about a "brand new" iPad 4. If it really is new, it's been sitting on a shelf for quite a while. Among other things, the battery deteriorates some with pure age even if not used, which will affect how long you can enjoy reasonable runtime.
 
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After consideration, I'm going with the iPad Air 2. The $479 price at Staples is perfect, but I don't want to buy it now and have a better deal come out. Should I do the staples offer now or wait? Could it be discounted even more?
 
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Doesn't hurt to wait until iPad Prosumer is released around 11/8 for possibly even lower price on older models due to lesser interest.
 
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For a variety of reasons, I think sale pricing is likely to get better in the run-up to the holidays. If you're not in a rush, I'd go slow and see what happens.
 
you can get ipad air 32gb for $359 at staples, so I would strongly recommend to get that instead of iPad 4.
 
If you're using it for basic tasks such as Netflix, Browsing, Light Gaming, it should be fine, just make sure you don't pay too much. You should also consider that it's the thickest and heaviest iPad besides the 1st gen.
 
No. Not even close. The only reason you use an iPad 4 is if it's still running fine. I can't advise anyone to spend money on one.
 
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I sold my iPad 4 because it was getting so laggy on iOS 9 it was barely useable. I wouldn't recommend buying one at this point, it's value will drop like a stone when the next iPad comes out. I would seriously consider the iPad Mini at this point because it's so cheap.
 
I wouldn't get one, not iPad 4. Black Fri is approaching, Sams is running $150 off on iPad Air 2 next week.
 
How about refurbished iPad Air (1)?

You can find a new iPad air either 16 or 32gb for less than refurbished. I guess refurbished makes sense if you would want to get 64 or128 gb capacities, but even then you are approaching iPad air 2 pricing so for a very little you are getting a much more powerful ipad - for instance:
ipad air 64gb refurb is listed for $419 while ipad air 2 64gb new at staples is 479
ipad air 128gb refurb is listed for $499 while ipad air 2 128gb new at staples is 559.
 
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