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iPad is the iPad Air 2 by far the most Complete iPad even for some years to come ?
- Thread starter augustya
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Yes it does. But if you want to buy it for these reasons, please do! Sure thinner, lighter, faster is all very nice, but to me those things are not worth 600 dollars (euro's in my case) when it does exactly the same things as my 3, just a little faster. I was not that impressed with the screen upgrade tbh, because I didn't notice much of a difference. It's a nice screen for sure, but so is the one on my 3 and I like the tint on that one better. Guess I was just lucky back in 2012 to get an even cool white one. Now if Apple comes up with a higher res screen, preferably an oled one so we leave these bookspine and tinting issues behind us, I couldn't be happier. And I don't like the vibrations. Hopefully that gets fixed next year.
Why buy an ipad this year to upgrade it next year when iOS hopefully offers something new? By then the Air2 is a year old device and is surpassed by a more awesome one. That doesn't make sense to me. I rather buy the new model with the even better specs. But hey, that's just me
coming from someone who doesnt have one. Also your saying why buy one when next year it will be a year old device so hold out until next year makes no sense every device will age so to hold out on next year cause it will be better is stupid. Every new device is better then its predessor.
Yeah, the RAM boost *should* help but as others have eluded to, everytime they update some hardware spec everyone gets all happy but within a year or so suddenly its not as exciting as it was.
The 2GB RAM helps but is by NO means an end all. Bear in mind that its likely they'll bump RAM up even more since the A8X is such a monster chip. The apps will expect more RAM to play with. Thats how its always been and there is no reason to think it'l change with the Air 2. It wont.
But given that Apple had 1GB RAM since the iPad 3 and just moved to 2 GB with the Air 2, I don't think they will upgrade the RAM as often as you suggest.
I think they reasonably cannot justify paying another 500-600 dollars when their current iPad works great.
That is why sales are slowing for Apple, people hold onto their iPad for 3-4 years.
My dad is rocking his iPad 2 for almost 4 years now its a hell of a machine.
Not Just only in terms of RAM but also in terms of design ? Screen Resolution etc !
And some guys also believe that there will be completely new transformation in terms of design with the iPad Air 2 in 2015 just like they drastically changes the shape, design, size with the iPhone-6, they would do the same with the iPad Air-2. The way I look at it is, with iPhone 6 they could completely change the body, design and shape is because they were moving from 4 inch to 4.7 inch in iPhone 6 so they had a lot of room for changes but in case of iPad Air 2 I dont think they are gonna change it from the current 9.7 inch to anything else...so I guess that leaves no room for that kind of dramatic overhaul or change in the iPad Air 2's design and shape ? Agree Guys ?
How many of you guys think this could likely happen ?
How many of you guys think this could likely happen ?
You're assuming that 2GB is a new standard that will define future models when (a) it only features in one model across the entire iOS line so far, and (b) it doesn't even define that model particularly. By which I mean, there's really nothing that you can do with the 2GB Air 2 that can't be done with any other iPad. It runs the same iOS with all the same features and conforms to the same general experience as all previous iPads. Yes you can quibble about speed, the number of browser tabs etc, but these are all nuances - there is no landmark new feature that requires 2GB in order to function.
And that begs the question - if the Air 2 doesn't really break any new ground in 2014, how is it a viable standard for 2015 or 2016?
It's generally accepted that iOS on the iPad needs a refresh, including some major work to improve multitasking, enable splitscreen etc, and hopefully leapfrog the competition. That didn't happen this year with the Air 2, which makes it all the more likely to happen next year with the Air 3 or whatever version of ipad comes next. It will already be well overdue for some people. How confident can you really be that they will introduce that on a 2GB-based platform, given that they've already chosen not to with the Air 2? What makes you think that they won't simply jump to 3-4GB for a whole new line?
Not sure what your point is. If they jump to 4GB of RAM for the next line, the iPad 4 and iPad Air will be even more irrelevant than the iPad Air 2.
They doubled the RAM and added an extra core. If you are saying this is a poor upgrade, just how badly do you think the iPad 4 and Air will run in 2015?
I don't know how people can make claims like this. The iPad needs something new - whether it's hardware or (most likely) software. My opinion is that Apple is going to cannibalize the tablet market with the larger smartphones and create something new like an iPad pro where the size and multiple features make it an outstanding product by offering new ways for us to work. You're always limited by what you can do with your software when you have to support hardware that's 4 years old and the new ones are better but still more or less the same.
I'm not saying it's a poor upgrade, I'm saying it didn't enable the Air 2 to do anything that the Air 1 et al didn't do. It's just another iPad in exactly the same mould - a bit faster, a bit lighter, but very much the same.
I would expect, at this stage, that the Air 3 (or whatever comes next) *will* move on from that formula and do something powerful and new, like splitscreen multitasking or something even bigger and more revolutionary.
So the question you have to ask yourself is - will that next big innovation come to the Air 2 as well? If it doesn't, then this notion that the Air 2 is the "most complete ipad for years..." is clearly nonsense, and the Air 2 will be left behind just the same as every other ipad. Still with the bit faster, bit lighter, more safari tabs, but meh. It doesn't do the new thing.
The argument that because it has 2GB it's automatically ready for "The New Thing(TM)" is based on an assumption that "The New Thing(TM)" requires 2GB and that's what will be in the Air 3 as well. If the Air 3 comes out with 4GB on board, then that boat is sunk, isn't it?
For the record I think the Air and the iPad 4 will run just fine in 2015, and 2016 for that matter; they'll get the iOS updates just not necessarily with all the new features. Whether the Air 2 will get those features is really the million dollar question and the answer to this thread.
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I think the above sums up the answer perfectly.
I have to say I'm truly disappointed by the iPad Air after messing around with iPad Air 2. It's sluggish in comparison and its performance is lot worse even upon release with early ios 7. Subsequent updates dos make things better.
The Air 2 is phenomenally quick and so responsive as if it's not just extra CPU power and memory but a quicker digitiser for faster finger response on the screen.
I think the Air 2 is definitely the tablet to get at the moment. As above planned obsolescence will make it useless soon but you'll never win that battle unless as people we decide to take control of industries and run them in our interests, and not that of Apples shareholders.
Yes it does. But if you want to buy it for these reasons, please do! Sure thinner, lighter, faster is all very nice, but to me those things are not worth 600 dollars (euro's in my case) when it does exactly the same things as my 3, just a little faster. I was not that impressed with the screen upgrade tbh, because I didn't notice much of a difference. It's a nice screen for sure, but so is the one on my 3 and I like the tint on that one better. Guess I was just lucky back in 2012 to get an even cool white one. Now if Apple comes up with a higher res screen, preferably an oled one so we leave these bookspine and tinting issues behind us, I couldn't be happier. And I don't like the vibrations. Hopefully that gets fixed next year.
Why buy an ipad this year to upgrade it next year when iOS hopefully offers something new? By then the Air2 is a year old device and is surpassed by a more awesome one. That doesn't make sense to me. I rather buy the new model with the even better specs. But hey, that's just me
It's funny to say this because the iPad 3 is the worse thing I ever bought. It was an iPad 2 with a retina screen and it's performance was so poor as the same hardware was driving 2x more pixels. An iPad 3 with iOS 8 would be just sheer pain. I'd say multitasking doesn't exist on it and opening up apps fresh is a trying experience.
The problem is the iPad Air wasn't much better with iOS 7 or 8. I bought that to replace my iPad 3 and while there was a marked difference in speed I was still pretty shocked about how the new flagship wasn't quite snappy. It was far from perfect.
Agreed. I got burned by buying the iPad 3 thinking it was the most complete iPad ever since it had the Retina display. Even went as far as spending an extra $100 to get the 32GB version. You could make an argument that the Air 1 is the next "iPad 3" because they didn't even include an A7X, just a regular A7 with 64-bit architecture and 1GB RAM.
They need front facing speakers(or at least a speaker on two sides), an OLED screen, 32gigs as the basic and a sturdier build. Include those and it would be a Ipad worth keeping for some time.
Heres my take on the iPad and its release cycles based on the past. the iPad that held its weight the longest was the iPad 2. My theory for this is because it was the innovative release (iPad 1), done correctly. the iPad 3 was an iPad 2, with a incredible screen, and no house power to back it. the iPad 4 was the iPad 3, cleaned up. and then came the iPad air, another innovative release. so naturally, the iPad air 2 is the innovative release, done right. having Owned an iPad 2, iPad 4, and iPad Air 2 (and a plethora of other apple products that seem to have the same cycle, for example my second gen retina macbook pro 13", the only line that doesn't follow this pattern is the phone for obvious reasons) i can confidently say that i think the iPad Air 2 should hold it weight for at least 3 years, maybe longer just like the iPad 2.
So in short, yes. I think this is the model someone like you is looking for.
PS: the bonded screen with anti glare coating is to die for. it brings the display quality on par with my retina macbook, and makes using the touch screen feel so much more natural. and IMHO its the first full sized iPad light enough to read while holding with one hand for hours on end, even the air 1 was just a pinch too heavy of that one task.
So in short, yes. I think this is the model someone like you is looking for.
PS: the bonded screen with anti glare coating is to die for. it brings the display quality on par with my retina macbook, and makes using the touch screen feel so much more natural. and IMHO its the first full sized iPad light enough to read while holding with one hand for hours on end, even the air 1 was just a pinch too heavy of that one task.
The only reason the iPad 2 held on for so long is because it is the one that Apple chose to give legacy support to for education and enterprises that had thousands of units, managed by expensive equipment that relied on the 30-pin connector. Otherwise it was really nothing special, especially because of the screen. The lack of a high dpi screen was a glaring omission even on the iPad 1.
Are we talking about the iPad or iOS? totally different topics.
Innovation on the iPad wont happen, its all the same stuff, speed bumped, a few extras that don't really add a lot. Its ALL about iOS and what that brings to all devices that support what iOS brings to the table. Continuity, Handoff are great, they have nothing to do with what iPad is in use. When discussing the iPad, discuss the iPad and not iOS, thats just confusing some readers.
You don't make any sense - the iPad comes with iOS and iOS comes with the iPad, so you can't separate them the way you're suggesting. This whole topic is about the longevity of the Air 2, and for most people that means its longevity in terms of iOS support and support for the new features that iOS may enable in the future.
I disagree. The iPad 2 added double the RAM and doubled the cores (dual-core CPU). For a 1024x resolution screen, the specs were very good, and that is why it lasted a long time. When people say it lasted for so long, they aren't talking about businesses still using it, but rather how many iOS releases it withstood. It came with iOS 4 and was able to run iOS 7 smooth so it lasted 3 years.
iPad 3 was released with iOS 5 but if you try to put iOS 8 on it, it becomes unusable.
is the iPad Air 2 by far the most Complete iPad even for some years to come ?
Exactly this, and the fact that it was a cheap-to-make workhorse which, without the overhead of the retina screen to drive, could still run the latest os well and sell as a budget model at a decent margin.
I don't see the Air 2 as filling the same gap in the future.
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The iPad 3 was a pretty terrible mistake - replaced within a matter of months, based on disappointing hardware that was never used again. I don't really think that compares to the Air which is still selling well now, and using the same internal design repeated in both the retina mini and now mini 3. It may not have a X in the name but it's easily one of the most successful and ubiquitous iPad hardware designs there's been to date.
Exactly this, and the fact that it was a cheap-to-make workhorse which, without the overhead of the retina screen to drive, could still run the latest os well and sell as a budget model at a decent margin.
I don't see the Air 2 as filling the same gap in the future.
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The iPad 3 was a pretty terrible mistake - replaced within a matter of months, based on disappointing hardware that was never used again. I don't really think that compares to the Air which is still selling well now, and using the same internal design repeated in both the retina mini and now mini 3. It may not have a X in the name but it's easily one of the most successful and ubiquitous iPad hardware designs there's been to date.
The only reason it got all of those iOS releases though is because it was the iPad dedicated for education and enterprise use. Otherwise it would have been cut off sooner.