iPad Please Recommend An Older (64GB) iPad!

[Bazzy]

Hi All,

I have been using a 10.1" Samsung Galaxy Note Tablet GT-8010 mainly only for playing some continuous religious content - these are basically in the form of videos downloaded from Youtube & installed on the tablet & played via an app like VLC or MX Player.

The process usually worked well but with regular issues with playing back back to back videos (is that called looping or playlists?) & with the tablet and/or apps acting up for some reason every so often. The Samsung Tablet is now not responding so I need to get something else & not wanting to go through the same hassles, I am thinking about getting a cheap & older iPad to replace if that might work much better?

The main use for it will be simply just to play these videos (there are about 280 of them) in a continuous loop - one after another on the iPad - can this be done easily?

Please can someone kindly recommend me a cheap & older iPad that is about 10" screen size & at least 64GB in storage? I have never ever looked at iPads as never needed one & there are so many generations with varying prices it is kind of bewildering for me.

Basically as cheap as possible for what I need it to do mainly - it will spend 98-99% of its time playing religious content in a religious setting.

I am in the UK so any advice on what prices to pay for what generation of iPad would be massively appreciated!

Many Kind Thanks!

 

[AutomaticApple]

Hi All,

I have been using a 10.1" Samsung Galaxy Note Tablet GT-8010 mainly only for playing some continuous religious content - these are basically in the form of videos downloaded from Youtube & installed on the tablet & played via an app like VLC or MX Player.

The process usually worked well but with regular issues with playing back back to back videos (is that called looping or playlists?) & with the tablet and/or apps acting up for some reason every so often. The Samsung Tablet is now not responding so I need to get something else & not wanting to go through the same hassles, I am thinking about getting a cheap & older iPad to replace if that might work much better?

The main use for it will be simply just to play these videos (there are about 280 of them) in a continuous loop - one after another on the iPad - can this be done easily?

Please can someone kindly recommend me a cheap & older iPad that is about 10" screen size & at least 64GB in storage? I have never ever looked at iPads as never needed one & there are so many generations with varying prices it is kind of bewildering for me.

Basically as cheap as possible for what I need it to do mainly - it will spend 98-99% of its time playing religious content in a religious setting.

I am in the UK so any advice on what prices to pay for what generation of iPad would be massively appreciated!

Many Kind Thanks!

Maybe this listing would interest you. Its a 1st generation iPad with the 64GB of storage that you need. WiFi only.

Apple iPad 1st Gen. 64GB, Wi-Fi, 9.7in - Black for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Apple iPad 1st Gen. 64GB, Wi-Fi, 9.7in - Black at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[Virgilinsanity]

Fortunately, iPads will pretty much play any content in any setting. You probably didn’t need to specify.

 

[muzzy996]

If all you're doing is using the tablet as a video player, another option is an Amazon Fire HD 10 . . One could get one in 32gb, load VLC onto it and pop in any microSD card one chooses to play content off of it. Probably not a great tablet for anything else but I'm guessing it'd get the job done for video playback.

 

[Marlon DLTH :)]

Do you care about the quality of the display? If that's the case, a used 64gb iPad 4 or iPad Air 1 will be your best option. If you don't, you can buy this one. The display quality is inferior, but it's still decent.

Maybe this listing would interest you. It's a 1st generation iPad with the 64GB of storage that you need. WiFi only.

Apple iPad 1st Gen. 64GB, Wi-Fi, 9.7in - Black for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Apple iPad 1st Gen. 64GB, Wi-Fi, 9.7in - Black at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[Bazzy]

Hi All,

Thank you so much for all your kind replies!

I am heartened to know that even a first generation iPad would work well for my needs - I read that Apple no longer support the older iPads so does that mean the software on it will stop functioning after some time or that it will be abandoned etc?

For the main part the display quality is not that a big deal as they are mainly SD quality videos downloaded from YouTube but if for not much more money (or if it is worth it for the long term) I can get a iPad 4 or iPad Air 1 as has been suggested then I would certainly consider it since once it will no longer be needed in it's current setting then I would be able to make better & more enjoyable use out it - say when travelling etc.

For current needs I require the tablet to do the following:

1) Play any selection of videos one after another automatically till they get to the end & then start again if at all possible - (Looping?)

2) Allow me to make folders of selected videos & then select a folder & play all the videos inside as in point 1. (Playlists?)

Can an iPad allow me to do this & do I need to get a special app for it to do so?

One of the major pains in using VLC & MX Player was that there was no "Select All" option with regards to playback of videos so I had to manually select each one to play (there are 277 of them!) & this took ages & very frustrating - does the iPad video player have a "Select All" option to play all videos in a folder - I would really want this option!

An issue I had often with the Samsung Tablet was that although it was always connected to mains power, it would switch off as the Battery would drain right down & I would have to then wait for it to recharge fully before I could use the tablet again which I thought was very odd - I assumed that being connected to the Mains power, the unit would not need to use the battery? Would the iPad have power issues like this?

As I would be buying a much older unit - should I be concerned about battery life at all - the samsung battery is gone - started bloating & it is a 2014 model. How much life would a iPad 1 or iPad 4/iPad Air 1 have left in years & can they be replaced?

Sorry to be such a noob!

Many Kind Thanks!

 

[Shirasaki]

1) Play any selection of videos one after another automatically till they get to the end & then start again if at all possible - (Looping?)

2) Allow me to make folders of selected videos & then select a folder & play all the videos inside as in point 1. (Playlists?)

For 1), any video player, paid or not, will do it just fine. For 2), you can put videos into a folder and start playback within that folder.

As for other points, iPad itself cannot do proper video playback. But free apps like VLC will make it much easier.

As for battery thing, maybe the device is draining more than they can take from USB port? But that’s kinda irrelevant at this point.

 

[AutomaticApple]

I read that Apple no longer support the older iPads so does that mean the software on it will stop functioning after some time or that it will be abandoned etc?

Core OS functionality such as video playback shouldnt stop working until the hardware fails (which I cant imagine happening anytime soon if you keep the thing plugged into a charger constantly).

 

[rui no onna]

Hi All,

Thank you so much for all your kind replies!

I am heartened to know that even a first generation iPad would work well for my needs - I read that Apple no longer support the older iPads so does that mean the software on it will stop functioning after some time or that it will be abandoned etc?

For the main part the display quality is not that a big deal as they are mainly SD quality videos downloaded from YouTube but if for not much more money (or if it is worth it for the long term) I can get a iPad 4 or iPad Air 1 as has been suggested then I would certainly consider it since once it will no longer be needed in it's current setting then I would be able to make better & more enjoyable use out it - say when travelling etc.

For current needs I require the tablet to do the following:

1) Play any selection of videos one after another automatically till they get to the end & then start again if at all possible - (Looping?)

2) Allow me to make folders of selected videos & then select a folder & play all the videos inside as in point 1. (Playlists?)

Can an iPad allow me to do this & do I need to get a special app for it to do so?

One of the major pains in using VLC & MX Player was that there was no "Select All" option with regards to playback of videos so I had to manually select each one to play (there are 277 of them!) & this took ages & very frustrating - does the iPad video player have a "Select All" option to play all videos in a folder - I would really want this option!

An issue I had often with the Samsung Tablet was that although it was always connected to mains power, it would switch off as the Battery would drain right down & I would have to then wait for it to recharge fully before I could use the tablet again which I thought was very odd - I assumed that being connected to the Mains power, the unit would not need to use the battery? Would the iPad have power issues like this?

As I would be buying a much older unit - should I be concerned about battery life at all - the samsung battery is gone - started bloating & it is a 2014 model. How much life would a iPad 1 or iPad 4/iPad Air 1 have left in years & can they be replaced?

Sorry to be such a noob!

Many Kind Thanks!

One issue if you need 3rd party apps, the latest versions may be incompatible with your older iOS firmware. For example, VLC currently requires iOS 9.0 or newer so you may not be able to download it at all unless you have another iOS device from which you can “purchase” the app.

Also, while video playback in and of itself should work fine, navigating the UI, etc. could be painfully slow on older devices such as the iPad 2 and 3.

I recommend getting at least iPad Air 2, 5th gen or 6th gen. I don’t think they’re that much more expensive than the iPad 4 or Air but they should have better longevity. The 2GB RAM lends to better performance plus they’ll be getting iPadOS 14.

Also, don’t buy iPad 1-3 if it doesn’t come with charging cable. The old style cables can be hard to source. I just wasted money buying non-certified 30-pin cables before finally coughing up the $30 for an original Apple cable. At least with Lightning, there are plenty of inexpensive MFi certified alternatives.

Mind, I second the recommendation for the Fire. The 16:9/16:10 aspect ratio is better suited for video playback compared to the iPad’s more squarish (4:3) display.

 

[Marlon DLTH :)]

I am heartened to know that even a first generation iPad would work well for my needs - I read that Apple no longer support the older iPads so does that mean the software on it will stop functioning after some time or that it will be abandoned etc?

For the main part the display quality is not that a big deal as they are mainly SD quality videos downloaded from YouTube but if for not much more money (or if it is worth it for the long term) I can get a iPad 4 or iPad Air 1 as has been suggested then I would certainly consider it since once it will no longer be needed in it's current setting then I would be able to make better & more enjoyable use out it - say when travelling etc.

Yes, those iPads will be great options for that. However, if you want to use it in more ways than just playing videos, then you should better buy a supported iPad so you will enjoy it more. As @rui no onna said, an iPad Air 2 or 5th gen will work great for you and they are cheap too. They'll get iPadOS 14 and will support apps for many years.

 

[*~Kim~*]

I thought it might be useful to advise as to where each iPad is stuck, due to the current 9.0 cut off for VLC. Apps can also up their requirements at any time, and even prevent older versions that you are already using from working. So buying an iPad that has iOS 9 and getting VLC now doesn’t guarantee that that version of the app will still be usable in years to come.

iPad 1 is stuck way down on iOS 5.1.1, which might even mean that there isn’t a version of VLC that exists for it. You can only “purchase” using the workaround an app if a version exists that was ever made to work on that iOS. I only recently started using VLC on an Android phone so I don’t know how long it has been around. iOS 5 is 2011. You would benefit from an iPad with Retina display even with SD video. Once you notice the pixels in the older screens, you can’t unsee them. The first iPad released with Retina display was the iPad 3.

iPad 2 and 3 are stuck on 9.3.6, so can download VLC themselves for now, while the iPad 4 is stuck on iOS 10. The iPad Air is a lot lighter than the iPad 4 and goes up to iOS 12. The Air 2, 5th Gen iPad and later models are currently supported by Apple.

An iOS version seems to start running into app compatibility problems after 2 years. iOS 9 at this point is painful. For a likely small increase in cost, I think it’s worth getting something newer that isn’t so limiting should you find other functions for the iPad, and something with Retina.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

My Air 2 from 2014 is still running great — no battery issues, no screen issues — definitely the best iPad I have owned.

Out of curiosity, what type of religious content are you running and why are you running it in a loop?

 

[sonicrobby]

Maybe this listing would interest you. Its a 1st generation iPad with the 64GB of storage that you need. WiFi only.

Apple iPad 1st Gen. 64GB, Wi-Fi, 9.7in - Black for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Apple iPad 1st Gen. 64GB, Wi-Fi, 9.7in - Black at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

I wouldn’t... as someone who had the 1st gen up to last year (as an additional iPad of course) there were numerous crashes with videos and other apps. Cheap is good, but id recommend something a bit more recent, even the iPad 2, but probably an iPad Air 2 or later would be better for long term stability.

 

[digitalcuriosity]

What i have found and i am sure others also have found the same things, when Apple stops supporting their iPads many Aps stop working or don't work correctly anymore.

Sure their still useful for many things but not all things.

 

[retta283]

I have had no problems using a 1st gen iPad as a video player. It's running iOS 4 and I have it loaded full with video content. This was using the built-in Videos app though, so I can't speak to anything 3rd-party.