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I'm so glad I jumped on this deal, $150.00 off for a 64 GB was an unbelievable deal. I've been enjoying my iPad Air 2 and each time I go to pick it up I'm reminded what a great deal this was, I still have not upgraded it to iOS 9 because I'm unsure if it will go smoothly or not. It came with IOS 8.4 and it's been working perfectly. I really don't want any lag so I'm hesitant to upgrade.

It's hard now to go back and use my iPad mini 2 because the screen quality is so bad compared to the iPad Air 2. I'm waiting for some deals on the iPad Mini 4 to arrive and I might trade in my mini 2 for credit and get the mini 4 with cellular service so I can take that on the go.
 
I'm really glad as well :D

And on 8.4 too for concerns of maintaining smoothness.

Plus jailbreak.

iOS 9 is tempting but I just got 6s plus to replace my jailbroken 6plus. I feel I need one custom device in the mix at minimum
 
I forgot to mention, this is the first device I've ever owned with Touch ID, I have an iPhone 5 and that doesn't have it and my iPad mini 2 doesn't have it either. I just love being able to touch my finger and it opens instantly, no more 4 digit #'s to enter. I can't wait to upgrade my iPhone 5 sometime in the future because I absolutely love touch ID on my new iPad Air 2. I also can't get over how blazing fast this iPad is, it opens webpages instantly, everything is so quick. Love it!!
 
It's hard now to go back and use my iPad mini 2 because the screen quality is so bad compared to the iPad Air 2. I'm waiting for some deals on the iPad Mini 4 to arrive and I might trade in my mini 2 for credit and get the mini 4 with cellular service so I can take that on the go.

because the screen quality is bad or because the screen is smaller? In relation to display? PPI? Elaborate.
 
BestBuy has $100.00 off. I doubt we will ever see the Stapels deal. A deal is one thing but Stapels was insane slashing new units way below highly discounted refurb units.
 
I'm so glad I jumped on this deal, $150.00 off for a 64 GB was an unbelievable deal. I've been enjoying my iPad Air 2 and each time I go to pick it up I'm reminded what a great deal this was, I still have not upgraded it to iOS 9 because I'm unsure if it will go smoothly or not. It came with IOS 8.4 and it's been working perfectly. I really don't want any lag so I'm hesitant to upgrade.
Same here... Staples deal on a 128GB Air 2.

My rule of thumb is to keep the iOS device at the same major release version that it shipped with. If it shipped with 7.0... stay with 7.x... 7.1, 7.1.1, 7.2, etc.

However, considering that iOS 9 was primarily going to be a "maintenance and optimization" release, I broke that rule. It's absolutely beautiful. No lag. No stuttering. Frankly I'm stunned because without fail every time that I've updated an iOS device to the next major release there has been a significant degradation in performance.

Split-window function is very much appreciated. (I've had that capability on my Surface 2 and Galaxy Tab tablets)

No guarantees of course that if you were to upgrade that your experience will mirror mine, but from the things that I've read, the majority of issues seem to primarily affect iPhones.


First of all, let me thank everyone for contributing to this thread. There's no way I would have known about this deal if I hadn't read it.
IMO, this is the MR community at its best. There's a sense of camaraderie and bonding over getting in on a deal. LOL There was a similar feeling last Summer when Best Buy was having insane deals on Macbook Airs.
 
Same here... Staples deal on a 128GB Air 2.

My rule of thumb is to keep the iOS device at the same major release version that it shipped with. If it shipped with 7.0... stay with 7.x... 7.1, 7.1.1, 7.2, etc.

However, considering that iOS 9 was primarily going to be a "maintenance and optimization" release, I broke that rule. It's absolutely beautiful. No lag. No stuttering. Frankly I'm stunned because without fail every time that I've updated an iOS device to the next major release there has been a significant degradation in performance.

Split-window function is very much appreciated. (I've had that capability on my Surface 2 and Galaxy Tab tablets)

No guarantees of course that if you were to upgrade that your experience will mirror mine, but from the things that I've read, the majority of issues seem to primarily affect iPhones.

I think two iOS updates is the sweet spot for performance/compatibility. Eventually apps will not support an older iOS (for example, keeping an iPhone 4S on iOS 6 forever) but at the same time, you don't want to update an older device to the point it is unusable. My iPhone 5 shipped with iOS 6 and I am keeping it at 8. I'll keep my iPhone 6 on iOS 10. I'm only going to break the cycle with the Air 2 and upgrade to iOS 11 because it too much of a beast.
 
I'm so glad I jumped on this deal, $150.00 off for a 64 GB was an unbelievable deal. I've been enjoying my iPad Air 2 and each time I go to pick it up I'm reminded what a great deal this was, I still have not upgraded it to iOS 9 because I'm unsure if it will go smoothly or not. It came with IOS 8.4 and it's been working perfectly. I really don't want any lag so I'm hesitant to upgrade.

It's hard now to go back and use my iPad mini 2 because the screen quality is so bad compared to the iPad Air 2. I'm waiting for some deals on the iPad Mini 4 to arrive and I might trade in my mini 2 for credit and get the mini 4 with cellular service so I can take that on the go.
There is so much in iOS 9 not to upgrade, especially for an iPad Air 2. Remember update is not only for new features, it also contains security updates.
 
IMO, this is the MR community at its best. There's a sense of camaraderie and bonding over getting in on a deal. LOL There was a similar feeling last Summer when Best Buy was having insane deals on Macbook Airs.

On the flip side of that, damn all of you! I was nowhere near in the market for an iPad air 2 with my 6s+ on preorder and enjoying my macbook pro i got this year just fine.

I happened to mozy on over to the iPad section which I rarely do and BAM!! A huge sale on the Air 2. My tech anxiety kicked in and I had to have it as that deal was too insanely good to pass up. $220 off out the door with the deal and BB rewards certificates.

I really missed having an iPad. so yea, thanks for tempting my wallet once again MR!! :)
 
I'm so glad I took advantage of this sale. Even if a 3 came out next month, I would not be disappointed. I will use this Air 2 for at least two years with no worries. This was too good of a deal to pass up.
 
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I'm so glad I took advantage of this sale. Even if a 3 came out next month, I would not be disappointed. I will use this Air 2 for at least two years with no worries. This was too good of a deal to pass up.
+1

I love getting deals like this....especially on something as good as the Air 2. Who knows what Apple has up their sleeve with the Air 3 (i.e. Next month, next spring, next fall, A9, A9X, etc, etc, etc...). What I do know is that I'll be perfectly happy with the Air 2 until then. If the Air 3 is not a significant upgrade, then I'll skip it. The Air 2 will hold in just fine!
 
Well, my iPad Air 2 finally arrived tonight from UPS at 6:45 at night. Talk about waiting for a package all day. The iPad Air 2 is awesome! Looks like my build date is from July 2015. Hopefully that includes the 4.2 Bluetooth.

Anyone have recommendations for a keyboard case? Oh, and I finally see why others make such a big deal about the vibrations of the sound in the iPad. It's definitely more intense than what I remember with my iPad 3. Even so, this iPad is fantastic!
 
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Well, my iPad Air 2 finally arrived tonight from UPS at 6:45 at night. Talk about waiting for a package all day. The iPad Air 2 is awesome! Looks like my build date is from July 2015. Hopefully that includes the 4.2 Bluetooth.

Anyone have recommendations for a keyboard case? Oh, and I finally see why others make such a big deal about the vibrations of the sound in the iPad. It's definitely more intense than what I remember with my iPad 3. Even so, this iPad is fantastic!
Congrats!

As for keyboard case, it all depends upon your use cases (no pun intended). I don't like keyboard cases because I often want to use the iPad as a tablet and a keyboard CASE makes that difficult. Keyboard COVERS on the other hand are close to what I prefer.

Unfortunately, I haven't found a keyboard case or cover that fits my needs without adding significant bulk. I find that surprising since manufacturers have had 2 years (Air + Air2) with the form factor to produce something "better".

The closest one that I would consider is the Logi Blok. But that is literally a brick.

What are some things that you are looking for in a keyboard cover/case? We might be able to offer some suggestions for your needs (even if they don't meet ours).
 
Congrats!

As for keyboard case, it all depends upon your use cases (no pun intended). I don't like keyboard cases because I often want to use the iPad as a tablet and a keyboard CASE makes that difficult. Keyboard COVERS on the other hand are close to what I prefer.

Unfortunately, I haven't found a keyboard case or cover that fits my needs without adding significant bulk. I find that surprising since manufacturers have had 2 years (Air + Air2) with the form factor to produce something "better".

The closest one that I would consider is the Logi Blok. But that is literally a brick.

What are some things that you are looking for in a keyboard cover/case? We might be able to offer some suggestions for your needs (even if they don't meet ours).

Good point and you are right, I am more interested in a keyboard cover. So far, the Logitech ultra thin clip on keyboard has caught my eye. Seems minimal and not too bulky.
 
Well, my iPad Air 2 finally arrived tonight from UPS at 6:45 at night. Talk about waiting for a package all day. The iPad Air 2 is awesome! Looks like my build date is from July 2015. Hopefully that includes the 4.2 Bluetooth.

Anyone have recommendations for a keyboard case? Oh, and I finally see why others make such a big deal about the vibrations of the sound in the iPad. It's definitely more intense than what I remember with my iPad 3. Even so, this iPad is fantastic!
Yeah I've noticed it you turn the volume up to 3/4 it vibrates inside the unit but for me it's not like it's vibrating in your hand and shanking it's just feels like loud bass which is normal to me. I don't mind it at all.
 
I picked one up at Best Buy last night it was $50 off. The $100 off is a printing error I was told..

I had an Air 2 wifi but sold that earlier this month as I really need the cellular option. $50 off isn't too bad of a deal but if you don't mind an Apple refurb they can be had even cheaper than that.
 
Good point and you are right, I am more interested in a keyboard cover. So far, the Logitech ultra thin clip on keyboard has caught my eye. Seems minimal and not too bulky.
I have a Logitech ultrathin keyboard cover for my iPad 2. Love it.

Unfortunately, it looks like Logitech messed around with perfection on their ultrathin keyboard cover for the Air 2. :( It seems that the magnets that attached the cover to the iPad Air 2 are weaker and they now have some goofy hinge that creates an edge that can catch on things.

I'm keeping an eye on that one... for either a significant price drop (I picked up the Logitech for the iPad 2 for $20) or for an updated design to the hinge.
 
Your not getting any speaker distortion are you?? All thin tablets that have a loud speaker output will physically vibrate the unit but it is not audible and doesn't affect sound quality. This is unavoidable with an ultra thin light chassis and good speaker performance.



Yeah I've noticed it you turn the volume up to 3/4 it vibrates inside the unit but for me it's not like it's vibrating in your hand and shanking it's just feels like loud bass which is normal to me. I don't mind it at all.
 
I have a Logitech ultrathin keyboard cover for my iPad 2. Love it.

Unfortunately, it looks like Logitech messed around with perfection on their ultrathin keyboard cover for the Air 2. :( It seems that the magnets that attached the cover to the iPad Air 2 are weaker and they now have some goofy hinge that creates an edge that can catch on things.

I'm keeping an eye on that one... for either a significant price drop (I picked up the Logitech for the iPad 2 for $20) or for an updated design to the hinge.

Yeah, I've read the same. They are going for about $30 on eBay which is where I think I will get mine. Still, even with the hinge and magnet issue, it still looks like a good keyboard. I am told the magnets lift normally to connect to the iPad 70% of the time. I've watched some reviews on YouTube and owners still seem to like it for the iPad Air 2.
 
Your not getting any speaker distortion are you?? All thin tablets that have a loud speaker output will physically vibrate the unit but it is not audible and doesn't affect sound quality. This is unavoidable with an ultra thin light chassis and good speaker performance.
No speaker distortion, the sound is really loud but clear it just does vibrate internally inside when you crank it all the way up. I'm guessing it's because the device is so thin.
 
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