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Still a good time to buy an Air 2?
- Thread starter L T
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If you don't need Apple Pencil functionality, it's still a great tablet.
It's now a couple of months away from being 2 years old - I'd start to get concerned about future iOS update lag.
I'm running my Air 1 on 9.3.3 with no lag, so OP should not worry about that at all, in fact.
Depends on how "future" you're talking about. I's say it probably has another two iOS revisions before you even start to notice anything.
That said, personally, I wouldn't buy an Air 2 retail. Either seek out a good deal on a brand new one or find a good used one cheaper.
I just bought my parents an Air 2. It was to replace their iPad 3. It will last them 3-4 years for sure. It depends how you want to use it. They just text, email, use safari, Facebook, etc. They thought their iPad 3 was still fine on iOS 8 until they used the Air 2. If you care about pencil, true tone, 4 speakers, then get the pro, otherwise the Air 2 is probably fine.
bought the iPad Pro 9.7 and regretted it, he does the same thing as the Air 2 and the difference is not worth the money
For the price it's definitely a great buy. Every once in a while Apple does put out a great product. Whoever got the Air 2 early will have gotten a lot of mileage out of it.
With 2 GB of RAM (same as the latest iPad Pro), the only iPad with a tri-core processor, and benchmarks that still meet or surpass 2016 tablets, I wouldn't worry so much.
Had an iPad 4 running iOS 9 until May. I gave that away but kept my iPad 4 with iOS 6. Also still have an iPad Air running iOS 9. For graphic/multimedia heavy websites, I found both the 4 and Air with iOS 9 to be unbearable to use. Honestly, iPad 4+iOS 6 was faster than Air+iOS 9 although it sometimes suffers from website incompatibilities. 
The Air 2 is still okay running iOS 9 right now but the same could be said of the Air when the Air 2 was released, the 4 when Air was released and the 3 when 4 was released (so pretty much 1 generation old devices are ok with latest firmware).
For someone like my mom who's still fine using an iPad 3 (albeit on iOS 6), the Air 2 would last her probably until Apple stops providing firmware updates for it (and given the Mini 4 with A8 was only recently released, it'll probably receive several years of updates still). For me though, I just have higher performance expectations. As for Pro 9.7 being dual-core only and Air 2 tri-core, I'd take faster dual-core over tri-core or quad-core almost everytime (the exception being video encoding). Besides, it's not just the processor that's improved, the storage subsystem is also faster on the Pro. That's a pretty significant thing for me as the iPad's CPU is now fast enough that slow storage can present a noticeable bottleneck.
The Air 2 is still okay running iOS 9 right now but the same could be said of the Air when the Air 2 was released, the 4 when Air was released and the 3 when 4 was released (so pretty much 1 generation old devices are ok with latest firmware).
For someone like my mom who's still fine using an iPad 3 (albeit on iOS 6), the Air 2 would last her probably until Apple stops providing firmware updates for it (and given the Mini 4 with A8 was only recently released, it'll probably receive several years of updates still). For me though, I just have higher performance expectations. As for Pro 9.7 being dual-core only and Air 2 tri-core, I'd take faster dual-core over tri-core or quad-core almost everytime (the exception being video encoding). Besides, it's not just the processor that's improved, the storage subsystem is also faster on the Pro. That's a pretty significant thing for me as the iPad's CPU is now fast enough that slow storage can present a noticeable bottleneck.
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Absolutely! The Air 2 is still a wonderful tablet. I recently purchased a 128GB cellular Air 2 for $450, and have been blown away by the performance of this tablet. It's running the iOS 10 public beta like a champ, and I foresee it lasting me many years to come.
For the record, this is replacing an iPad 3 as my full-size tablet, while I still have a mini 2 as my bedroom tablet.
For the record, this is replacing an iPad 3 as my full-size tablet, while I still have a mini 2 as my bedroom tablet.
I have an Air 2 and have had lag since iOS 9. Same with my iPhone 6+. I've come to expect lag after two years, but I was surprised to find that the lag began on my devices after the first yearly update.
Your case differs considerably from mine, so now I am wondering if I need to wipe my Air 2 or something and start over with it. I don't think 2 year old devices should lag either, but I was VERY disappointed at the one year mark. But, to be honest, while I hear a lot of people talking about laggy 6+s, I don't hear the same about the Air 2, so maybe it's just me
I have an Air 2 and have had lag since iOS 9. Same with my iPhone 6+. I've come to expect lag after two years, but I was surprised to find that the lag began on my devices after the first yearly update.
Your case differs considerably from mine, so now I am wondering if I need to wipe my Air 2 or something and start over with it. I don't think 2 year old devices should lag either, but I was VERY disappointed at the one year mark. But, to be honest, while I hear a lot of people talking about laggy 6+s, I don't hear the same about the Air 2, so maybe it's just me
I don't think what you're describing is normal, and certainly I've never experienced lag after 2 years on any iOS device.
I'm guessing you haven't used the iPad 3, then. Even on iOS 6, it was noticeably not snappy.
I'm guessing you haven't used the iPad 3, then. Even on iOS 6, it was noticeably not snappy.
My in laws are still using my old iPad 3, happily. Only in the bizarro world of macrumors forums do devices cease to be useful at day 365.
Wouldn't call it bizarro-world but given this is an enthusiast forum, definitely higher expectations for some (including myself). I recently gave away an iPad 3 64GB WiFi and an iPad 4 16GB LTE and the recipients were plenty excited to even have an iPad.
I know folks who still use Pentium III desktops with Windows XP and have no plans of replacing them until the hardware craps out. Meanwhile, I'm already annoyed by the wait times on work PCs with quad-core CPUs but only have HDD and not SSD.
Tech is my passion so that's something I indulge within my means. Unfortunately, this also drives the need for performance because once you get used to something fast/instantaneous, it's hard to make do with slower components/devices. Meanwhile, couldn't care less what car I drive as long as it's reliable and gets me from point A to point B. As long as all the bills get paid, it's really up to an individual where their fun money brings them the most happiness. I like my tech, some cars, others designer outfits/bags/shoes, some travel and others still just watching their pile of money grow. Nothing wrong with any of those options.
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I have an Air 2 and have had lag since iOS 9. Same with my iPhone 6+. I've come to expect lag after two years, but I was surprised to find that the lag began on my devices after the first yearly update.
Your case differs considerably from mine, so now I am wondering if I need to wipe my Air 2 or something and start over with it. I don't think 2 year old devices should lag either, but I was VERY disappointed at the one year mark. But, to be honest, while I hear a lot of people talking about laggy 6+s, I don't hear the same about the Air 2, so maybe it's just me
Well, experiences always vary. I have a Mini 4 which is somewhere between the Air 1 and 2 in terms of power, and I've experienced no notable lag on any version of iOS 9
I agree completely!
I think where there's some 'concern' is that when people complain about 'lag', there's no distinction between "I notice an ever so slight stutter when I push the home button" and "there are whole seconds that pass between a button push and an action". Both positions are lumped under a complaint about "lag" and it makes the iPad sound unusable because of how slowly the OS responds. Saying that the iPad Air 2 is "laggy" is certainly the "my device is not the most optimum experience I can possibly have" catagory vs. an iPad 2 where the lag is so noticeable that it makes it frustrating.
I wouldn't recommend it. iOS 10 is less than 2 months away. iPad Air 2 is still running A8x. It's better to just get an iPad Pro 9.7 if you can afford.
If you're buyin iPad Air 2 based on affordability then go for it. It is still a solid device. But if you have the cash the. Go for the iPad Pro 9.7
If you're buyin iPad Air 2 based on affordability then go for it. It is still a solid device. But if you have the cash the. Go for the iPad Pro 9.7
One of my clients offered to purchase a new iPad for me, I could have gotten a Pro but honestly I lose things like stylus pencils so the thought of paying $100 for one did not appeal to me.
My 64GB Air 2 replaced a 32GB Air and I am very pleased with the performance difference, the screen is beautiful & the extra ram gets rid of safari tab reloading which had become annoying.
Get the Pro if you will use the pencil a lot but if not the Air 2 is still a fine tablet!
My 64GB Air 2 replaced a 32GB Air and I am very pleased with the performance difference, the screen is beautiful & the extra ram gets rid of safari tab reloading which had become annoying.
Get the Pro if you will use the pencil a lot but if not the Air 2 is still a fine tablet!