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iPad Stupid to buy an iPad 2?

D

drjaymez

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 27, 2008
49
0
Dummy me left a wifi only ipad in airplane mode on an airplane. It has been 3 weeks and no sign of it in airport lost and found. Numerous phone calls and use of Delta's online site. Hasn't shown up on my icloud. I think it's lost.

I'm trying to decide what to replace it with. It is basically a movies device for my kid at this point. Nobody uses it for much else. The wife does a little web browsing on it occasionally but that is about it. I know the ipad 2 is long in the tooth, but the price is right and for limited use I'm thinking about it, but I'm assuming ios 8 will be the last IOS upgrade for it, and considering getting a 4 or air for "future proof"-ing but not even sure if that is worth the extra cost.

I've found old 64GB Ipad 2's with AT&T for <$300 in good shape. A used Air in decent shape with AT&T is twice that.

New or even refurb pricing is absurd for the use it will have.

TLDR: Would you still buy an ipad 2 for a limited use device?
 
An iPad 2 for a limited use device, knowing full well it's getting no new features next year.
Few, if any more security updates from Apple.
Apps will start to no longer be updated for it in probably another year's time.

You should ask yourself if you really need 64GB.

Yes, sure, if that met my limited-use needs, and the price was right.
 
For a device for kids to watch movies on, an iPad 2 is more than sufficient. Personally, I would go for the original iPad Mini instead, as the cost seems to be about the same.
 
Thank you both.

Agreed on the Mini but the wife wants a full size display. I wanted a nexus 7, lol.

Yep a 32GB would be fine and I can watch for one in the right price point. Not in a huge hurry. Is it worth an extra $100-ish to be a little more future proof, i.e. a 4?
 
If I were you I'd future proof it with a 4 if I had no intention of buying a more up to date one in the next year (Air, Air 2 or Pro).

If it's a stop-gap I'd then buy the cheapest you can that will do for now (Mini 1, iPad 2 etc)

But that's just me.
 
I think $100 is reasonable to go from the 2 to the 4. Much more future proof in my opinion and you get the lightning connection..
 
The oldest iPad I can recommend anyone buy is the iPad 4. It only costs a little more and the specs are much much more modern:

- 1gb Ram vs 512mb
- Retina Display vs non-retina
- Lightning Port vs 30-pin
- A6X (iPhone 5) vs A5 (iPhone 4S)

If you have an iPad 2 already, then great, keep using it til you want to upgrade. But to buy a new one in 2014, even for limited use? Bad buy!

EDIT: You're in luck though, as this is the best time to buy right when the new iPads are coming out and people are going to be getting rid of their old ones for absurdly low prices. If you're prioritizing cost over performance, then I bet you could snag an iPad 3 for pretty cheap this month. Many will be upgrading to the Air 2.
 
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wolfboy said:
The oldest iPad I can recommend anyone buy is the iPad 4. It only costs a little more and the specs are much much more modern:

- 1gb Ram vs 512mb
- Retina Display vs non-retina
- Lightning Port vs 30-pin
- A6X (iPhone 5) vs A5 (iPhone 4S)

If you have an iPad 2 already, then great, keep using it til you want to upgrade. But to buy a new one in 2014, even for limited use? Bad buy!
Click to expand...

I agree. The retina itself is worth the premium!
 
12vElectronics said:
I think $100 is reasonable to go from the 2 to the 4. Much more future proof in my opinion and you get the lightning connection..
Click to expand...
Lightning connection is not necessarily a plus... especially since the OP was using a 2. There are still quite a few 30-pin docks and cables available dirt-cheap.

I'm curious as to whether or not a 2 runs iOS 8 the same or better than the 4. Spec-wise it makes sense for the 4 to run better, but I wonder if iOS detects that it is running on a 2 and disables some not-so-obvious features (ie. under-the-covers processes) to improve performance.
 
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sracer said:
Lightning connection is not necessarily a plus... especially since the OP was using a 2. There are still quite a few 30-pin docks and cables available dirt-cheap.

I'm curious as to whether or not a 2 runs iOS 8 the same or better than the 4. Spec-wise it makes sense for the 4 to run better, but I wonder if iOS detects that it is running on a 2 and disables some not-so-obvious features (ie. under-the-covers processes) to improve performance.
Click to expand...

That was just the first thing that came to my mind. I know I have tons of lightning cables (authentic only) at work and home but zero 30 pins anymore!:eek:

The better ram and retina screen make it worthwhile for the extra $100 though.
 
12vElectronics said:
I think $100 is reasonable to go from the 2 to the 4. Much more future proof in my opinion and you get the lightning connection..
Click to expand...

You get the lightening connector and that extremely good retina display which will make those movies and browsing sessions look so much better.

I'd go for the 4. It's a hundred bucks well spent, IMO.
 
Personally, the much faster A6 CPU/GPU and retina display makes the iPad 4 more than worth the extra $100. 1GB of RAM is just icing on the cake. ;)

That said, for a movies-only tablet, I'd probably just get a 10.1" 1080p Android with microSD card slot for less than $200. Of course, that may not be an acceptable option for the wifey. :p
 
If it really was movies only, and you did not see yourself buying another iPad down the road for your kids to use, then I'd say save $100, get the iPad 2, and run it into the ground.
HOWEVER, since your wife uses it, she will undoubtedly complain about the performance of the iPad 2, so the 4th gen is a better bet.
 
rui no onna said:
Personally, the much faster A6 CPU/GPU and retina display makes the iPad 4 more than worth the extra $100. 1GB of RAM is just icing on the cake. ;)

That said, for a movies-only tablet, I'd probably just get a 10.1" 1080p Android with microSD card slot for less than $200. Of course, that may not be an acceptable option for the wifey. :p
Click to expand...

Where can you find a 10.1" tablet for under $200 that isn't a piece of crap? I'm seriously interested.
 
For what it's worth, my cellular iPad 2 (purchased on launch day) still runs as well as it did when I got it - and is heavily used daily. Books, movies, email, games, navigation, you name it, and my iPad does it.

iOS 7.2.1 - I make it a point to turn on airplane mode when I charge it overnight to avoid a surreptitious download of iOS 8 by Apple, as I prefer not to upgrade.
 
12vElectronics said:
Where can you find a 10.1" tablet for under $200 that isn't a piece of crap? I'm seriously interested.
Click to expand...
Crap is subjective. For movies only, I use an Asus Transformer TF700T (either Netflix or MX Player) and for me, it works well enough for that. I paid $500 for mine but nowadays, I often see it go for $170-180. I don't really use it for anything other than video playback, though. The iPad's 4:3 aspect ratio just works so much better for me for general usage.
 
get a 3 or a 4.


or better yet get an Air.

if you're go into spend 200-300 dollars, might as well get an Air right when the announce the Air 2



I like the full size screen, i dont use the iPad while traveling (besides on a plane) like bus or subway, if i even do take it. So full size iPad is right for me.


LOL, remember when people were clamoring that the full sized iPads would be discontinued, because of the retina mini?

Where are you now? People are so arrogant to see theres markets for both, and the 12.2 iPad Pro as well.
 
Thanks for all the input all. I think I would have gone with a 4.

Here's the unbelievable part: Delta found the ipad this morning, over 3 weeks later! So it looks like the ipad2 will live on to fight another day! :)
 
drjaymez said:
Thanks for all the input all. I think I would have gone with a 4.

Here's the unbelievable part: Delta found the ipad this morning, over 3 weeks later! So it looks like the ipad2 will live on to fight another day! :)
Click to expand...

Wow! You are very lucky I thought you would never see that iPad again!
 
sracer said:
Lightning connection is not necessarily a plus... especially since the OP was using a 2. There are still quite a few 30-pin docks and cables available dirt-cheap.

I'm curious as to whether or not a 2 runs iOS 8 the same or better than the 4. Spec-wise it makes sense for the 4 to run better, but I wonder if iOS detects that it is running on a 2 and disables some not-so-obvious features (ie. under-the-covers processes) to improve performance.
Click to expand...

I have an iPad 2 on iOS 8 and the performance hit is very noticeable (and aggravating). Can't speak to the performance relative to the 4, but I would definitely not recommend a 2 if the OP wants iOS 8. I'd be far more annoyed if I hadn't previously decided I was going to get an Air 2 very soon.
 
don't even think about it, it's crazy man. buy a 4 if you want to save some money. right now that would be the best bang for your buck. but if i was you.. i'd wait for air 2 to come out (6 days) and then i'd buy the original air. it's still a VERY solid device, and the price should drop a little. The iPad 2 is corpse right now, don't even touch it.

I just checked on a bestbuy-like store website where I live and they sell iPad 2 for 350euro, the iPad 4 for 380 euro. LOL. There's a hope that some retailers as stupid as mine are somewhere around your area too ;)
 
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