The "waiting for the iPad Air 3" club!

[Trickhot3102]

hey my fellow iPad users! Who else is gonna upgrade to the Air 3 this year?! I will be upgrading to the Air 3 from my iPad Mini 2. I am looking forward to a new faster CPU, more RAM (I'd be happy if they kept the 2 gigs, but it would be nice to have more) and the bigger screen

So, what tablet will you be upgrading from? And what are you looking forward to on the Air 3?

 

[Trickhot3102]

Oh! I forgot to ask WHY you're gonna get the Air 3? i could've gotten the Air 2 when it came out, but I opted for the mini 2, mainly because it's my first iPad and I wanted to see how I liked it and how exactly I would use it. As it turns out, I use my iPad about 99.9 percent around the house. That being said, the bigger screen and the thin/light design of the Air would be perfect.

 

[LucasEVille]

hey my fellow iPad users! Who else is gonna upgrade to the Air 3 this year?! I will be upgrading to the Air 3 from my iPad Mini 2. I am looking forward to a new faster CPU, more RAM (I'd be happy if they kept the 2 gigs, but it would be nice to have more) and the bigger screen

So, what tablet will you be upgrading from? And what are you looking forward to on the Air 3?

Doubt you'll get anymore ram unless they will extend the multitasking more, possibly the ipad pro will get more ram.

Depending on the processing benchmarks I might buy the air 2, air 3 or ipad pro. All depends on price to performance.

 

[EsbenJohnson]

I am an extremely happy owner of the iPad Air 2, and I don't know whether I will be upgrading or not. The dealbreaker for me is an OLED-display, I hate watching videos at low light in the night and still the whole room is lid up by the display.

A higher resolution and smaller bezels wouldn't hurt either

 

[RebornProphet]

No doubt when the Air 3 comes out it'll be proclaimed as "everything the Air 2 should have been." Same old every year.

Bottom line is that there are no apps currently on the App Store that the Air 1 can't run and can't run the way they do on the Air 2 (bar some quicker loading times).

Developers haven't pushed the Air 1 to its limits so there's no way they've even scratched the surface of the Air 2 yet.

 

[riverer]

I'm half in the club, I have an Air1 which I use all the time at work (teacher). Multi tasking for me will be a massively useful feature, so an upgrade is on the cards. The question is whether I take the £100 ipad2 trade in on the wifes unit which is on at PCworld now and get an air2, or wait and see what the air3 has to offer and then switch mid academic year which could be a risky move.

The camera is also a big sell for me, since I use apps that scan QR codes that students hold up to do quizzes etc and I think it'd make it quicker/more accurate at picking them up.

Battery is also pretty vital, and I hear the air2 has less juice than the air1, so thats a factor.

 

[Denmac1]

Still have my original iPad. With the advent of iOS9, it's probably time as it will be nice to have Handoff & Continuity on all devices. Plus it just puts me another year ahead for future proof. My 5s is doing just fine and then will be able to wait until 7s is out in late 2016. If they don't make significant improvements, however, it may just be an iPad refurb. and save my nickels for the next desktop to replace my Mac Mini. Hopefully it will be functional at least through OSX 11.11.4 Death Valley.

 

[smooth]

My household plans on getting 2 Air 3's and 2 Mini 4's. We are upgrading from iPad 3's and Mini 1's. My wife and I have the 3's and are noticing big time lag on both Facebook and Safari, but only in the last couple months. Just about every other app on there works fine, but at least for me FB and Safari are the 2 of the 3 apps I use the most. My kids have the Minis and they still work pretty good for their uses, they are 16gb models and they are constantly out of space. We probably won't upgrade right at launch but definitely by early next year.

 

[Trickhot3102]

Sounds like a lot of you are on the fence about upgrading or getting the Air 2 (or staying with it lol). I've thought about getting the Air 2, but I want to get the latest and greatest

 

[RebornProphet]

Sounds like a lot of you are on the fence about upgrading or getting the Air 2 (or staying with it lol). I've thought about getting the Air 2, but I want to get the latest and greatest

That's the thing, depending on how long you keep it, you'll never see the best of the latest and greatest because you've upgraded.

My Air 2 arrives within the next fortnight, upgrading from an Air 1. My work run a corporate program where you can buy an iPad every year and have the cost deducted from your salary per month. The program opens every June, so I have the "latest and greatest" for a few months before the new model comes out but I upgrade annually and have done since the iPad 3rd gen and hand my old ones down through the family. Thing is, by doing this, I never see an iPad get unusable, simply because I've upgraded so soon and before developers have pushed it (aside from my iPad 3).

However this time I'll be keeping the Air 2 for a while and next year won't be taking up the option of a new iPad. Air 2 is going to be good for a few years.

 

[zhenya]

Only thing that is likely to sway me is if they add a proper digitizer or somehow make Force Touch support accurate handwriting.

 

[sracer]

iOS 8 has been so unbearable on my iPad 2 (and not much better on my iPad 4) that I've been spending more time with my Android tablets.

Whether or not I get an Air 3 (or iPad Pro) will depend upon how well iOS 9 runs on these older iPads and what the Air 3/Pro hardware will be.

If iOS 9 runs well on the older devices then that is an indicator that Apple is serious about cleaning things up and so I'm more likely to spend more for a Pro or higher capacity Air 3.

If there's no improvement (iOS 9 on older iPads), then I'll only consider an entry-level Air 3.

I will no longer pay a premium price for premium hardware that has an effective life that is no better than devices that are far less expensive.

 

[RebornProphet]

iOS 8 has been so unbearable on my iPad 2 (and not much better on my iPad 4) that I've been spending more time with my Android tablets.

Whether or not I get an Air 3 (or iPad Pro) will depend upon how well iOS 9 runs on these older iPads and what the Air 3/Pro hardware will be.

If iOS 9 runs well on the older devices then that is an indicator that Apple is serious about cleaning things up and so I'm more likely to spend more for a Pro or higher capacity Air 3.

If there's no improvement (iOS 9 on older iPads), then I'll only consider an entry-level Air 3.

I will no longer pay a premium price for premium hardware that has an effective life that is no better than devices that are far less expensive.

Let's be honest, since iOS 7 the iPad has been an afterthought in terms of quality. Apple just don't seem to give it the level of polish on iPad that they do on iPhone.

 

[sracer]

Let's be honest, since iOS 7 the iPad has been an afterthought in terms of quality. Apple just don't seem to give it the level of polish on iPad that they do on iPhone.

I believe that you are correct. As for why that is, only Apple's inner circle knows.

 

[nj-morris]

The main deal breakers will probably be Force Touch and better battery life. They will probably put better processors and better cameras, but they probably won't be as big.
I got an Air 2 a few weeks ago, and it's serving me very well. Not having FT when it comes to the iPad will probably bother me slightly, but I'm sure I'll live.

 

[bufffilm]

to expect or hope that ios9 will run well on an ipad2 is a bit optimistic. after all, we're talking about something that was released in 2011 even if the 2 was the most best-selling ipad model.

i have an ipad2 and am ready to buy a new ipad (or maybe a ipad pro) if the following is true:

1) apple fixes the vibration issue when playing music, etc at 50% or higher levels
2) ups the battery capacity to something like 14+ hrs

otherwise, i'll keep using my 2 until it breaks!

ps. in truth, if apple were to give it a 12 hr battery life, i'd be satisfied. 14+ hrs would be a dream come true..

iOS 8 has been so unbearable on my iPad 2 (and not much better on my iPad 4) that I've been spending more time with my Android tablets.
.
.
.
If there's no improvement (iOS 9 on older iPads), then I'll only consider an entry-level Air 3.

 

[XTheLancerX]

Currently on the mini 2 as well and I'm looking at the Air 3! My mini 2 is nice and all, but I'm sorry, it is a stuttery, hellish mess for being on its first OS update. The 1GB of RAM is also an issue, switching between apps or tabs (if I dare take the risk) is a huge race because if I leave for more than 30 seconds, all my progress on the previous task will be gone.

The display is pretty nice, but the color gamut is a bit of an issue for me. It is tolerable for sure, but it bugs me when I edit a photo on my iPad I crank up the saturation and such, but when I look at the photo on my iPhone, it is WAY overdone. Plus if I find a cool wallpaper I set on my phone, it looks awful on my iPad because it simply is washed out and drab. If I wasn't spoiled with my iPhone 6 being next to my iPad, it wouldn't hardly be an issue The larger screen size also seems extremely appealing to me lately. Extra screen quality is just the cherry on top.

I miss Touch ID from my iPhone as well, but I'm not getting that scam of an iPad mini 3.

Finally, I fear for the iPad mini's future. So I sort of want to get off of the iPad mini train. I feel like year after year, we will see "iPad mini 3's" as well. I don't want to be screwed over by being attached to the mini.

I almost jumped on the recent staples deal for the iPad Air 2, with the $100 off and all, but I figure it's just way too close to the next iPad. I would regret the purchase in 3-4 months. I also would like to see them fix the vibration "issue" and somehow improve battery life as I hear it is a bit iffy on the Air 2. Probably still more than sufficient but I would rather not have to worry.

 

[Trickhot3102]

Currently on the mini 2 as well and I'm looking at the Air 3! My mini 2 is nice and all, but I'm sorry, it is a stuttery, hellish mess for being on its first OS update. The 1GB of RAM is also an issue, switching between apps or tabs (if I dare take the risk) is a huge race because if I leave for more than 30 seconds, all my progress on the previous task will be gone.

The display is pretty nice, but the color gamut is a bit of an issue for me. It is tolerable for sure, but it bugs me when I edit a photo on my iPad I crank up the saturation and such, but when I look at the photo on my iPhone, it is WAY overdone. Plus if I find a cool wallpaper I set on my phone, it looks awful on my iPad because it simply is washed out and drab. If I wasn't spoiled with my iPhone 6 being next to my iPad, it wouldn't hardly be an issue The larger screen size also seems extremely appealing to me lately. Extra screen quality is just the cherry on top.

I miss Touch ID from my iPhone as well, but I'm not getting that scam of an iPad mini 3.

Finally, I fear for the iPad mini's future. So I sort of want to get off of the iPad mini train. I feel like year after year, we will see "iPad mini 3's" as well. I don't want to be screwed over by being attached to the mini.

I almost jumped on the recent staples deal for the iPad Air 2, with the $100 off and all, but I figure it's just way too close to the next iPad. I would regret the purchase in 3-4 months. I also would like to see them fix the vibration "issue" and somehow improve battery life as I hear it is a bit iffy on the Air 2. Probably still more than sufficient but I would rather not have to worry.

I agree with everything you said! From one Mini 2 owner to another! I also am afraid of the future of the mini. It seems that the full size iPad is getting all the cool features! Even the iPad Air 1's A7 chip was over clocked more than the mini 2's. One thing I do like about the mini is the higher PPI screen over the air. I hope they bring the "Retina HD" display to the iPad. But if they do keep its the same, it's not a deal breaker. As you said, the Air's display is gorgeous. I also find the mini looking small lately. Especially in landscape.

 

[Trickhot3102]

I almost jumped on the recent staples deal for the iPad Air 2, with the $100 off and all, but I figure it's just way too close to the next iPad. I would regret the purchase in 3-4 months. I also would like to see them fix the vibration "issue" and somehow improve battery life as I hear it is a bit iffy on the Air 2. Probably still more than sufficient but I would rather not have to worry.

Yeah I almost jumped on it last month for my birthday. I am very temper to go out and get an air 2, but the new on is only 4 months away. Besides, the Air 2 is almost a year old and that's a year off from its lifespan. I'd like to get the Air 3 and keep it for many years to come

 

[auzzuro]

i would sure change my ipad if it got retina hd with oled display ...

 

[XTheLancerX]

I agree with everything you said! From one Mini 2 owner to another! I also am afraid of the future of the mini. It seems that the full size iPad is getting all the cool features! Even the iPad Air 1's A7 chip was over clocked more than the mini 2's. One thing I do like about the mini is the higher PPI screen over the air. I hope they bring the "Retina HD" display to the iPad. But if they do keep its the same, it's not a deal breaker. As you said, the Air's display is gorgeous. I also find the mini looking small lately. Especially in landscape.

Probably the biggest set back they made with the mini 2 (since they have the same processor as full size iPad back then) was the display quality, aside from screen size. I envy even the first iPad Air's display. I don't have an issue with the full size iPad's screen res. The PPI is more than enough for such a large screen in my opinion, considering you would hold it farther from your face than a mini.

 

[Trickhot3102]

Probably the biggest set back they made with the mini 2 (since they have the same processor as full size iPad back then) was the display quality, aside from screen size. I envy even the first iPad Air's display. I don't have an issue with the full size iPad's screen res. The PPI is more than enough for such a large screen in my opinion, considering you would hold it farther from your face than a mini.

True, I forgot that because it's bigger you'd hold it further away. I was watching a few videos of the mini 3 VS the air 2 and the air 2's display just looks gorgeous. It's much more saturated and looks like the image is right there on top of the glass. You don't get that with the mini because of the stupid air gap between the screen and the glass.

Even if they did make the mini 4 EXACTLY like the air 3 in every single way, I'd still get the air 3. I find the mini's screen kinda small lately and I'm not too sure about the Mini's future. At this point I'm looking for a tablet to last 3-4 years

 

[XTheLancerX]

True, I forgot that because it's bigger you'd hold it further away. I was watching a few videos of the mini 3 VS the air 2 and the air 2's display just looks gorgeous. It's much more saturated and looks like the image is right there on top of the glass. You don't get that with the mini because of the stupid air gap between the screen and the glass.

Even if they did make the mini 4 EXACTLY like the air 3 in every single way, I'd still get the air 3. I find the mini's screen kinda small lately and I'm not too sure about the Mini's future. At this point I'm looking for a tablet to last 3-4 years

Same here! I've made a couple threads/posts about upgrading from iPad mini 2 to iPad Air 2 now or waiting for the air 3, people have said "why not look into the mini 4" but I'm quite tired of the screen size with the mini to be honest. I LOVED it at first, I thought it was absolutely perfect, I could easily hold the iPad in one hand to show something to someone, but really, is it worth the vast screen real estate and screen quality with the full size device? In my opinion, not so much. Really excited for 9.7" screen.

 

[Trickhot3102]

Same here! I've made a couple threads/posts about upgrading from iPad mini 2 to iPad Air 2 now or waiting for the air 3, people have said "why not look into the mini 4" but I'm quite tired of the screen size with the mini to be honest. I LOVED it at first, I thought it was absolutely perfect, I could easily hold the iPad in one hand to show something to someone, but really, is it worth the vast screen real estate and screen quality with the full size device? In my opinion, not so much. Really excited for 9.7" screen.

Couldn't agree more!!! At first I thought I'd bring it out everywhere, but I really only keep it around the house, so the bigger screen will be nice. If there was a situation I would want to bring it, I wouldn't mind bringing the air 2. It's not so big that you can't bring it around with you. I find myself wanting the bigger screen more and more everyday so it's gonna be hard to wait 4 months! Lol. But I'd rather wait and get the latest and greatest.

 

[Trickhot3102]

And yeah I thought it was great for using it one handed, but I'd rather have more screen real estate. Plus the Air 2 (and 3) will get the split screen multitasking!