Unless Apple makes dramatic improvements to iOS , this will be my last iPad

[Aluminum213]

I love my iPad Air 2, have owned every iPad since the iPad 3 (sell it off every year). With this iPhone 6 Plus, Apple Watch and MacBooks that are crazy thin and last all day long I'm finally starting to see the end of my usage of this tablet

iOS being a mirror of the iPhone version is really no longer acceptable and see why the iPad sales are plummeting

 

[Thares]

Same here for me. The last iPad I purchased was the iPad Air. I really like the weight and the thinness of the product. But it lacks the ability to get things done.

I like the way the Surface chose and I am looking forward to the next iteration of the product. Hopefully it get's way thinner and lighter. But even then there's still the problem with the different eco systems.

 

[OutSpoken]

Yeah I think the Air 2 is my last iPad too. Especially if the next big thing is the rumoured 12" iPad Pro... That's something I definitely have no need for.

Don't get me wrong though, I love my iPad, it stays at home and gets used more than the MacBook and iPhone 6.

 

[i-n]

Funnily enough, I sold my iPad 3 when I got my iPhone 6 but now I'm thinking about a refurb iPad Air or Mini 2 because I miss it. The iPhone 6 is great but I find it too small to read anything significant on when I'm on my daily commute by train. I have an rMBP for doing work at home.

 

[Aluminum213]

No split screen multi tasking, no real file drive, basically it's purely an app driven machine. That's ok the first few generations, not after 5 years when it's as powerful as a MacBook from a couple years ago


I'll be very interested in how iOS 9 improves functionality on the iPad at WWDC, but honestly I'm expecting them to say nothing. They will just focus on iPhone and Apple Watch, both devices I own and will benefit from the improvements

It's very clear the iPad is just an afterthought now with predictable upgrades only: thinner, lighter, faster with zero functionality upgrades

 

[kaylerrific]

Me too probably! I love my iPad but it gets limited use as a video watcher and occasionally for browsing on the web. I wish I could use it like a full computer.

 

[FSMBP]

No split screen multi tasking, no real file drive, basically it's purely an app driven machine. That's ok the first few generations, not after 5 years when it's as powerful as a MacBook from a couple years ago


I'll be very interested in how iOS 9 improves functionality on the iPad at WWDC, but honestly I'm expecting them to say nothing. They will just focus on iPhone and Apple Watch, both devices I own and will benefit from the improvements

It's very clear the iPad is just an afterthought now with predictable upgrades only: thinner, lighter, faster with zero functionality upgrades

Your statement is sad but it's entirely true. The iPad has so much untapped potential but Apple isn't giving it attention. I used to be against tablets but now I see how useful they can be thanks to the Microsoft Surface...It's a sad day when Microsoft is designing better products than Apple.

 

[sand_man]

Let's see how true multitasking is introduced to the iPad range. If it's anything like jailbreak app Multify, it could very well be the game changer so many iPad users are looking for...

 

[capathy21]

I agree. I have an iPad Air 2 and after getting my 6 plus, my iPad sits on the coffee table collecting dust. It's just a bigger version of my phone, but it doesn't really give me any different functionality unless it's something I need a bigger screen for.

Like you, I really hope they introduce some sort of split screen abilities, or something that would really allow you to take advantage of the large display versus it just being a glorified iPhone without voice capabilities.

 

[Aluminum213]

I agree. I have an iPad Air 2 and after getting my 6 plus, my iPad sits on the coffee table collecting dust. It's just a bigger version of my phone, but it doesn't really give me any different functionality unless it's something I need a bigger screen for.

Like you, I really hope they introduce some sort of split screen abilities, or something that would really allow you to take advantage of the large display versus it just being a glorified iPhone without voice capabilities.

Sad that you're right about it being a glorified iPhone

I have always been the biggest iPad supporter but this year I can't defend it anymore

Microsoft of all companies has shown how productive a tablet can be and it really puts the iPad to shame, if it wasn't for 3rd party support the iPad would be paperweight

 

[capathy21]

Sad that you're right about it being a glorified iPhone

I have always been the biggest iPad supporter but this year I can't defend it anymore

Microsoft of all companies has shown how productive a tablet can be and it really puts the iPad to shame, if it wasn't for 3rd party support the iPad would be paperweight

Yep,

If there are no real improvements with iOS9, I will sell my iPad and MB Air and get one of the new Macbook's. I love the Apple ecosystem, but there is just no point in an iPad when I have a 5.5 inch iPhone.

 

[Razeus]

I have my Air 2, but if Apple doesn't start utilizing this big screen, we are going to have problems. I don't feel the need to upgrade my iPads anymore, now that I feel the iPad Air 2 is finally the iPad done right (thin/light, 2GB RAM, great camera, excellent CPU/GPU). iPads maybe an every 3 year purchase for me. I feel the next iPhone will be the last time I upgrade every year as well (assuming it comes with 2GB of RAM) - iPhones maybe an every other year purchase for me.

 

[jbachandouris]

My iPad Air 2 rarely gets used. School is over, for now, so no need for on-line textbooks. I can use my rMBP to watch movies, or gasp, use the TV. No real purpose for me at this point. I don't really want to part with it, but it's rarely used (once every 3 days).

Gold iPad Air 2 128GB.

 

[Aluminum213]

Yep,

If there are no real improvements with iOS9, I will sell my iPad and MB Air and get one of the new Macbook's. I love the Apple ecosystem, but there is just no point in an iPad when I have a 5.5 inch iPhone.

When I saw how thin the new MacBook was and it basically has the same battery as an iPad, it basically was Apple saying "why are you still buying an iPad?"

 

[Razeus]

Soon as Windows 10 comes out, I'll thinking about building a gaming rig (and other heavy duty stuff like processing raw photos) and picking up a Macbook Air for my more casual and on the go stuff. I still like the iPad Air 2 for a lightweight streaming/ebook machine so I won't be giving it up.

 

[sracer]

Sad that you're right about it being a glorified iPhone

I have always been the biggest iPad supporter but this year I can't defend it anymore

"The iPad is nothing more than a large phone" has been the claim since day-1 of gen-1 of the iPad. And for some it may be true. But for the rest of us, it isn't.

Microsoft of all companies has shown how productive a tablet can be and it really puts the iPad to shame, if it wasn't for 3rd party support the iPad would be paperweight

Is your opinion about Microsoft based on actual first-hand experiences or by looking at the spec sheet and capabilities of the Surface tablets?

I have extensive experience with both iPads and Surfaces and there is a huge difference in user experiences between the two. The Surface makes a fine ultrabook, but a pretty poor/basic tablet.

As a tablet, none of the Surface devices put the iPad to shame. People claim that the iPad is nothing more than a content consumption device. That may be how they use it, but it isn't exactly true. There is terrific content creation software for the iPad that goes beyond simply consumption.


Having said that, my iPad 2 and iPad 4 may be the last iPads I own unless Apple does something to protect the user investment and experience (iOS 7 and 8 tanked the performance of both iPads). (Performance of my iPad 1 is actually better than the 2 and 4, but I've relegated its use as the "picture tube" of a vintage TV)

I don't mind paying a premium for a device, but I expect it to last longer than lesser devices. My Android tablets (some of them much older than the iPad 4) all work as well today as they did the day that I bought them. Some actually work better after rooting them.

There are a few hardware improvements/tweaks that I'd like to see for the iPad as well. Support for pointing devices and an active digitizer are the very least.

 

[David58117]

When I saw how thin the new MacBook was and it basically has the same battery as an iPad, it basically was Apple saying "why are you still buying an iPad?"

Yeah, but then you have the keyboard getting in the way and the awkwardness of laying down while trying to hold a laptop comfortably.

I've tried the 11" air in bed when laying sideways - awfully uncomfortable!

 

[Aluminum213]

Yeah, but then you have the keyboard getting in the way and the awkwardness of laying down while trying to hold a laptop comfortably.

I've tried the 11" air in bed when laying sideways - awfully uncomfortable!

But then you have a 5.5" iPhone for that

 

[JoeRito]

Me too probably! I love my iPad but it gets limited use as a video watcher and occasionally for browsing on the web. I wish I could use it like a full computer.

Yep, needs a more powerful OS or sales will keep dropping. Ipad needs to evolve. I dont care if it gets thinner or has more pixels, want split screen and true shared files and file mgmt or I'll move on to something else. Apple creates a watch and forgets about the iPad. HATE the watch!

 

[roadkill97006]

I have an Air(1). I suspect that my Air would be fine on 8 if it had double the memory. It was sort-of OK on 7. Now, not so much. I attribute that to simple greed, they could have afforded a couple bucks to create a much better user experience by shipping the Air with enough ram.

What torques me off is Apple's penchant for releasing hardware-crippled devices relative to the demands of iOS. It seems that every new device will have just enough power to handle its as-released version of iOS. Then, the next release, it starts to fall behind. Then, amazing!, they release a new device which can keep up. Until the next release. The damn things are too expensive to consider them as disposable.

Playing that crappy game and Apple ignoring long standing problems with iOS (and OSX for that matter) in favor of adding bloat and bugs and emoticons hasn't made me a happy camper. Hundreds of changes to iOS appearance but very few bug fixes. I truly hate Windows in all its forms, but thanks to Safari my Air isn't usable for my major intended use and, frankly, the only non-phone device I have that works properly on current software is my Chromebook. (A clean install of Yosemite on my early 2011 17" MacBook Pro almost fried it.) And, yes, I've wiped the Air 3 times and it hasn't helped. I'd have gone back to 7 but, of course, they stopped the signed copies the day before...

I've been an Apple fan since 2007 but I'm beginning to see way too many worms. I don't know what I'm going to do if iOS 9 isn't miraculous (it pretty much needs to be to fix most of the bugs).

 

[Cheffy Dave]

I love my iPad Air 2, have owned every iPad since the iPad 3 (sell it off every year). With this iPhone 6 Plus, Apple Watch and MacBooks that are crazy thin and last all day long I'm finally starting to see the end of my usage of this tablet

iOS being a mirror of the iPhone version is really no longer acceptable and see why the iPad sales are plummeting

Oh STOP, please! As soon as the 12" comes out, you'll have one, it's a CONSUMPTION Device, NOT a Laptop,admit it,love it, use it,and quit the trivial belly aching.
Laptops and iPad, are TWO different creatures,as it should be,look at the Surface,a good LAPTOP,****** tablet, there is no be all,do all unity device.
I can't wait to view College Basketball,Football,on the new 12", as a second TV screen,not to mention MOVIES, the rest I'll use my 2008 MBP.

 

[Aluminum213]

Oh STOP, please! As soon as the 12" comes out, you'll have one, it's a CONSUMPTION Device, NOT a Laptop,admit it,love it, use it,and quit the trivial belly aching.
Laptops and iPad, are TWO different creatures,as it should be,look at the Surface,a good LAPTOP,****** tablet, there is no be all,do all unity device.
I can't wait to view College Basketball,Football,on the new 12", as a second TV screen,not to mention MOVIES, the rest I'll use my 2008 MBP.

Not even Tim Cook would agree with you with the iPad being just a consumption device, problem is that the iOS is so crippled it's basically a consumption only device when it can be much more

Surface says hi

 

[s2mikey]

Oh STOP, please! As soon as the 12" comes out, you'll have one, it's a CONSUMPTION Device, NOT a Laptop,admit it,love it, use it,and quit the trivial belly aching.
Laptops and iPad, are TWO different creatures,as it should be,look at the Surface,a good LAPTOP,****** tablet, there is no be all,do all unity device.
I can't wait to view College Basketball,Football,on the new 12", as a second TV screen,not to mention MOVIES, the rest I'll use my 2008 MBP.

Why watch sports and movies on a tiny 12" screen? Maybe here and there when traveling or under certain circumstances but anything really worth watching deserves to be watched on a REAL screen with surround sound.

As for the iPad....yeah....I never though I'd say this but once my Air becomes really outdated I'm not sure I'm buying another iPad. With more and more good laptops coming out with full OSs and light weight, it's going to be hard to not go that route. We shall see.

 

[RebornProphet]

There are many people, like myself, for whom the iPad has become their primary machine and I think there are far more of those kind of people out there than those who want/need iPad to be a true laptop replacement. The negative to that is that people like me, for whom the iPad has become a primary device, do not need to upgrade often hence the drop in sales. While I do upgrade annually, there are far many more of the kind of people who keep a tablet for 3 or more years.

My iMac is now used as a bedside TV for my wife to watch Modern Family as well a machine for me to sync apps or restore my iDevices. It's been made redundant, basically.

However I don't buy into the notion that if Apple added some amazing multi tasking/multi window feature to iOS for iPad that it would fuel this surge in upgrades, simply because for so many people their current iPad is adequate and does what they need.

And I noticed a post talking about screen sizes and saying that anything worth watching should be done on a real screen with surround sound? I've got a 55" ultra thin LED 3D TV in the living room ... I prefer watching shows in bed, on iPad, lights off, headphones on. It's a more private, relaxing and intimate experience.

 

[Billy95Tech]

But then you have a 5.5" iPhone for that

And Ipad!!!!!!