Haha whatever you 12.9 guys need to justify it to yourselves. No app crashes on my Air 2. Anyone who upgrades to the 9.7 will be very happy with their purchase.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Upgrade Air 2 to 9.7 iPad Pro?
- Thread starter patseguin
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Haha whatever you 12.9 guys need to justify it to yourselves. No app crashes on my Air 2. Anyone who upgrades to the 9.7 will be very happy with their purchase.
This is why Apple is worth billions.
[doublepost=1458912018][/doublepost]
I had an Air 2 for a year. Do you not understand that it is over 1.5 years old and the new Pro iPad has basically the same specs?
Just wait a year or two, it'll show. The iPad Air and iPhone 6 are two great examples of devices which are being crippled with each major iOS update due to the RAM.
It is plain stupid to 'upgrade' to the Pro 9.7 unless you need the Apple Pencil. End of story.
OP, you should cancel that order while you still can. Unless you've got a ton of money to burn, in which case, go ahead.
Last edited:
Haha you're right, I am a bad example of these should I or shouldn't I upgrade posts. The specs aren't the same at all, just the ram. Everything else is the same as the 12.9 or better. I guess I am not too worried mainly because I'll likely just upgrade when the pro 9.7 two comes out.
The CPU has one less core than the Air 2. It is underclocked. Performance scores are pretty damn close.
The RAM is identical in this so-called iPad 'Pro'.
It has the exact same design with a protruding camera - what a joke.
What am I missing here? You seriously think it's worth spending $600 (for 32GB!) on this crippled product?
P.S. Why do you feel the need to start every reply with 'haha'? Is it because this new iPad is a joke?
[doublepost=1458913418][/doublepost]
'more memory' really now?
Last edited by a moderator:
Check out the performance scores of the pro 9.7 and pro 12.9, they are almost identical. I don't care about a core, I care about real world performance. The ram amount is identical, but it is the DDr4 ram from the 12.9 pro. Perfect design, much lighter and more portable than the 12.9. It's a great update. I sold my Air 2 for $400 and will be spending an extra $200 this year for the upgrade. I do it every year, marginal and something I can afford. I start with haha because you make me laugh. I think it's a good upgrade, you do not and feel the need to bash it justify your 12.9 purchase at this point. I get it, it's gotta hurt a little bit, but no reason to put down others over it. The performance will be identical, it's just a matter of screen size preference really.
Even I like the latest and greatest however I could buy the new iPad but it's not worth it. This is effectively IPad 4 if you owned an iPad 3.
I will highly likely buy an IPad Pro 2 9.7" but this years model.
I think it's worth it. And I will upgrade to the pro 2 also. That's my only point here, to each their own.
For someone who has upgraded he iPad every year since the iPad 3, this will be the first time I skip the update
Same RAM as 1.5 year old iPad Air 2
Same resolution
No 3D Touch
$100 more expensive
Protruding camera
Same old design
Still many apps have no Apple Pencil support
Apple Smart Keyboard is still pretty bad
Same RAM as 1.5 year old iPad Air 2
Same resolution
No 3D Touch
$100 more expensive
Protruding camera
Same old design
Still many apps have no Apple Pencil support
Apple Smart Keyboard is still pretty bad
When did I even mention the 12.9'? Are you not able to read the thread title?
But since you insist I mention it,
Geekbeench scores:
iPad Air 2: 4550
iPad 'Pro' 9.7': 5100
iPad Pro: 5500
So no, they are not 'almost identical'.
Since the performance increase from Air 2 to the Pro 9.7 is similar to the increase from the Pro 9.7 to the Pro 12.9...
The performance of the Air 2 is also 'almost identical' to the Pro 9.7 according to your definition of 'almost identical'.
Now there's real world performance for you.
Also, the RAM is identical between the Air 2 and Pro 9.7, what on earth are you talking about?
What you 'think' doesn't matter. I don't think we should consider the opinion of someone who says:
"I am upgrading. Couldn't really tell you why though. I think I just like having the latest stuff."
Upgrade, but don't go on a forum spreading your BS opinion after saying you upgrade just to have the latest apple product.
I was more so saying that if people don't think the Air 2 to Pro 9.7 is worth it, then it may not be worth it from a performance standpoint to go from the Air 2 to even the 12.9. I certainly didn't notice a difference. In regards to the ram, the pro's have ddr4 ram opposed to the ddr3 ram used in the air 2. Either way, no use getting all up in arms about this. I can't wait to upgrade and I am looking forward to the better display, faster processor, 4 speaker set up, better camera, and pencil and keyboard support. Will be great for a year.
[doublepost=1458915134][/doublepost]
I do like having the latest technological improvements and look forward to those in the pro 9.7. No problem staying with the Air 2 though on your end, it's a great tablet as well.
I never said to upgrade to the 12.9' either this late in its life cycle. I didn't even mention it. In that case it's up to you to decide whether the bigger screen is worth it for you.
However, upgrading to the 9.7' from the Air 2 is an inefficient use of money however you look at it. Especially to those who are unsure about it in the first place.
Looking at the overall score, I would too.Yeah, I'd say this is "close".
EDIT: Where on earth are you getting that iPad Pro 9.7' score from?
https://mobile.twitter.com/panzer/status/712331691579219968/photo/2
I went ahead and ordered mine this morning. My rationale - I really want a cellular iPad after all this time. Sometimes it's just a pain in the patoot to hotspot to my phone. $14/month to add to my family share plan, and $46/month for the 128GB 9.7" Pro. I'll give my iPad Air 2 to my mother, who is still using an iPad 2. I think she'll be beyond pleased.
Yeah, I'd say this is "close".
On Single Core the Pro 9.7" blows away the Air 2 in performance and apparently most apps take advantage of that more than Multi-Core improvements. All in all the Pro 9.7" has better hardware in every area compared to Air 2.
I think a lot of people want the more modern tech available and so the Pro 9.7" has that for them, if you want the older but cheaper tech which is still good then that option is available in the Air 2 for less money.
For me upgrading from the original Air, I'd rather get the more modern and the best iPad I can get. While I always liked the Air 2, it's not a huge upgrade compared to the 9.7" Pro for me as its only 1 generation newer hardware and so two generations is a bigger jump in features and hardware.
What you describe as "minuscule" may be for you, but for others the improvements could be more significant in terms of what they do with the device. As an example - Personally, I consume a lot of media on my iPads and so I want the vastly improved display and the better audio. This would be quite an improvement even over the Air 2 in that respect.
Last edited:
To each their own, but heres my experience. Have had a 12.9 pro since launch. Picked up an Air 2 yesterday open box from best buy for $300. Wanted to see if I could get use to the 9.7 size after using the pro for months. Ultimately the 9.7 felt like a toy after using the 12.9. When you look at specs in general if you have an air 2 and want a 9.7 pro, your not gonna notice any difference whatsoever in performance. Unless you specifically want it for apple pencil support and really need 4 speakers vs 2 then really your better off saving the money and wait for a potential Air 3 or the 9.7 pro 2nd gen where they would bring up the ram to 4gb and have a bigger processor bump over the Air 2. I actually just sold my LTE 128 pro because I didn't need the LTE and bought a 128gb Pro WIFI for only 600$ off craigslist.
In what way is the display 'vastly improved' (apart from the True Tone inaccurate color gimmick)?
The only two reasons to get the Pro 9.7' is to:
A) Have support for the Apple Pencil which you absolutely need.
B) Have the latest Apple product regardless of what it is and whether it will benefit you.
You would go into category B - it sounds to me like you're just grasping at straws!
[doublepost=1458921212][/doublepost]
Fair enough, intelligent decision!
The speakers were one reason I was interested in buying it, actually. That and the processing power and camera.
Or, maybe, you know, Category C - which is "I Have The Money And Need To Upgrade & Won't Spend Over $400 On A Device That's 1.5 Years Old"... guess that makes me a fanboy with silly ideals.
What does it matter how old a product is as long as the performance is up to par with the current model. Especially when the price difference is more like 250$ when you factor in what you could get a refurb ipad air 2 direct from apple for. That's like saying " I wont buy a 2014 Honda civic because even though its much cheaper, looks identical, and basically performs the same as a 2015 model, its still a year older..."