iPad Pro When do iPads die?

[Bodhitree]

I still use my 12.9” iPad Pro (2015) every day but I think it’s on its last legs. The battery is down to just 5 hours of screen time between charges, the screen has a few splotches, things are generally a bit wobbly… Does anyone have experience with iPads that are long in the tooth?

 

[rui no onna]

Oldest we have right now is the Air 2. Battery is crap and it’s slow but otherwise, everything else works fine.

Mind, the iPad 3 and 4 were built like tanks. Even battery was good when we traded them in. The iPad 3 in 2017 (5 years old) and the iPad 4 in 2021 (9 years old).

 

[Digitalguy]

I still use my 12.9” iPad Pro (2015) every day but I think it’s on its last legs. The battery is down to just 5 hours of screen time between charges, the screen has a few splotches, things are generally a bit wobbly… Does anyone have experience with iPads that are long in the tooth?

iPads die when they don't turn on anymore for some reason or when the owner considers them unusable due to screen issues, very poor battery life or they become too slow due to updates.
But while the first case is objective, some people could still find some use as a secondary device for a device that is unusable as a primary iPad.
For instance my iPad 2 is too slow to be used for most things, but can still function as a viewer for a security camera (still has great battery life), or my 9.7 pro has serious screen issues but I use it as secondary device in my university classes when some students can only be there remotely (while the rest of the class is present). Nobody sees the screen lines and pulsating stains except me and the great speakers do a great job in that context.

 

[BB1970]

Seemingly never. They just become glorified digital picture frames

 

[Andeddu]

I still have an iPad Mini 1 in full working order. I don’t think many actually die if they are not involved in an accident, they just end up becoming redundant.

 

[rm5]

I don't think iPads really "die," I just think they become obsolete. Take for example my old 1st gen iPad Air, which lasted me from 2013 until 2021 (which at that point, an upgrade was LONG overdue). That iPad never got updates past iOS 12, and the 1080p grainy camera really made things worse. Now, I didn't use it as a daily device or anything, so the battery actually held up quite well, but the old A7 chip, or whatever it had, was super limiting. So my point is that iPads (or any device for that matter), if they're not used too heavily, don't really "die," they just become obsolete. At least that's my experience.

 

[Richard8655]

Two 5th gen (2017) iPads here running fine. Batteries holding full charge. But getting painfully and noticeably slow. Replaced both recently with two 9th gens. So they don't really "die", just go into assisted living retirement.

 

[MarkC426]

Seemingly never. They just become glorified digital picture frames

Or used for kindle/books reading.....

 

[StaceyMJ86]

I have a iPad Pro 10.5 from 2017, and it’s still blazing fast and working great. The battery life isn’t bad and I have no issues with the screen. I just recently bought an iPad Mini 6 and iPad Pro 12.9 6th generation and plan to keep the 2017 iPad Pro for as long as I can.

 

[PlayUltimate]

Still have the original iPad sitting at my desk. Don't really use it, but it does turn on. Used my iPad mini 2 today to read books. I also bring it to the gym to watch movies while doing cardio. My 2020 12.9" iPP is for mostly work.

 

[max2]

Never. Unless there is a hardware glitch or battery dies totally.

 

[BanjoDudeAhoy]

Or used for kindle/books reading.....

That’s one of the main reasons I got an iPad mini 😆

 

[Xand&Roby]

If you don't update it at the last os they never die, because they don't become extremely slow, they just don't have support for apps anymore, especially webapps, that are those totally based on an online service.
We still use an iPad 4, the first with lightning and an iPad mini 2, also for editing text with Pages.
Instead iPhones don't have this longevity: batteries tend to swell much more easily on old iPhones and, even restoring them, become difficult to recycle in everyday use.

 

[Nekomichi]

Ignoring any accidental damage like smashing the screen or bending/snapping the device, the only times when I've seen iPads truly "die" are when the battery wears out.

I had a bulk lot of old tech that had two 1st generation iPads that wouldn't turn on or charge. Externally they were immaculate but when plugged into power they would just boot-loop and turn off instantly when unplugged. Testing with a USB power meter revealed that neither were drawing enough current to charge the battery and one of them even had pressure marks coming from under the screen.

After opening both up and replacing their batteries, they both powered on and charged normally again. This was in 2021 by the way.

 

[Longplays]

Correct me if I am wrong but doesn't Apple give free iPad battery replacements?

I've learned that if you bought an iPad with the correct storage size and did not suffer from kinetic damage that it is worth replace as early as after the last iPadOS Software Update or after the last iPadOS Security Update.

I then either sell it or give it away.

 

[FeliApple]

I don’t think iPads die. They do become obsolete for some tasks, and they’ll never be obsolete for others. Keep an iPad on an early enough iOS version, and you’ll be able to use it, for example, to read and watch videos for a very, very long time. So, content consumption in general.

If kept on an early iOS version, the battery is highly unlikely to be an issue, capacity is too high and the software is too efficient for it to have any issues at all. You’re more likely to encounter software obsolescence, websites breaking and lack of app support, rather than hardware issues.

My nearly 7-year-old 9.7-inch iPad Pro works flawlessly for content consumption, and it runs iOS 12, flawlessly. Battery life is very good when compared to updated 1st-gen iPad Pros (your account of which confirms what I’ve read everywhere, it seems to be at around 5 hours of screen-on time), as I am getting 10-11 hours of use without much of a problem, and it is still fast and snappy, barring a very occasional, negligible keyboard lag (which wasn’t present before it was forced out of iOS 9).

Like the vast majority of these discussions put into evidence, iPads’ longevity depends exclusively on user requirements and expectations. You need it for content consumption? Never update and it’ll last forever, barring web browsing issues which you’ll have to circumvent with other devices. You need the latest apps? You’ll update, and eventually the experience will be significantly degraded; so much so, that you’ll likely want to upgrade. If you’re extremely tolerant to this, then it will last even longer. As you can see, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer for this.

 

[BigDO]

I have a iPad Air which is in daily use and going strong. Used for browsing and some old games.

 

[floral]

I still use my 12.9” iPad Pro (2015) every day but I think it’s on its last legs. The battery is down to just 5 hours of screen time between charges, the screen has a few splotches, things are generally a bit wobbly… Does anyone have experience with iPads that are long in the tooth?

They don't "die", but there's definitely a point in time where it becomes too much to bear. It varies from person to person, model to model, and uses to uses. That is to say, there's no set point, more like a range.

For example, a person with a heavy workflow (intensive modeller, composer, editor) but a light tablet (iPad 9th gen) would probably get sick of the thing and ditch it after a few years in favor of a more beefy tablet, or not a tablet at all.

However, a person with a light workflow (media, gaming, work) but a heavy tablet (iPad Pro) would find themselves continually pleased with the fact that the tablet does everything they ask for, and keep it for close to a decade or more (I am this person :x)

 

[msackey]

I still use my 12.9” iPad Pro (2015) every day but I think it’s on its last legs. The battery is down to just 5 hours of screen time between charges, the screen has a few splotches, things are generally a bit wobbly… Does anyone have experience with iPads that are long in the tooth?

Our iPad Pro 9.7-inch is working quite well. It doesn't have the same battery capacity any more and under the new iOS it is a little slow but taking away or not using most of the new features and relegating it so mostly a reading device has been fine. Other than battery, there's really nothing physically wrong with our 9.7-inch Pro.

What gave out much sooner than I expected, especially for such an expensive device, is the Smartfolio keyboard. That keyboard has not lasted! It's unreliable and these days there's like 1% chance of getting it to work so we don't use it any more. And yes, the Pro is a lot less useful without a keyboard.

[EDITED to correct from 11-inch to 9.7-inch. I was referring to the first generation 9.7 inch iPad Pro.]

 

[FeliApple]

Our iPad Pro 11-inch is working quite well. It doesn't have the same battery capacity any more and under the new iOS it is a little slow but taking away or not using most of the new features and relegating it so mostly a reading device has been fine. Other than battery, there's really nothing physically wrong with our 11-inch Pro.

What gave out much sooner than I expected, especially for such an expensive device, is the Smartfolio keyboard. That keyboard has not lasted! It's unreliable and these days there's like 1% chance of getting it to work so we don't use it any more. And yes, the Pro is a lot less useful without a keyboard.

I assume you’re talking about the 3rd-gen 11-inch iPad Pro. It is slow on iPadOS 16? Really? Battery life is poor too? Wow

 

[TSE]

I just buried mine in the backyard with a gorgeous tombstone. Rest in peace iPad Pro, 2017 - 2023.

 

[rui no onna]

I assume you’re talking about the 3rd-gen 11-inch iPad Pro. It is slow on iPadOS 16? Really? Battery life is poor too? Wow

I have the A12-based Air 3 and that works fine. It reloads a lot but doesn’t really feel slow.

I expect the A12X/Z-based iPad Pro 11 performs better.

 

[sunapple]

My mom uses an iPad Air 2 (2014) every day still. Battery was replaced last year by some local dude who ruined the home button (and repaired it again), cracked the glass (and replaced it) and left the iPad with the occasional "coil whine?" noise. Pro tip; get the battery replaced somewhere decent because some are hard to repair.

 

[nightcap965]

I still use my 12.9” iPad Pro (2015) every day but I think it’s on its last legs. The battery is down to just 5 hours of screen time between charges, the screen has a few splotches, things are generally a bit wobbly… Does anyone have experience with iPads that are long in the tooth?

My 2015 12.9” iPad Pro is now permanently mounted in a MyPad chorister’s binder, and its primary app is ForScore. It has enough battery life for five hours, which is more than enough for now.

“But at my back I always hear / Time’s winged chariot hurrying near…”

 

[msackey]

I assume you’re talking about the 3rd-gen 11-inch iPad Pro. It is slow on iPadOS 16? Really? Battery life is poor too? Wow

Ooops. Typo. I mean the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. I believe that's the first generation iPad Pro line. I'm going to correct my original post.

My 11-inch iPad Pro is working quite well. No slowdowns, and thankfully the very expensive Magic Keyboard still works well. Battery life is not like it was before, but it is not bad at all. It's not to the point where it's worth it for me to replace the battery.