All iPads Which iPad is best for my needs?

[RickTaylor]

Also, the Target employee also recommended the 64GB because he said once everything gets loaded onto the iPad, it will take up about 6GB and Apple Updates (future) will take up more space, too. He said this could slow down a 16GB iPad's performance. Is this true? That means I'd get the 64GB Wifi only Air 2 for $515.

I would lean towards getting 64 GB. You might end up not needing it if your'e needs are simple, but then you'll be frustrated if you do. The machine doesn't slow down if you run out of space, it just means you need to move some of your pictures or music or whatever you're storing some place else.

I called Best Buy Mobile for price matching. The person who helped me there said she would lean towards the Mini 4 for longevity, over the Air 2, since that came out in November 2014. Is this accurate information? I'm starting to get a bit confused.

This makes no sense. The Mini 4 did come out more recently, but ti's just catching up to where the Air 2 was a year ago. If anything, the Air 2 might have a slight advantage in longevity,as it has the A8x instead of the A8, but I wouldn't worry about it, again unless you're nearly indifferent as to device size.

 

[iKeith]

I was going to mention that discount but wasn't sure if you could use it together with the employee discount. Heck of a deal

I wondered that, too, but the manager is the one who told me to print off the coupon. That was right after I asked her if the employee discount applied to Apple products. It makes sense, though, because, if you're a regular customer, you can use your Red Card and save 5% on top of the Cartwheel discount. The employee credit card shouldn't be any different.

Now, to choose a router. I'll probably choose one from Target as long as I'm getting the 14% discount.

 

[RickTaylor]

To be clear, the mini 4 is pretty close to being a shrunk down Air 2. The stuff displayed on the screen of the mini 4 will be identical to that on the Air 2, except it will be smaller.

Some people find text harder to read on the mini 4 when surfing the Internet because of the device's smaller size. On screen buttons and such are smaller and may be a little harder to press accurately. Movies may look nicer on a larger screen, just because they're larger.

On the other hand, some people like myself find the mini easier to carry around. Lying on the couch holding the device above one's head to read, to some the smaller device feels less cumbersome. Some fine reading an e-book feels more natural on the smaller device.

Basically it's a trade off between having a device with a nice spacious screen and a device that's very compact and easily carried around (not that the Air isn't compact;the mini is just more compact).

 

[iKeith]

Third Party vendors on Amazon are selling the Smart Covers for $12.99 instead of $39.00. Are they the same thing? Here's the description: 413 Customer Reviews and a full 5 Stars.

iXCC ® Apple iPad Air 2 Smart Case - Dual Ultra Slim Thin [Anti Scratch, Anti Slip, Anti Dust] Trifold Cover with Hard PC Back and Built-in Magnet for Auto Sleep / Wake Function

 

[iKeith]

To be clear, the mini 4 is pretty close to being a shrunk down Air 2. The stuff displayed on the screen of the mini 4 will be identical to that on the Air 2, except it will be smaller.

Some people find text harder to read on the mini 4 when surfing the Internet because of the device's smaller size. On screen buttons and such are smaller and may be a little harder to press accurately. Movies may look nicer on a larger screen, just because they're larger.

On the other hand, some people like myself find the mini easier to carry around. Lying on the couch holding the device above one's head to read, to some the smaller device feels less cumbersome. Some fine reading an e-book feels more natural on the smaller device.

Basically it's a trade off between having a device with a nice spacious screen and a device that's very compact and easily carried around (not that the Air isn't compact;the mini is just more compact).

Rick, you've been instrumental in my decision making. I really can't thank you enough. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and tend to over-research things. You really helped set my mind at ease. I'm glad I've chosen the Air 2. You really had me leaning in that direction anyway, even before the 23% discount I'll be getting.

I love that I can pair my Apple wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse to it for use at my desk, too.

On my iMac, I couldn't live without Adblock Plus. I hope they have it for the iPad Air 2. Come to think of it, are there any add-ons that anyone recommends strongly for security, privacy or ad blocking?

 

[wchigo]

First, thank you so much for your kindness and patience wading through all of these posts and my questions. (Thanks to ANYONE who's read this far! It really is helpful.)

Yes, I will be using whichever iPad I get on a daily basis for years. Longevity

I just got off the phone with Target to make sure the Target discount applies towards Apple products. (Someone warned me that it probably won't.) It does. But, Target doesn't carry the Mini 4 because Apple hasn't given them any. (They said Apple didn't send them any watches either.)

Also, the Target employee also recommended the 64GB because he said once everything gets loaded onto the iPad, it will take up about 6GB and Apple Updates (future) will take up more space, too. He said this could slow down a 16GB iPad's performance. Is this true? That means I'd get the 64GB Wifi only Air 2 for $515.

Updates can take up more space, but Apple has taken steps to try and reduce this as much as possible. Generally speaking for storage, you'll want to avoid taking up more than 90% of the storage space as that can possibly start to slow down your machine. This is definitely the case for computers and I believe it should apply to iPads as well, though someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

That means in the case of the 16GB model, you'll want to try and avoid going under 1.6GB of free space. I believe that on some of the phones or iPads of the past that the ones with larger storage tended to perform a bit faster, but that's fairly negligible when you compare the cost difference.

One thing to keep in mind though is that some of that storage is reserved for the OS (operating system) and other system data, and unless this has changed drastically in recent times, that means that you only really have around 12-13GB of free space to use; if what you're wanting to load on there now equates to 6GB, you're using half right off the bat. Depending on how long you want to use the machine for, it may be worth investing in more storage so you can fit everything you want on there without having to do extensive memory management.

I called Best Buy Mobile for price matching. The person who helped me there said she would lean towards the Mini 4 for longevity, over the Air 2, since that came out in November 2014. Is this accurate information? I'm starting to get a bit confused.

/sigh

People are so misinformed sometimes that it makes me sad. Yes, the Air 2 came out last year; however, its specs are actually better than that of the Mini 4. Both have 2GB RAM, but the Air 2 has the tri-core A8X SoC (system on a chip) versus the Mini 4's dual-core A8 SoC. Basically, that means that the Air 2 has an additional core to utilize if doing anything CPU intensive and has better graphical performance if I'm not mistaken. So if anything, the Air 2 should have more longevity than the Mini 4, but both will likely be good for the foreseeable future.

 

[wchigo]

Third Party vendors on Amazon are selling the Smart Covers for $12.99 instead of $39.00. Are they the same thing? Here's the description: 413 Customer Reviews and a full 5 Stars.

iXCC ® Apple iPad Air 2 Smart Case - Dual Ultra Slim Thin [Anti Scratch, Anti Slip, Anti Dust] Trifold Cover with Hard PC Back and Built-in Magnet for Auto Sleep / Wake Function

Based on the description, I'd say no. the iXCC with the registered trademark symbol behind it would be the giveaway. Generally Smart Covers will go on sale for around $5-10 at most from what I've seen in the past.

Rick, you've been instrumental in my decision making. I really can't thank you enough. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and tend to over-research things. You really helped set my mind at ease. I'm glad I've chosen the Air 2. You really had me leaning in that direction anyway, even before the 23% discount I'll be getting.

I love that I can pair my Apple wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse to it for use at my desk, too.

On my iMac, I couldn't live without Adblock Plus. I hope they have it for the iPad Air 2. Come to think of it, are there any add-ons that anyone recommends strongly for security, privacy or ad blocking?

With iOS 9, Apple has finally opened the door to allow for content blocking (ad blocking) on Safari. You basically download the app and then enable it in Settings under Safari. Many of them also have privacy options as well to stop sites from tracking you.

There's a great thread over in the iOS 9 forums started by @BasicGreatGuy in which he does a quick review of most of the currently available content blockers and also takes requests on one that forum members would like to see reviewed. The thread is here: https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/21945290/

 

[AmazingTechGeek]

I'd get a mini 4. iPad Air is great but it's running on 2 years old and you should want a little more longevity. Also the mini 4 it's super light. Keep your flip phone and get a wifi iPad. The cellular versions are for data connections and you'd pretty much have to FaceTime everybody and be paying for data for a tablet. You could get texts with iMessage but it'd be more hassle than it's worth. I'd keep my flip phone and get a wifi only mini 4 or a refurbished Air 2. You can use your bluetooth keyboard but not your magic mouse. You'll need a wireless printer to print but it's extremely easy to do. You'd essentially be paying for a data connection for your iPad and still need a phone. Wi-fi only iPad mini 4 or a refurbished Air 2 only from apple they are good as new and you get a great discount.

It may be two years old, but it has a better, more optimized processor.

 

[iKeith]

Based on the description, I'd say no. the iXCC with the registered trademark symbol behind it would be the giveaway. Generally Smart Covers will go on sale for around $5-10 at most from what I've seen in the past.


With iOS 9, Apple has finally opened the door to allow for content blocking (ad blocking) on Safari. You basically download the app and then enable it in Settings under Safari. Many of them also have privacy options as well to stop sites from tracking you.

There's a great thread over in the iOS 9 forums started by @BasicGreatGuy in which he does a quick review of most of the currently available content blockers and also takes requests on one that forum members would like to see reviewed. The thread is here: https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/21945290/

Great post, thanks wchigo. I'm feeling better about my choice more and more. I appreciate the heads-up on the Smart Covers. I haven't found them on sale for $5 - $10 yet but I'll keep looking.

Can you download Firefox on iPad Air 2? I've gotten used to its layout, features and add-ons.

Thanks for the link. I'll definitely be reading that.

 

[wchigo]

Great post, thanks wchigo. I'm feeling better about my choice more and more. I appreciate the heads-up on the Smart Covers. I haven't found them on sale for $5 - $10 yet but I'll keep looking.

Can you download Firefox on iPad Air 2? I've gotten used to its layout, features and add-ons.

Thanks for the link. I'll definitely be reading that.

Sorry, reading through my post again I realized it was misleading since I forgot one word. That should be I've seen them go for $5-10 off at the most (so like $30).

Firefox is available on the App Store but as of now only Safari is compatible with the ad blocker apps, so you'll have to use Safari to take advantage of that. Or use a third-party browser that has ad blocking built-in somehow. Cheers