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Beejan181

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 20, 2016
63
3
Hi, just wanted to check which i pad is worth buying for a college student doing some home work checking emails, video editing for you tube, and from digital.
i have got an

Apple 2021 iPad (10.2-inch iPad, Wi-Fi + Cellular, 64GB) - Space Grey (9th Generation)​

was looking for a better model.
Thanks
 
just thinking of an upgrade is it worth it or should i keep the current one.
The only reason I think you should consider an upgrade (unless you find somehow that the power of the device is lacking for what you do) is because you find the storage is lacking. For me that’s normally the biggest limitation with iPads.
 
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OP, it sounds like you use your iPad for a wide variety of things. If you are really doing a lot of video editing on it, a bigger screen will certainly help. With your use cases, I think a current model iPad Air would be a great option and undercuts the Pro models by a bit in price. It has an inch more screen, more up to date accessory compatibility, and a nicer design. If you don’t do a lot of typing on your current iPad, I would even maybe suggest the keyboard folio over the Magic Keyboard. That would keep it thin and light but still give you a useable keyboard for emails and things.
 
You can spend a lot of money for relatively little gain. All modern iPads (9th gen and newer) can do 90ish% of the same tasks. Ask yourself if it’s worth spending hundreds of dollars to get that last 5 or so percent. In almost all use cases I’d say no. The best iPad is the cheapest one until Apple redesigns iPad OS. Spoiler: they won’t.
 
You can spend a lot of money for relatively little gain. All modern iPads (9th gen and newer) can do 90ish% of the same tasks. Ask yourself if it’s worth spending hundreds of dollars to get that last 5 or so percent. In almost all use cases I’d say no. The best iPad is the cheapest one until Apple redesigns iPad OS. Spoiler: they won’t.
Hard agree. I love the 9th gen iPad myself, especially that I was able to get 256 gb of storage for well under $400. This thing flies too, even though I know there’s only three gigs of RAM in this sucker and the knowledge, rather than my actual experience with it, could lead me to overthink it and buy up.
 
Any particular reason why?

Size and convenience? I've got all three sizes and I find myself using the iPad mini most of the time (despite my annoyance with constant reloads due to 4GB RAM).

That said, I intend to bring the iPP 11" + laptop (probably ThinkPad X1 Nano) for my next overseas trip.
 
@Beejan181 Right now, the only option that comes to mind is the current iPad Air model, which comes with the M1 chip for stage manager. But this is only if you see yourself hooking your iPad to an external display and using it like a makeshift desktop.

Else, I have that same iPad at home (actually belongs to my mom), used it for a while while my iPad Pro was getting its battery replaced, and I find that it's good enough to get all the basic stuff done.
 
The only reason I think you should consider an upgrade (unless you find somehow that the power of the device is lacking for what you do) is because you find the storage is lacking. For me that’s normally the biggest limitation with iPads.
That’s why I typically go for the largest capacity. Currently rocking a 2tb/cellular 12.9 M1. Also have an M1 11 in iPad Pro 256gb for the road. Previously owned a 2020 12.9 iPad Pro 1TB/cellular, but my daughter uses that for college along with her MacBook. She’s an artist/scientist to be. And prior to this I had 10.5 512gb cell iPad Pro. Only reason I purchased the 11in M1 iPad Pro 256gb was because it was sold to me for $400 during same month of release. Friend received it as a gift but he’s an android guy so he offloaded to me. Original price $1100, so to get it at 1/3 the price during launch month was a no brainer…lol. Won’t be upgrading for at least 4 years. I still have my iPad 2 2011. Has all my apps that didn’t transition to 64 bit.
 
I have a 12.9" iPad Pro, M1, and a 9th Generation iPad. 9th Gen iPad gets the most use by far.
Do the speakers on the M1 iPad Pro completely blow the 9th Gen out of the water or are we talking marginal ?
 
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Do the speakers on the M1 iPad Pro completely blow the 9th Gen out of the water of are we talking marginal ?
The speakers on my 2018 iPad Pro is noticeably better than the 9th gen iPad. I assume the M1 iPad Pro shouldn't be any worse in that regard.
 
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Keep your current iPad. Put the money that you would spend on a new one to better use. Put it against any debt you have or invest it.
 
The best reason to upgrade would be if you dislike not having stereo speakers in landscape mode. But then I had to think about the best possible reason I could imagine.

If you usually use headphones then I can't think of anything significant you're missing out on.
 
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The only reason I think you should consider an upgrade (unless you find somehow that the power of the device is lacking for what you do) is because you find the storage is lacking. For me that’s normally the biggest limitation with iPads.
This is the best post that I have read about the iPad on MacRumour….ever!

Last year I upgraded from a 10.5 Pro to an M1 and tried for months to convince myself that the iPad can be a laptop replacement. It has the same SoC as my Macbook Pro but because of the limitations of iPad OS, you cannot exploit the full power of an M1 iPad. Apps are to limiting and you will waste time trying to make things work rather than being productive.

Both my 10.5 and M1 are equally as fast for day to day tasks and media consumption. Unless your iPad is laggy or you need more storage for games - don’t upgrade.
 
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