I held on to my 2018 Pro for almost five years, and then I gave it to my dad who uses it daily so it’s still going strong. Imagine my M2 will be a similar story, though the battery life has been disappointing from the start.
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All iPads How often do you upgrade your iPad?
- Thread starter The Game 161
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I still use & love my 2018 11” iPad Pro For drawing on, editing photos & videos as well as consume media. iPads really hold their value & usability for a very long time. I maaaay finally upgrade to one of the new OLED M3 iPad Pros when they come out, but I personally want to upgrade my iPad Mini 5 to the iPad mini 7 more. I use my iPad Pro at home, so it’s mostly plugged in and I don’t notice any battery loss. But my iPad mini 5 is the iPad I use when traveling, and I definitely notice battery loss on that. So if the iPad mini 7 comes out next month too, I will upgrade that first. Then down the road upgrade my iPad Pro. I am sure the 2024 OLED M3 iPad Pro will last me even longer than the 2018 iPad Pro did, so I probably won’t upgrade it again until 2030 at least!
I'm still using my iPad2...yes from 2011!
Mostly as an ereader (iBooks and Kindle) with music and an occasional movie (VLC and Plex) along the way. Battery is still going strong, knock on wood.
No reason to upgrade. The battery standby times on recent ipads is atrocious and prices keep going up and up with very little meaningful functionality added year to year.
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Mostly as an ereader (iBooks and Kindle) with music and an occasional movie (VLC and Plex) along the way. Battery is still going strong, knock on wood.
No reason to upgrade. The battery standby times on recent ipads is atrocious and prices keep going up and up with very little meaningful functionality added year to year.
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I'm still using my iPad2...yes from 2011!
Mostly as an ereader (iBooks and Kindle) with music and an occasional movie (VLC and Plex) along the way. Battery is still going strong, knock on wood.
No reason to upgrade. The battery standby times on recent ipads is atrocious and prices keep going up and up with very little meaningful functionality added year to year.
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I’ll take a modern day iPad and connect it to the charger any day compared to the mess that was the IPad 2. But sure for the outlined use cases it just about manages ok enough.
I bought the 10.5 iPad Pro new in 2017 and used it for 4 yrs. It developed the dreaded white dots so couldn’t even trade it in when I bought my 11 inch M1 iPad Pro in 2021. I gave it to my girlfriend when she needed an iPad and she’s still using it. The battery got so bad recently that she went to Apple last weekend to get the battery replaced $120. They offered her a refurbished one instead…so new case, new battery and no more white dots!
It’s still going strong for just basic iPad stuff (browsing, videos, etc…). Even if Apples moves it to Vintage status next year…I’m sure she’ll still get 2-3 more years of security updates Before it’s finally kaput!!
Still using an iPad Pro 10.5 from 2017 with iPadOS 14, no reason to upgrade as it works flawlessly.
Also for work stuff I’ve got an iPad 8th Gen, also on iPadOS 14. For me this was the last good iPadOS-Version (unlike iOS, which was actually improved in later version, especially with iOS 15), which is also why I won’t be upgrading to newer iPads in the near future. Also there really are no compelling new features that I would make any use of. At least for now.
Also for work stuff I’ve got an iPad 8th Gen, also on iPadOS 14. For me this was the last good iPadOS-Version (unlike iOS, which was actually improved in later version, especially with iOS 15), which is also why I won’t be upgrading to newer iPads in the near future. Also there really are no compelling new features that I would make any use of. At least for now.
I disliked the iPad 2 as ebook reader (only used it for manga). I’ve been spoiled after getting an iPhone 4 with retina display. I even picked up an iPod touch 4th gen as a spare ebook reader so I have another device I can use while the iPhone 4 is charging.
I didn’t really start using iPads for ebook reading until the iPad 3 with retina display. Hardware could barely keep up with the high res display but I find it much nicer than the 2 for reading.
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I got back into ipad with gen 5 (A9) and since then I became sort of hooked on getting more of them.
Upgraded the gen 5 into a 2017 Pro 10.5" in gold. Then I got the Mini 5 once it was released. Upgraded to Mini 6 and gave the 5 to my mom where it's seemingly enduring heavy use everyday. Then I got a 12.9" Pro with M1 and Mini-LED.
I now have three ipads for myself. One of each size-class. I... need a support group of some sort. But I love having these big easy internet-windows easily accessible in the home.
Upgraded the gen 5 into a 2017 Pro 10.5" in gold. Then I got the Mini 5 once it was released. Upgraded to Mini 6 and gave the 5 to my mom where it's seemingly enduring heavy use everyday. Then I got a 12.9" Pro with M1 and Mini-LED.
I now have three ipads for myself. One of each size-class. I... need a support group of some sort. But I love having these big easy internet-windows easily accessible in the home.
I tried the multiple iPad life, but I like just having one that does it all. Too much work to maintain multiple iPads. So I got an 11, the middle child. Powerful, like the 12.9, but still light and mobile, like the Mini.
Kindle isn’t as versatile as iPad. You’re pretty much stuck with Amazon’s store unless you sideload via USB. I have a few Kindles (PW3, PW4 and Oasis, plus a Kobo Libra). Great for long flights when I can preload prior to the trip and reading poolside/beach. Not so much for instant reading of non-Amazon content.
I do have an iPad mini 6 as well. That’s what I use for reading most of the time now. I don’t think the mini was an option back in 2011 to early 2012. Iirc, the first iPad mini released late 2012 didn’t have retina (albeit the smaller size made it less pixelated than the iPad 2).
Still using my 2018 12.9” iPad Pro since release day and it works quite well despite the age. I think the battery capacity it somewhere around 86% and there are little performance quirks here and there, but its been great to use overall. I honestly am not sure if I will upgrade the iPad this year since I purchased an M2 MacBook last year and that has been my main device to do tasks with.
Been living with a diagonally cracked iPad Pro 12.9 3rd gen since the day after I bought it in Dec, 2018. It has served me well since then, but with the advent of 12.9 iPad Airs with an M3 processor, it’s time.
I was actually more gutted when I managed to destroy an iPad by dropping a heavy metal thermos on it, scoring a direct 90 degree hit in the middle of the screen. Functional to non functional in about 1 second.
I will hold on to my 3rd gen iPad Pro w/leather cover until it no longer holds a charge. Just checked and the batteery health is at 73%. Considering that for 5 years, 2 months and a handful of days I’ve been using it ~12 hours a day, I’m very happy with that number.
Tom
I was actually more gutted when I managed to destroy an iPad by dropping a heavy metal thermos on it, scoring a direct 90 degree hit in the middle of the screen. Functional to non functional in about 1 second.
I will hold on to my 3rd gen iPad Pro w/leather cover until it no longer holds a charge. Just checked and the batteery health is at 73%. Considering that for 5 years, 2 months and a handful of days I’ve been using it ~12 hours a day, I’m very happy with that number.
Tom
I found performance to very noticeably suffer when battery health was low. My 2018 iPad Pro 11" (A12X) had to be recharged daily and felt incredibly pokey next to my much newer 2021 base 10.2" iPad (A13). So I just traded it in for a refurb 2021 M1 11" and the difference is absolutely stark.
I could have just replaced the battery for like $120 and I'm sure it would have been totally rejuvenated, but the refurb ended up costing me $400 and it's essentially new with double the RAM and storage, so it felt like time.
These days I use a shortcut to turn off its smart outlet when the iPad hits 80% battery, so hopefully it'll last longer. I really wish Apple added the 80% battery cap to iPads. Also the battery health stuff in settings, still mystified why that isn't there.
I could have just replaced the battery for like $120 and I'm sure it would have been totally rejuvenated, but the refurb ended up costing me $400 and it's essentially new with double the RAM and storage, so it felt like time.
These days I use a shortcut to turn off its smart outlet when the iPad hits 80% battery, so hopefully it'll last longer. I really wish Apple added the 80% battery cap to iPads. Also the battery health stuff in settings, still mystified why that isn't there.
I’m sure I forgot some iPads but for me the most memorable and fond ones are the original iPad, IPad Air 2, 10.5 iPad Pro and 12.9 3rd gen Pro.
I usually replace when there are hardware issues or if the iPad is stuck on a software version that most apps no longer run.
My 7th gen base model pretty much fell apart yesterday. About 18 months ago, I dropped it and shattered the screen. I had this replaced by a third party as I was very strapped for cash at the time but probably should have gone the official route as it slowly started developing issues based on this, such as the digitizer starting to fail on certain areas of the screen. Yesterday, the home button completely shattered.
Instead of trying to prolong the life further, I decided to just buy an iPad 10th gen. I know new models are meant to be coming out this year but I use the iPad every day for various tasks, so waiting months for an 11th gen base model just wasn't practical.
I'm hoping to get the home button replaced on the 7th gen at some point and it can then just become a mini kitchen TV.
My 7th gen base model pretty much fell apart yesterday. About 18 months ago, I dropped it and shattered the screen. I had this replaced by a third party as I was very strapped for cash at the time but probably should have gone the official route as it slowly started developing issues based on this, such as the digitizer starting to fail on certain areas of the screen. Yesterday, the home button completely shattered.
Instead of trying to prolong the life further, I decided to just buy an iPad 10th gen. I know new models are meant to be coming out this year but I use the iPad every day for various tasks, so waiting months for an 11th gen base model just wasn't practical.
I'm hoping to get the home button replaced on the 7th gen at some point and it can then just become a mini kitchen TV.
Not very often for me, but I’m a sucker for OLED, however it will entirely depend on the pricing.
My iPad Air 4ty Gen is 3 years old and still going strong. I’ll replace it when the battery eventually fails or if something else goes wrong with it. I don’t need a regular upgrade when I only browse the web and watch YouTube. I certainly don’t need OLED. I remember the hype about OLED when the iPhone X was released and now we all have it, it’s clear it was a lot of fuss over something that was marginally better, no thanks.
I upgrade when one comes out that I feel offers reason to upgrade. I'm currently using the 4th gen Air from 2020, and I don't anticipate upgrading any time soon. It still performs very well and does everything I need it to. I'm not sure what an iPad would have to offer to make me upgrade at this point.
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I'm looking to get the new iPad Air that's supposedly coming soon. Hope to use it for many years to come like the great example set by PennyThought here. Intend to use it as a laptop replacement (for private use/entertainment, not for work). Have been using my MBP for almost 12 years now if that's any good indication.
I bought an iPad 12 years ago. I haven't felt the need to buy another. If a new one allows multi user accounts, has a grown up OS and proper file system, and isn't insanely expensive, I'd buy one. I don't see it happening, sadly. But at least they've made a start by moving the camera to a sensible position.
My first and only is a 2017 Pro, performance and esp battery has begun to noticeably degrade over about the past year. So I'm looking to replace it when the new models are announced but I'm leaning Air this time around, depending on specs and pricing.