As tablets age...

[xaeniac]

As tablets age, is there a way to put a light weight o/s on them like I did with my thinkpad t61 by putting xubuntu on it? Updates have caused my ipad 3rd gen to slow down and eventually would be nice to have an o/s that is still getting updates. I understand the Mac platform is pretty locked down but does android tablets have any options? Insights?

 

[Roland00Address]

Edit: I forgot to mention because I thought it was obvious, you have no options with the Ipads.

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With Android

Closest thing is cyanogenmod or one of the more slim versions. Just pick a popular tablet with a bootloader you can unlock and preferably qualcomm (drivers and such) stay away from things like Exynos. I have no clue how Nvidia is going to be (I recommend avoid if this is your goal)

OMAP by TI used to be good but they abandoned the market and thus no updates. Maybe Intel will be good, they are good with desktop and laptops but this is a completely different new market so who knows.

Hope things like Console OS takes off (windows tablets running a custom android similar to cyangonenmod), but I do no think that is going to happen for the scale of what they have to do is immense for all these hardware vendors have their own specific flavor and no unified drivers and stuff like you get in windows.

 

[Ravynmagi]

With your iPad, I think you are pretty much stuck. Apparently Apple even made it so you can't go back to older versions anymore for some odd reason. Though maybe there is a way around that with jailbreaking (which I think has gotten to be such a PITA that I don't bother anymore).

Android has options. Very smart folks at XDA and other places often build custom ROMs that are very light and perform well for older tablets, often while also staying relatively up to date.

 

[Eug]

What iOS version are you running on the iPad 3? 7.1.2 should be decent, and up until a few days ago you could downgrade from 8.0 (or 8.0.1) to 7.1.2.

 

[xaeniac]

7.1.2 but it feels laggy, not popping fast.

 

[Eug]

Popping? What do you mean? Granted 7.1.2 is not the fastest but it's still considerably faster than iOS 8.0.2.

For that iPad, if you think it's slow, I'd recommend just selling it. Since it's Retina you'll probably still be able to get decent coin for it.

 

[HeXen]

As tablets age, is there a way to put a light weight o/s on them like I did with my thinkpad t61 by putting xubuntu on it? Updates have caused my ipad 3rd gen to slow down and eventually would be nice to have an o/s that is still getting updates. I understand the Mac platform is pretty locked down but does android tablets have any options? Insights?

Do what? I have an iPad 1st gen that works just fine. Are you sure it's really slowed down? Did you try a restore? I restore mine to factory now and then, works like day 1.

 

[Eug]

As far as I'm concerned, the original iPad running its latest iOS is horribly slow.

This is in stark contrast to the iPad 2 running iOS 7.1.2, which isn't a huge surprise since the iPad 2 has twice the CPU and twice the memory.

I wouldn't even pay $75 for an original iPad. To me, that would be $75 wasted.

 

[luv2liv]

This is why I don't use iPad nor iPhone. The hardware is perfectly capable of doing work but software is limited or crippled so you are tempted to buy newer hardware

 

[Eug]

This is why I don't use iPad nor iPhone. The hardware is perfectly capable of doing work but software is limited or crippled so you are tempted to buy newer hardware

But wouldn't you buy newer hardware anyway?

It's not as if I'd want to be running Android 2.3 just because it's faster on old hardware.

 

[lxskllr]

But wouldn't you buy newer hardware anyway?

It's not as if I'd want to be running Android 2.3 just because it's faster on old hardware.

I'm fine with Android 2.3. I could do everything I want to do on a tablet using old Android, but that might be the slower option. Modern Android with some selective tweaking would likely give better results.

 

[HeXen]

As far as I'm concerned, the original iPad running its latest iOS is horribly slow.

This is in stark contrast to the iPad 2 running iOS 7.1.2, which isn't a huge surprise since the iPad 2 has twice the CPU and twice the memory.

I wouldn't even pay $75 for an original iPad. To me, that would be $75 wasted.

What exactly is horribly slow specifically? You sound like you don't even own one but it resumes from sleep instantly, I click an app and it pops right up. There are certainly a number of the 3D games I probably can't play but I don't try. The screen scrolls smoothly. Some apps like Zinio could probably load E magazines faster on a newer model but other than that I don't know what you mean by it being slow...it's a simple OS with an app launcher, not much to it. Obviously if you use apps that need a lot of power for whatever reason then certainly they wouldn't be as fast but again that's obvious with anything. But then again I don't run Paintshop pro or anything on it either nor know why one would want to but for what it is, it works just fine.

 

[xaeniac]

Popping? What do you mean? Granted 7.1.2 is not the fastest but it's still considerably faster than iOS 8.0.2.

For that iPad, if you think it's slow, I'd recommend just selling it. Since it's Retina you'll probably still be able to get decent coin for it.

Popping means not laggy, the updates have made the ipad not a pleasure to use. Eug evidently you are a fanboy.

 

[Eug]

What exactly is horribly slow specifically? You sound like you don't even own one but it resumes from sleep instantly, I click an app and it pops right up. There are certainly a number of the 3D games I probably can't play but I don't try. The screen scrolls smoothly. Some apps like Zinio could probably load E magazines faster on a newer model but other than that I don't know what you mean by it being slow...it's a simple OS with an app launcher, not much to it. Obviously if you use apps that need a lot of power for whatever reason then certainly they wouldn't be as fast but again that's obvious with anything. But then again I don't run Paintshop pro or anything on it either nor know why one would want to but for what it is, it works just fine.

Popping means not laggy, the updates have made the ipad not a pleasure to use. Eug evidently you are a fanboy.

These two posts provide an interesting contrast. In one post I suggest that the original iPad, a 3.5 year-old device, is too slow these days, and I am criticized for thinking it is too slow because the poster believes it is peppy enough even by today's standards.

In the other post I suggest that a device that is two generations later than the original iPad, is still usable these days. However, despite the fact that I agreed that the iPad 3 with iOS 7.1.2 is not fast, I am criticized for not agreeing strongly enough about its slowness.

To address the specific points:

While I do not own an iPad 1, several of my friends did, and even two years ago I felt it was quite slow. These days it is horribly slow. Indeed, as of 2012, I decided to upgrade from my iPhone 4 because of its lack of speed. The iPhone 4 is a device with the same CPU as the original iPad, but which had twice the memory. The main issue for me in 2014 is Safari speed. Websites in 2014 are more complex and this definitely affects usability, particularly when you're used to faster devices.

As for the iPad 3 I already agreed that it is not particularly fast by today's standards, but the advice still stands. The iPad 3 with another non-iOS OS is not really a viable option and you can't downgrade the iOS version either. Therefore if you think the iPad 3 with iOS 7.1.2 is too slow, the best option here is just to sell it and buy something else. That something else doesn't have to be another iOS device, but if you want an iOS device probably the best option is to wait for the October/November release of the iPad Air 2, assuming you want another 10" iPad. If the iPad Air 2 is too expensive for your needs, then what you can do is get the original iPad Air on sale either at a non-Apple retail store or as a refurbished unit at the online Apple Store.

 

[shortylickens]

But wouldn't you buy newer hardware anyway?

It's not as if I'd want to be running Android 2.3 just because it's faster on old hardware.

I dunno, my desktop computer is "old" but runs just fine with Windows 7.
All the hardware sellers keep telling me I need new stuff, but I am perfectly happy.

Anything designed for a mobile OS doesnt last as long. Having said that, as of Android 4.0 I havent really NEEDED a new OS or new hardware, so I got that going for me which is nice.

 

[lopri]

Original iPad is not usable for me. It is slow (in everything but especially for browsing) and more than anything it crashes too often. You type something for 5 minutes and boom, you have to start from the scratch. You try to skip past 5 minutes of movie you've already watched - boom, try again.

It performs admirably for what it is but I wouldn't pretend that it's up to today's standard.

 

[ibex333]

As tablets age, is there a way to put a light weight o/s on them like I did with my thinkpad t61 by putting xubuntu on it? Updates have caused my ipad 3rd gen to slow down and eventually would be nice to have an o/s that is still getting updates. I understand the Mac platform is pretty locked down but does android tablets have any options? Insights?

I am sorry, but I call bullshit. I have an iPad 3 16GB and it flies with iOS 8. It runs all games on the Apple store except for Bioshock and overall it doesn't lose to the newest iPad in any way except for the weight and maybe resolution. How the hell is the iPad 3 an "old" tablet? It's very much "new" imo. The iPad 4 was just an iPad 3 with slightly better hardware, and iPad Air does have some advantages, and probably significantly more powerful, but overall, not much different.

As for Android, they are usually pretty good at restricting your tablet from the newer version of Android it cannot run well. Same goes for iPad by the way.

Once your tablet gets so sold that it cannot run the newest OS versions anymore, you are still not losing all that much. You can still browse the internet, check mail and run apps. Really newer tablets cannot do much of anything else, minus the latest games, and some special effects that come with them. If you read, you might also appreciate higher resolutions, but that has to do with hardware, not software.

So if you got an old tablet, don't bother playing with software, unless it Cyanogen Mod available. Just slap that baby in a dock and use it to update you on mail and social networks, or use it as a second screen for your PC.

Old tablets never really become "too slow" or "useless" from what I seen. This can only happen if it's allow quality, cheap chineese tablet with low grade screen and internals. But quality tablets and phones are just fine even today.

I still use the OG Samsung Galaxy S as a nightstand email notification platform, alarm clock and social network updates.

 

[shortylickens]

Original iPad is not usable for me. It is slow (in everything but especially for browsing) and more than anything it crashes too often. You type something for 5 minutes and boom, you have to start from the scratch. You try to skip past 5 minutes of movie you've already watched - boom, try again.

It performs admirably for what it is but I wouldn't pretend that it's up to today's standard.

Do you have a stand for it? Wouldnt it make a nice alarm clock radio next to your bed? Or a digital picture frame?
Thats what I did with my moms Blackberry Playbook.

 

[Eug]

I am sorry, but I call bullshit. I have an iPad 3 16GB and it flies with iOS 8. It runs all games on the Apple store except for Bioshock and overall it doesn't lose to the newest iPad in any way except for the weight and maybe resolution. How the hell is the iPad 3 an "old" tablet? It's very much "new" imo. The iPad 4 was just an iPad 3 with slightly better hardware, and iPad Air does have some advantages, and probably significantly more powerful, but overall, not much different.

Actually the iPad 4 is noticeably faster than the iPad 3. There are lots of complaints out there about iOS 8 on the iPad 3 actually.

However, as is illustrated by this thread, everyone's threshold for desirable speed is different. For example, as mentioned in other threads, I thought iOS 8 on my iPad 2 was kinda OK, but after many days of usage, I decided I didn't want to live with the speed loss, and reverted my iPad 2 back to iOS 7.1.2. (That is no longer possible BTW, since Apple has stopped signing 7.1.2 for iOS 8-capable devices now.) In contrast, the kids in a cousin's family both have iPad minis (which has the same innards as my iPad 2), and they don't complain about the speed.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I have the original iPad and it is running iOS 5.x with no means into 6.x. I play brain games on it (Sudoku), light surfing, etc. and that is about it. The iPad3 (non-Lightning) is running 6.x and I will not put iOS 7/8 because I hate the look of the GUI.

I also have an original Nexus tablet and it is running Android 4.4.x and it is much faster than the original iPad (both originals are 16GB versions). I am not sure it is worth jailbreaking or reinventing the operating system wheel for any of these devices.

I think it is more to push consumers into accelerated obsolescence than anything else.

 

[Eug]

IMHO, these are the current most appropriate OSes for the recent iPads and iPhones:

iPhone 4: iOS 6.1.3
iPhone 4S: iOS 7.1.2
iPhone 5: iOS 8.0.2
iPhone 5s: iOS 8.0.2

iPad 2: iOS 7.1.2
iPad 3: iOS 7.1.2
iPad 4: iOS 8.0.2
iPad Air: iOS 8.0.2
iPad mini: iOS 7.1.2
iPad mini Retina: iOS 8.0.2

Your preferences may vary. Also, iOS 8.0.2 is a bit buggy. The above is mainly with regards to speed.

 

[Zodiark1593]

I've got an LG G2X running Cyanogen 7. Seems to manage much better in regards to memory management as 512MB isn't a lot to work with, and seems more stable overall that stock Gingerbread.

 

[Eug]

BTW, I have the original Nexus 7 too, and I find that slow too with Kit Kat 4.4.4, esp. for surfing. I have never used the second gen Nexus 7, but I'm told it feels considerably faster.

I still use my original 2012 Nexus 7 though since it's fine for Netflix and MKV playback.

 

[dguy6789]

I am sorry, but I call bullshit. I have an iPad 3 16GB and it flies with iOS 8. It runs all games on the Apple store except for Bioshock and overall it doesn't lose to the newest iPad in any way except for the weight and maybe resolution.

The iPad 3 was a dog way before iOS 8 came out and most people who use one agree. It's far too underpowered to handle the 2048x1536 resolution.

 

[Roland00Address]

Netflix and such would still work with an ipod 1 right? Just use it as a video player with an ips screen. Keep it in the kitchen so when you do dishes it is not as boring, or get a stand on your exercise bike and watch video while you doing what your body really needs but bores your mind.