How are the older (Air, Mini 2) iPads performing these days?

[ControlD]

I am in the market for a new tablet. I am fairly platform agnostic and have had a couple of iPads in the past so I have a decent amount of unused apps sitting in my account right now, which makes an iPad a real option for me. I'm not sure I am willing to pay Air 2 prices right now however.

There are some pretty decent prices right now, especially refurbished, for Air and Mini 2 models. I have been out of the loop for so long when it comes to Apple tablets however I have no idea if these are still good performers or not. I don't need something to last me for years, just for a year or two until I get the upgrade itch again. My main usage would be gaming, ebooks and watching movies.

 

[Eug]

Air and Mini 2 are fine performance wise, but not all of iOS 9's features are supported on those. Only the Air 2 supports them.

Why not just wait two months and get the Air 2 at the lower pricing which will kick in when the Air 3 comes out?

 

[Artdeco]

Agreed, just wait 2 months, the prices will drop pretty significantly.

The new mini is supposed to be a smaller version of the Air 3, same cpu, etc, there'll be a ton of people upgrading, should put a lot of iPads on the second hand/refurbished market.

 

[ControlD]

Air and Mini 2 are fine performance wise, but not all of iOS 9's features are supported on those. Only the Air 2 supports them.

Why not just wait two months and get the Air 2 at the lower pricing which will kick in when the Air 3 comes out?

That is probably the prudent choice. I was hoping to get something before then as I am pretty much without a tablet right now, but I'm sure I can make do.

 

[Artdeco]

That is probably the prudent choice. I was hoping to get something before then as I am pretty much without a tablet right now, but I'm sure I can make do.

I love my Air 2, it's fast as hell, and sooooo thin. Set up an alert on slickdeals for them, Apple uses resellers to blow out excess stock on eBay, and Wal Mart is a retailer they use as well. I got my 16GB for $430 shipped, brand new with full warranty.

Plus the Air 2 supports the windowed stuff coming on iOS 9.

 

[ControlD]

I love my Air 2, it's fast as hell, and sooooo thin. Set up an alert on slickdeals for them, Apple uses resellers to blow out excess stock on eBay, and Wal Mart is a retailer they use as well. I got my 16GB for $430 shipped, brand new with full warranty.

Plus the Air 2 supports the windowed stuff coming on iOS 9.

You can get a refurbished Air 2 16GB directly from Apple for $419. I'm just not sure if 16GB is enough storage in this day and age. It probably is, but the 64GB would for sure be enough.

 

[Artdeco]

I use mine almost exclusively for streaming and web surfing, got a retina MacBook last month for everything else.

Definitely recommend more than 16GB for anything more than streaming & web browsing.

iOS 9 should be a nice update for new iPads. If I can pop up a calculator, I'll be a happy camper.

 

[Eug]

I use mine almost exclusively for streaming and web surfing, got a retina MacBook last month for everything else.

Definitely recommend more than 16GB for anything more than streaming & web browsing.

iOS 9 should be a nice update for new iPads. If I can pop up a calculator, I'll be a happy camper.

The multitasking currently only supports Apple apps. Apple doesn't have a calculator on the iPad, so currently you can't "pop up a calculator".

Multitasking support for 3rd party apps will come later, but I have no idea when. Note though the apps have to be built specifically to support multitasking too.

 

[Eug]

Air and Mini 2 are fine performance wise, but not all of iOS 9's features are supported on those. Only the Air 2 supports them.

Why not just wait two months and get the Air 2 at the lower pricing which will kick in when the Air 3 comes out?

The more I use the "Slide Over" "multitasking" feature the more annoying I find it to be. It's not really multitasking as opposed to just having an thin and often hard to read overlay on the right side of the screen that greys out the main app and renders the main app it's overlaying unusable.

The more useful feature is Split Screen, which is a true multitasking feature as both screens are usable simultaneously and even independently scrollable.

Split Screen only exists on the iPad Air 2, so I'd say go iPad Air 2 or bust. So, I wonder how many will continue to say 1 GB RAM in an iPad is enough...

 

[martylax]

apple mini 2 is fine.. had this and sold it.. now waiting for air 2

 

[vi edit]

Sams club will be selling Air 2, 64gb for $487 on August 15th from 7:00-9:00AM.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/c...4590134&couponId=AUGVIP&noOfRecordsPerPage=40

 

[ControlD]

Sams club will be selling Air 2, 64gb for $487 on August 15th from 7:00-9:00AM.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/c...4590134&couponId=AUGVIP&noOfRecordsPerPage=40

Thanks! That might be a winner.

 

[vi edit]

I think you need to be part of their "upsale" program. We buy enough through the year so we are, and are on the mailing list. Keep that in mind if you have a basic membership.

 

[ControlD]

I think you need to be part of their "upsale" program. We buy enough through the year so we are, and are on the mailing list. Keep that in mind if you have a basic membership.

I am a Plus member so I'm go to go. Probably be fun fighting the crowd though.

 

[spat55]

Get something with Android that allows MicroSD cards to be used, no problem for your storage.

 

[ControlD]

Get something with Android that allows MicroSD cards to be used, no problem for your storage.

That works for storing media files but doesn't do anything for actual app storage. I'm guessing the average Samsung 16GB tablet has 12GB if you are lucky for app storage once they put their 50 junk apps on the device and that seems a bit limiting. The Galaxy Tab S 10.5 looks pretty good but it only seems to come with 16GB of storage which is a bummer.

 

[Rakehellion]

Sams club will be selling Air 2, 64gb for $487 on August 15th from 7:00-9:00AM.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/c...4590134&couponId=AUGVIP&noOfRecordsPerPage=40

Sold out in 5 minutes.

 

[ControlD]

Sold out in 5 minutes.

Online will be for sure. Might have a better chance getting one in-store.

 

[dagamer34]

2GB RAM and multi-tasking in iOS 9 are reasons why I wouldn't recommend less than an iPad Air 2 these days. It's clearly going to be the next "iPad 2" model in terms of longevity.

 

[ControlD]

2GB RAM and multi-tasking in iOS 9 are reasons why I wouldn't recommend less than an iPad Air 2 these days. It's clearly going to be the next "iPad 2" model in terms of longevity.

Yeah, you guys have convinced me to go for the Air 2 or better if I decide to go the iPad route. I'm not sure I would use the multi window functionality or not (never used it on my Note 2) but I would regret not having it at the same time.

 

[Eug]

Split Screen is great but having 2 GB is even better.

It makes for a more pleasant tabbed Safari experience and allows the implementation of memory intensive features, of which Split Screen is just the first.

 

[Artdeco]

The problem with Android is there's not a huge community of hackers for a given tablet, and each version of Android is more and more like iOS, locked down so normals can't screw them up.

I greatly prefer the apps on the iPad, they're more polished, for instance my brokerages Android app, it's laggy, even on a fast processor, and it's not as full featured. They put The Android app on the back burner as far as updates, because the bulk of their users are using iOS devices, and that's where they put their time and attention.

I've actually communicated with the developers, and that's what they told me, same holds true for many widely available apps, not all of them, but enough to make a difference in your user experience.

 

[Rottie]

My trusty Air 1 is perfectly fine for me. I don't use Safari for browsing. Only use for Netflix, FaceTime, Facebook, and Twitter.....

 

[Oyeve]

That works for storing media files but doesn't do anything for actual app storage. I'm guessing the average Samsung 16GB tablet has 12GB if you are lucky for app storage once they put their 50 junk apps on the device and that seems a bit limiting. The Galaxy Tab S 10.5 looks pretty good but it only seems to come with 16GB of storage which is a bummer.

Not true. Many apps will install on the SD card. I have over 150 apps installed on my SD card.

 

[ControlD]

Not true. Many apps will install on the SD card. I have over 150 apps installed on my SD card.

Are you using some type of third party utility to accomplish that? I don't think stock Android even gives you the option to install to SD cards anymore does it? Maybe I just missed something. I no longer have a phone with a SD slot so I can't test it myself.

*edit*

Looks like LP fixed some of the SD card issues I was seeing with KitKat. That is good to know.