Buying an Ipad Air 2, have some questions

The Lurker

The Lurker

Fully [H]
Joined
Jul 1, 2001
Messages
19,071
Truth be told I have never spent money on an Apple product, ever. But... my wife wants an Ipad so I have some questions.

1. How much usable space does a 16gb Ipad Air 2 have for user files?

2. I am reading on some pages that the Air 2's performance with IOS 9 is very poor. Is their any truth to this?

3. I am reading that Apple is stretching the release cycles for the Ipads. Supposedly a new, air 3, was supposed to come out this october but instead they released the pro. Now they are saying the air 3 is coming next year, possibly march. Is that true or is there still a chance for one this year?
 
The Lurker said:
Truth be told I have never spent money on an Apple product, ever. But... my wife wants an Ipad so I have some questions.

1. How much usable space does a 16gb Ipad Air 2 have for user files?

2. I am reading on some pages that the Air 2's performance with IOS 9 is very poor. Is their any truth to this?

3. I am reading that Apple is stretching the release cycles for the Ipads. Supposedly a new, air 3, was supposed to come out this october but instead they released the pro. Now they are saying the air 3 is coming next year, possibly march. Is that true or is there still a chance for one this year?
Click to expand...

1. Don't get a 16gb, get the 64gb. Unless all she wants to do is stream videos on netflix and hulu and check emails, you need more storage for just about anything. Sure a $100 is steep for 48gb, but $500 is even steeper for a paper weight....

2. I haven't noticed any slowdowns for iOS 9 on any of my ipads or iphones. My daughter has an Air2, my son and wife an Air. iOS9 seems to run fine on all those.

3. Nobody knows when the next ipad air will be out. It's all rumor and speculation. If you wife wants an ipad air2, it's fast and has 2gb of ram. I suspect there will be some deals on it around black friday. Although lots of times they are limited to the 16gb (boo!). Either way you need to pretend the 16gb doesn't exist and the 64gb is the entry price.
 
Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with Dawill, and I would also advise against getting a 16GB Ipad. To answer your question, there's approximately 12GB of space left with IOS9 installed.
 
64GB is the only way to go unless she just streams Netflix, Amazon, HBO Go, etc.

Helps with resale value, too.
 
I'm still rocking an old iPad 2 16gb, but I definitely couldn't see buying a new one with 16gb (and I really don't store any media on mine). I'm constantly running out of space. 16gb is nothing in 2015, unfortunately.
 
I had a iPad 2 - 32 gig for over 3 years. Sold it last year for $200.00 and bought a iPad Air 2 - 128 gig. I would highly recommend not getting the 16 gig model. She'll run out of space fast. So get the 64 gig model. If you want to save $20.00 then get the iPad Air 1 - 32 gig model.
 
I believe you get about 13GB free on 16 if I remember right. I would highly recommend getting at *least* 32GB. I have one person I had to setup to use iCloud for everything to keep their 16GB somewhat usable. Just taking a few videos and pictures along with a couple apps keeps running out of room. iCloud helps to move content off the iPad, but it's still not a great solution IMO.
 
I took your guys advice. I got her a 64gb wifi+cell air 2 from a seller on this forum. The price was right, I said it may as well be as useful as possible.

Told her she better use it or else every day it sits idle, she will find it under her pillow. ;-)

Next question:
How easy is it to jailbreak and install something to block ads?

What is the difference(pros/cons) between using the apple sim to connect it to Tmobile and getting a sim directly from Tmobile?
 
The Lurker said:
I took your guys advice. I got her a 64gb wifi+cell air 2 from a seller on this forum. The price was right, I said it may as well be as useful as possible.

Told her she better use it or else every day it sits idle, she will find it under her pillow. ;-)

Next question:
How easy is it to jailbreak and install something to block ads?

What is the difference(pros/cons) between using the apple sim to connect it to Tmobile and getting a sim directly from Tmobile?
Click to expand...

Blocking ads is easy, you can download blockers on the App Store. Jail breaking may be impossible depending on the firmware on the tablet. Also don't jailbrrak unless you need to, there are tons of janky jailbreak apps that can kill battery life and performance.
 
Last edited:
Ocellaris said:
Blocking ads is easy, you can download blockers on the App Store. Jail breaking may be impossible depending on the firmware on the tablet. Also don't jailbrrak unless you need to, there are tons of janky jailbreak apps that can kill battery life and performance.
Click to expand...

Really? Ad blockers from the app store? How is that allowed.
 
The Lurker said:
Really? Ad blockers from the app store? How is that allowed.
Click to expand...

There's a content blocker built into the OS. Apple encourages developers to use it to create software that blocks ads.

Apple is unlike Google in that their primary revenue stream is not based on advertising. Apple makes a small amount of money through its iAd program, but it's not really a focus for them, mostly just a way for devs to monetize otherwise free apps on the store. Content blockers aren't allowed to block iAds shown within apps, but they can block pretty much everything in Safari.

If you want to block absolutely every ad, you'll need to jailbreak (which isn't possible on the current version of iOS) but if it's the browser you're targeting, a content blocker from the app store is what you want.

There should be no difference between using the Apple SIM or getting a T-Mo SIM. Both should be eligible for the full range of services offered by T-Mo.
 
I've been using Crystal (I think it was $5) for ad blocking and it has been pretty good so far. Haven't looked lately for others, but it was rated pretty high on the App Store.
 
CEpeep said:
There's a content blocker built into the OS. Apple encourages developers to use it to create software that blocks ads.

Apple is unlike Google in that their primary revenue stream is not based on advertising. Apple makes a small amount of money through its iAd program, but it's not really a focus for them, mostly just a way for devs to monetize otherwise free apps on the store. Content blockers aren't allowed to block iAds shown within apps, but they can block pretty much everything in Safari.

If you want to block absolutely every ad, you'll need to jailbreak (which isn't possible on the current version of iOS) but if it's the browser you're targeting, a content blocker from the app store is what you want.

There should be no difference between using the Apple SIM or getting a T-Mo SIM. Both should be eligible for the full range of services offered by T-Mo.
Click to expand...

You answered my next question. Blocking the in app ads would require jailbreaking. But to be honest. Lately, I have just paid for all the apps that I use extensively. So its not the problem that it used to be.
 
The Lurker said:
You answered my next question. Blocking the in app ads would require jailbreaking. But to be honest. Lately, I have just paid for all the apps that I use extensively. So its not the problem that it used to be.
Click to expand...

I was just browsing the app store for ad blockers and saw one that is supposed to block ads in Safari and apps. Did not catch the name.
 
PsycoGeek said:
I was just browsing the app store for ad blockers and saw one that is supposed to block ads in Safari and apps. Did not catch the name.
Click to expand...

Some of the ad blockers for apps work by routing all of your data through a separate service.

At this point if I used an app enough the ads are frustrating, I spend the 99 cents to block the ads.
 
Thoughts on knock off smart cases?

80 bucks + tax is friggin steep for a case. I know apple users get bent over, but this is just nuts.
 
The Lurker said:
Thoughts on knock off smart cases?

80 bucks + tax is friggin steep for a case. I know apple users get bent over, but this is just nuts.
Click to expand...

I've found a lot of the <$10 cases on Amazon are straight garbage. I usually find something I like in a retail store and then buy it online for cheaper. And always get a smart case over a case without the magnets in it!
 
Yup, lots of garbage out there.

I personally really like Apple's aniline-dyed leather smart cases with the microfibre lining. Considering the materials used it's not all that bad of a price. Feels nice, hold well, and looks good to carry around, but there are cheaper cases which will do the job also. As said above, try before you buy.
 
I grabbed one for 15 bucks which looks like a straight knock off, so we'll see what comes in the box.

Otherwise, we got it last night and as much as it kills me inside to admit it, its a really nice device and the same apps that I use on Android are a lot nicer on iOS. I was expecting it to be a great piece of hardware, but the fact that the same apps are nicer is surprising.

Is there any way to have multiple user profiles? If yes, can the touch id be setup so that depending on whose finger is used to unlock the device it will open that users profile?
 
The Lurker said:
I grabbed one for 15 bucks which looks like a straight knock off, so we'll see what comes in the box.

Otherwise, we got it last night and as much as it kills me inside to admit it, its a really nice device and the same apps that I use on Android are a lot nicer on iOS. I was expecting it to be a great piece of hardware, but the fact that the same apps are nicer is surprising.
Click to expand...

iOS is significantly easier to develop for, and iOS users spend more money than Android users so often the iOS apps are better.
 
The Lurker said:
Is there any way to have multiple user profiles? If yes, can the touch id be setup so that depending on whose finger is used to unlock the device it will open that users profile?
Click to expand...

Found the answer myself. It was supposed to be a feature in iOS9 but it wasnt included in the first release. Supposedly it will be a feature in a later update.

With that said, I hope it works the way I want.
 
Apple doesnt incude a calculator app or a weather app, two extremely common and frequently used apps. If thats not a money grab to force you to buy an ad free one from the app store then I dont know what is.
 
The Lurker said:
Apple doesnt incude a calculator app or a weather app, two extremely common and frequently used apps. If thats not a money grab to force you to buy an ad free one from the app store then I dont know what is.
Click to expand...

I don't know why they're on the iPhone and not the iPad. Apple's Weather and Calculator apps work perfectly fine on the iPad if you sideload them onto a jailbroken unit. It's weird that they're not included, especially since they include Notification widgets that work on the iPad too. The lack of the Weather app could have something to do with the lack of hardware GPS in iPads, but I can't explain the missing Calculator at all. Installing the Weather app is one of the first things I do when jailbreaking an iPad.

It's worth noting that are plenty of good ad-free calculators available for no charge in the store, but I have yet to find a good Weather app that is both free and adless like Apple's.
 
From what I gathered the LTE ipads have a GPS chip, the wifi only models do not. Which explains why waze and gmaps are so accurate.

Tell me about jail breaking(or link link me to a guide). How hard is it to do and what is required to upgrade to the next version of ios? Is Cydia still a thing for apps?
 
Ours is 9.1. I think we'll leave it as is. Its fine the way it is and I dont want to have to manager another rooted device.

Can you recommend a good app like ES File Explorer that will let me get to files on my windows network?
 
The Lurker said:
Can you recommend a good app like ES File Explorer that will let me get to files on my windows network?
Click to expand...

You don't "get to files" on an iPad. If you're trying to play videos, listen to music or look at photos stored on a network drive, there are some good apps, but if you want to manipulate files or do anything besides view them, you need to put them on iCloud.

InFuse and VLC are good video players on iOS that can play from a Windows/Samba share.
 
The thing that sucks with Apple is you do not have access to files like that. You will need to throw them on a NAS, or in the cloud, and get an app to access it.
 
CEpeep said:
You don't "get to files" on an iPad. If you're trying to play videos, listen to music or look at photos stored on a network drive, there are some good apps, but if you want to manipulate files or do anything besides view them, you need to put them on iCloud.

InFuse and VLC are good video players on iOS that can play from a Windows/Samba share.
Click to expand...

I understand the problem with browsing files on the ipad, but thats not what I am attempting to do. For example, if I wanted to transfer video files from a network share to the ipad I can currently do that in two ways. Use VLC to create a server, browse to it from the windows machine and drag and drop files OR plug it into the server and transfer files over USB using itunes.

What I would like to do is browse the share from the ipad and just pull the files i need, any kind of files.
 
If you were to move your share onto a QNAP NAS, they have a free and very nice iOS and Andriod app called QFile HD that lets you do exactly what you are after... But ya, an iPad is more of a media consumption device and Apple has gone to great lengths to ensure that utilitarian, PC like activities are obscured or unavailable in their ecosystem because that would make their device too "complicated" for the masses.
 
Last edited:
The Lurker said:
I understand the problem with browsing files on the ipad, but thats not what I am attempting to do. For example, if I wanted to transfer video files from a network share to the ipad I can currently do that in two ways. Use VLC to create a server, browse to it from the windows machine and drag and drop files OR plug it into the server and transfer files over USB using itunes.

What I would like to do is browse the share from the ipad and just pull the files i need, any kind of files.
Click to expand...

You can't do that unless you are jailbroken. Even if you could put arbitrary files on to a stock iPad, you'd have no way to open then since there's no file browser and most apps don't support opening "any kind of file" from local storage. If you have stuff you sometimes need on the iPad, put them in iCloud or Dropbox, or use iTunes to put them directly onto the iPad. You could also get a NAS or other appliance that has a companion app supporting this functionality, as Supercharged said, if you are willing to migrate all of your content to another storage system.
 
The Lurker said:
Apple doesnt incude a calculator app or a weather app, two extremely common and frequently used apps. If thats not a money grab to force you to buy an ad free one from the app store then I dont know what is.
Click to expand...

The built in 'Spotlight' search bar will do math, as will Safari.

Ask Siri for the weather / forecast.
 
CEpeep said:
You can't do that unless you are jailbroken. Even if you could put arbitrary files on to a stock iPad, you'd have no way to open then since there's no file browser and most apps don't support opening "any kind of file" from local storage. If you have stuff you sometimes need on the iPad, put them in iCloud or Dropbox, or use iTunes to put them directly onto the iPad. You could also get a NAS or other appliance that has a companion app supporting this functionality, as Supercharged said, if you are willing to migrate all of your content to another storage system.
Click to expand...

Eh? That is not quite true.

Just get Filebrowser from the App Store. It lets you setup network shares to connect to and you can create folders within the app to download your media to. You get the "open in..." option for your files in there for apps that support the file formats and tell iOS that they do. You can also get a streaming link to use with VLC.

It has worked well for me when wanting to get to videos shared by my Windows machine.
 
This is definitely not as convenient as having a full file system where you can dump the files wherever, but it gives you a little bit more flexibility.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top