I am still using my iPad 2 from 2014. Are people upgrading iPads?

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zamardii12

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So, I was watching the 2011 iPad 2 Keynote and it got me thinking how that there could be no way that people are upgrading iPads that much compared to say iPhones... How is Apple making money on iPads? I am 32 years old and 95% of my usage on the iPad is YouTube in bed and the other 5% is web browsing.

People aren't using iPads as laptop replacements, and I imagine a LOT of people are using iPads the way I am. So I could be COMPLETELY wrong and off about this, but I have the same attitude towards my iPad as I do towards my Apple Watch. My 1st gen Apple Watch does exactly what I want it to do... tell time, track my workouts, and occasionally send me a notification. I wouldn't expand my usage of a new iPad or a Apple Watch so I literally see absolutely no reason to ever upgrade them unless there was some killer reason to do so, but I could not even begin to think what that could be. That being said the new virtually bezel-less iPad Pros are absolutely beautiful and I would love to have one but that'd be one heluva expensive YouTube tablet if I upgraded... Perhaps in 2-3 years when these current new iPad Pros come down to a reasonable price I will upgrade to one, but even then it will be hard to justify it.

Anyone else feel the same way?
 
There are absolutely people that feel that way that you do. People that just see iOS devices as toys. And then there are people that are on the exact opposite fence and want to push the limit and also want a device that allows them to quickly get ideas down and use it as an important creativity tool.

Here you can watch two (very well known) producers create a beat from start to near finished (Mastering is another beast entirely) just using an iPad Pro and a wireless midi keyboard.




Here, Johnathan Morrison wants to just see if it's even possible to edit a Youtube Review on an iPad Pro. He finds it to not only be capable, but to be quick as well. Not only in rendering (which it does at a near real-time speed) but also in critical things like scrubbing and editing. And the video he's editing was for a paid client gig that had to be completed before the following morning (so there were real stakes involved, and he wasn't doing it just for fun).


At the end of the day it's just a tool. If you don't want to use it for anything else, then it won't be used for anything else. Personally I, like you, purchased the iPad 2 a few months after its launch in 2011. I sold it about 4 years ago when, for me, it was too slow to do the things I wanted with it. I haven't bothered to get another tablet, but I have been waiting for the iPad Pro to do meaningful work. Perhaps it's now possible. I've personally been waiting for Apple to release a full-fledged version of FCPX to the iPad Pro. If they did that, then I would probably use it as my mobile editing device.

Still, there are alternatives to that, that are quite good. If LumaFusion and the iPad Pro allow me to edit footage on an external drive, it's probably worth investigating. And I would say that Johnathan Morrison's assessment is correct: if you're trying to do things "the old way" on an iPad, then you'll be left disappointed (eg: no full version of FCPX). But if you're open to new paradigms, then there are new ways to do things (eg: LumaFusion).

For most people, I'd say it doesn't make sense. But Apple has always been good at making content creation devices. I'd say the iPad is still ahead of the curve in comparison with most. Especially considering that at this point it's faster than a lot of laptops.

So, I'm not super interested in changing your mind. You feel how you feel, and you'll use the device how you see fit. However, I really do think the iPad is far less limited than people think.
 
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I'm still using an iPad Mini 3 that I got in late 2014. I have a feeling this will be my last iPad. The gap between iPad and Macbook is still too far apart for me. I'd much rather have a MacBook Air to do tasks that require something more powerful than my iPhone. As for my watch, I also have a Series 1 and although it's still perfectly functional for me I am expecting that I will replace it shortly after it stop receiving WatchOS updates. Pretty much the same upgrade strategy I'm using with iPhones. Up until recently I was perfectly content on my iPhone 6 and would likely still be using it if it wasn't for my wife needing a replacement phone (iPhone 6+ with touch disease). She got an iPhone XR and Verizon was doing a buy one get one free deal.
 
I have an iPad Air 1, Air 2 and a Mini 4.

They all work fine.

The Air 1 goes into a fit of bee-dop bee-dop bee-dop noices from time to time that I haven't figured out, but as soon as I tough it or unplug it, it goes away.
 
I never had the original one, but I've gotten the newest iPad year after year after the 2 (currently have the 11" Pro). I can't think of a very good reason as to why I did it, but I just wanted the latest, and the cost to upgrade was very minimal year after year after getting rid of the outgoing model. It's really the same argument with Apple Watches. I bought the Series 3 because I wanted a solid fitness tracker that also had LTE capabilities (I could leave my phone at home and still take phone calls and answer texts). I upgraded from the 3 to the 4 mostly because screen space was better utilized and all of the sensing features (CPU boost is nice as well). I'm a watch guy through and through (I prefer wearing my mechanicals when not working out), and being able to get the Apple Watches in Stainless Steel for the weight and finish is a nice added bonus (they hold their value quite well on the used market as well).

I think the argument to upgrade year over year, for any product, is a bit hazy. There really isn't any real reason outside of a few generations where it was sensible, such as when the screen vastly improved from the 2 to the 3. Outside of that, they become sleeker and marginally faster year after year, hardly good reasons to go through the headache of upgrading and selling off the older one. I use mine pretty much the same way as the OP, for the occasional YouTube video or movie while traveling, for email, and for web browsing. FWIW, I'm about to turn 30 (gf is the same age and has the same uses) and consider the iPad nothing more than a media consumption tool that just happens to do that job quite well, is light enough to be held with one hand, and can do everything that my phone (and most things my MacBook Pro) can. I honestly can't see a real reason to upgrade to the next one, and this'll probably be the last time I upgrade (unless a really good reason presents itself; I don't see that happening based on trends, however).
 
I'll be using my iPad Pro 9.7" until it dies, or until it and apps I use can't support whatever version of iOS in the future. I love that thing, one of the best tech purchases I ever made. I can do tons of stuff with it: edit photos, draw pictures, edit video, create music by connecting it to a midi controller, or using an audio interface (I use BIAS Amp/FX on the iPad for my guitar through most recently a Focusrite iTrack Dock which I can now connect to my midi controller at the same time). If I ever get the urge to make something digitally, I pick up the iPad and start playing around. I sketch project plans and diagrams now so I don't have to lose that sheet of paper.
 
zamardii12 said:
So, I was watching the 2011 iPad 2 Keynote and it got me thinking how that there could be no way that people are upgrading iPads that much compared to say iPhones... How is Apple making money on iPads? I am 32 years old and 95% of my usage on the iPad is YouTube in bed and the other 5% is web browsing.

People aren't using iPads as laptop replacements, and I imagine a LOT of people are using iPads the way I am. So I could be COMPLETELY wrong and off about this, but I have the same attitude towards my iPad as I do towards my Apple Watch. My 1st gen Apple Watch does exactly what I want it to do... tell time, track my workouts, and occasionally send me a notification. I wouldn't expand my usage of a new iPad or a Apple Watch so I literally see absolutely no reason to ever upgrade them unless there was some killer reason to do so, but I could not even begin to think what that could be. That being said the new virtually bezel-less iPad Pros are absolutely beautiful and I would love to have one but that'd be one heluva expensive YouTube tablet if I upgraded... Perhaps in 2-3 years when these current new iPad Pros come down to a reasonable price I will upgrade to one, but even then it will be hard to justify it.

Anyone else feel the same way?
Click to expand...

web browsing on an ipad 2 must be effin brutal.

Granted i only upgraded my 4 to a pro because i dropped it
 
I sold my iPad Mini 4 (2015) and iPad Pro 9.7" (2016) and put the $$ towards a new iPad Pro 11". I like the new one a lot. I use it mainly for streaming video and reading e-books. Bought a Bluetooth keyboard to use the iPad as a laptop replacement.until my XPS 13 is delivered, next month.
 
Still using my iPad Air 1st gen. Dropped it on the corner and the glass is broken but works fine. If they have an trade-in program I'm interested in upgrading.
 
I upgrade when they get slow... iPad 3 in that case.
Or when they break. Someone dropped my Mini 2, I was about to get a new one anyway. Got the current iPad on slickdeals from best buy, not sure how much but it was cheap.
 
I was given an iPad 9.7 (2018 6th gen) and had thought about using it for some creative and editing work (as it works with the pen 1.0), but once you factor in the price of accessories it rapidly exceeds the cost of a decent laptop that can do WAY more. So it's relegated to web browsing and video. While you can do some productivity work with it, I can't figure out why you'd want to.
 
My wife and mom just went from an Air to the Pro 11. I have last year's 12.9 Pro.. and once I went big that broke the family hand-me-down chain.

Kids just went from Mini 2's to the early 2018 9.7's.

We probably use our iPads more than any other device so it's nice to be current.
 
I just got a new iPad Pro with the bigger screen and 1Tb of space. With tax, pencil and case it was $2200.

Only because my employer pays for it.

Edit. Its part of my compensation package, so it’s mine to keep.
 
Do yourself a favor and find a secondhand Air or Air 2, or pick up a base model when it goes on sale. The retina screen makes a huge difference even just for watching videos.

I have an Air 1 that I still get a lot of use out of. I watch videos and do some web browsing, mainly reading articles. Any more serious searching or online shopping type of work gets frustrating quickly due to the lack of speed and lack of RAM but I can just go over to my desktop for that. I would upgrade but it's hard to justify as a new one wouldn't make a huge difference in my usage.
 
The only thing that ever causes us to upgrade an apple product was the lack of updates, preventing us some using newer apps.

Otherwise, never needed it.
 
With the Apple devices here - other than phones (which we upgrade every 2 years when our contracts are renewed usually unless the phone is working fine still like the iPhone 7 & 7+ we have at moment are) - they get upgraded when they either fail, break or stop getting iOS updates. The stepdaughter's iPod Touch is the oldest device we still have but she doesn't use it any more as she has since been given an iPhone SE (which she broke the screen on within a week compared to both my wife & myself not ever breaking a screen in 20yrs+ of using mobile phones & handheld devices like HTC Himalaya's etc)! The wife still uses her original 16GB WiFi only iPad Air (mainly to play The Sims Freeplay & use Social Media) so no real need to change it until it stops doing those tasks. I did have an iPad Mini 4 but sold that a couple of years back as I never used it to be fair! Took it fishing with me a few times to watch films on or stream TV using my phone as a hotspot but other than those tasks, it sat on a stand on charge constantly. I did consider an iPad Pro recently to use as an "Ultrabook" replacement but decided against it after weighing up how often I would use it. I would probably use a MS Surface device more than an iPad!
 
1 got to slow to even function, got a 4. Dropped the 4 in the kitchen, failed in replacing the screen, got a pro.


For web browsing the pro is definitely nice, and the other day i actually used it to create a quick vizio for work(with pencil) and that was pretty awesome as well. But 40% usage is web browsing and probably another 40% vainglory.
 
I only upgrade when there are features I want. I use the iPad 2-3 hrs minimum every day to read books/webnovels, play some light games and watch videos and sports games so its worth it to me if say there is more battery life, or a much better screen, or pencil support when it originally came out. I've had quite a few iPads though, I usually hand down my old one to a family member as well. Bought the new iPad Pro last year and I love it.

I've had the original iPad, iPad Air, iPad Pro 12.9 Gen 1, 2018 iPad (free) and the 2018 iPad Pro 11". All of them except the Original iPad are still in use by a family member or me today. I've replaced the battery on the iPad Air and iPad Pro 12.9" but they are still working fine.
 
eventually apple will force you to upgrade as new updates and apps wont work with older ipads. I have a couple dozen ipad 2s and 2/3 minis at work that wont update past 9.3.5 and no new apps will install.
 
I have an Air 2 with cellular. There’s such a stark difference in value for me and the iPad. If I am traveling it is the best device ever. It’s long battery life and large screen make it amazing for using in airports or on flights. I can’t stand hotel TV so it doubles up as my hotel entertainment. Recently we switched to YouTube tv so now all my live/recorded shows and sports go with me. At home, it sits there unused. I have no compelling reason to use it with my desktop computer being better for productivity and phone being more convenient for content consumption. With that said my 3 year old iPad still handles everything just fine. I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between it and a new iPad with how I use it.
 
I have an iPad 2 (Model A1396) That I still use. My sister, an Applelite :D) bought me an 11.25" iPad Pro (wifi only) in May 2015 and it too work with the low level stuff I do. As long as the batteries continue to hold a charge in either one I won't feel the need to upgrade. Heck, I'm still totally happy with my iPhone 6 and, if the articles are correct, it won't be eligible for iOS 13. I'll upgrade it when it no longer function. :confused:
 
Chuklr said:
I have an iPad 2 (Model A1396) That I still use. My sister, an Applelite :D) bought me an 11.25" iPad Pro (wifi only) in May 2015 and it too work with the low level stuff I do. As long as the batteries continue to hold a charge in either one I won't feel the need to upgrade. Heck, I'm still totally happy with my iPhone 6 and, if the articles are correct, it won't be eligible for iOS 13. I'll upgrade it when it no longer function. :confused:
Click to expand...

The good news with iOS is you dont get a ton with the updates. I never feel behind if I dont have the current update. Especially if I jailbreak.
 
You've had better luck than me. Me and my wife passed our iPad 2's down to the kids and they have both been put away due to aganizingly slow speeds and dead batteries. That said, we are both running Air 2's from 2014 and have zero desire to upgrade. I tend to use things until they don't release updates anymore. I won't upgrade until I can get FaceID for sub $500 and the Air 2 is no longer getting updates.
 
I have an iPad 3. It’s too slow to surf. Upgraded to the iPad 11
 
My iPad Mini 3 isn't getting iOS 13. :(

Haven't decided if I want to bother with a replacement or not yet.
 
1. iPad gen 1 (2010), upgraded for the retina display
2. iPad gen 3 (2012), stolen
3. iPad Air gen 1 (2013), gave away, battery life
4. iPad pro 2 11" (2018)

I usually waited a couple of generations and either gave it away to family or my sister's daycare.
Recently gave away my MacBook Pro because I wasn't using it enough where as I'm on my iPad 2-3 hours a day consuming media, browsing the web, playing games, answering emails/messages.
I upgraded early on as the changes were large between releases but slowed down after the Air where I wasn't compelled to upgrade until the iPad Pro.

But yes, I believe sales have slowed down significantly as the market has saturated and releases have been evolutionary vs revolutionary.
The new iPad OS is revolutionary and will change the way the iPad will be used and was developed to expand the base of users to more professionals, esp with the Surface Pro being such a compelling device for professional users.
Hopefully the iPad will continue to evolve into this new era of computing where AR and peripheral-less, portable, organic experiences replaces the kb, mouse, and monitor.
 
iPad 12.9 pro here..

Full time music production and performer. I do nearly all of my scratch composition on my iPad before taking it to bigger hardware. Simple 4 channel audio interface. I also have all my sheet music stored via iCloud, the 12.9 is basically the size of a sheet of paper, works great!
 
aokman said:
Planned obsolescence? :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
In my limited Apple experience, no. My anecdote being my sister still using her 5s these past 5/6 years. (5 I think). Though it has taken some falls so the screen has some light cracking and the digitizer isn’t always responsive anymore. In terms of updates and even speed (browsing, light apps) it’s fine.
 
Just got myself the iPad Pro 12.9” and it is really nice. Amazon has them for $799 new (64gb WiFi).
 
our school devision just retired thousands of ipad 2s. something about apple dropping 32bit...
 
I started taking my Air 2 with me everywhere. It’s actually pretty convenient. I’m having some tire work done and watching some FBS football on YouTube tv while it’s being done. I never thought they were worth it but I think the problem might be me just not having it available.
 
I basically only upgraded once my iPad Mini4 stopped working. Apple store said it was needing a full logic board replacement (this was after like 5 years?) for something like 299. Said screw it and upgraded to the latest iPad Pro 11". No regrets as it's my primary travel media consumption device. Been trying to find a good note taking app (I have OneNote but my god it feels like ass) and also using it for sketching prototypes.
 
My first iPad is the 10.5 Pro.
Took a while for them to build enough features for me to bother.
 
Mine just sits on my nightstand unless I’m flying.

I use mine with a steel series game pad and play bully/chrono cross/ff7 and 9/ and a few other games.

Good little system plus it has the GTA3 collection for when you want to murder hookers.
 
There might be some value in the top of the line. But an old iPad is just at good as a new one for 99.99% of all cases.

Value for the dollar? Very low.
 
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