New iPad recommendations?

Parents Forum Parent Cafe
1

Ok, I dropped mine again and between the cracks in the glass in the corner and the security risk of outdated iOS, I’m shopping for a new iPad.
Any suggestions of iPad Air vs the lower level of same sized Pro?
I’m really wishing they still had a lightening plug…
Facial recognition vs touch?

I use mine mostly for reading, viewing websites and photo apps. no gaming and only a little movie streaming. I don’t need the fastest chip, but is the fancier camera worth it?

Thanks for your experiences, since I’d rather not hang out at the Apple store with Texas infections what they are.

2

I have an IPad 8. It’s a little heavier than my iPad Air was, but it does everything I need it to do, has a ton of memory and cost in the $500 range.

3

I wouldn’t buy anything without the M1 chip but probably not needed in your case. I would wait and see what comes up at the Apple Event tomorrow. Probably no new iPads but you never know and may be able to get a good price on an older model.

You can compare models here.

4

I bought the Air 4 at Costco a couple months ago and couldn’t be happier. I didn’t get a ton of memory because I didn’t see need for it. It went on sale a couple weeks after I bought it - like $75 less - and Costco gave me the difference so I believe I paid under $400.

Honestly though I think I could have got the iPad 8 and been pretty happy too. But side by side I thought the color/graphics were slightly sharper on the Air and screen is SLIGHTLY bigger. (Less edge)

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5

Well thanks, I didn’t know there was an “event” tomorrow. Hoping that a few weeks from now the older technology will be cheaper.

6

My iPad 8 has 128 GB of memory. With all of my pictures, and a few videos, I was always running short of space. For $500 or so, I’m happy.

If I could have gotten an Air with similar memory for $400 or so…I would have!

7

Don’t both the current iPad 8th gen and Mini 5th gen still use the Lightning port?

I use a 5th gen iPad and it’s fine for everything I need - mostly those you list, so I certainly don’t think you need a Pro model.

New models will be announced either tomorrow or at a follow-up event this Fall. I would wait and see what drops to the ~$400 slot - probably more than sufficient.

8

Everyone should get iOS, iPad OS, and TvOS 15 tomorrow, along with Watch OS 8. Lots of nice new features. All betas have been stable.

9

I just looked into this recently for my son and compared all the used and new ipad options. We ended up going with the ipad new direct from apple for only $329 with a warranty. The standard new ipad is in it’s 8th generation and was released in 2020. It works with apple pencil and other features that are handy without the higher price tag of the air or pro. The used 7th gen ipad was selling for same price on resale sites. So we went with the new 8th gen direct from apple.

Update: 9th gen iPad being released next week. Can preorder now. Fortunately I haven’t even received the one I ordered yet. It is scheduled for delivery tomorrow and they accept returns for 14 days. I will be returning it and ordering the new iPad for same price $329.

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10

New iPads out today

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11

Thank you, everyone! Hoping some models will drop in price soon!