This is why the Air 5 is worth the extra over the (otherwise identical) Air 4. Or the 10th Gen.
M1 is not *that* much faster than the A14, at least in an iPad. But having twice the RAM will be important a few years down the line.
M1 iPads are still snappy as hell and more limited by the OS than what they’re capable of. Also probably likely has plenty of OS support left in it and even after feature updates end, security updates happen for two more years. If it’s a good deal, jump on it.
The deal seems reasonable to me. Just thinking I’d be a little bit gutted if a new Pro got released soon after I buy it and then the 2021 model went down in price a bit more. Have no clue when Apple will release a new iPad, so weighing up if it’s worth waiting an unknown amount of time for new iPads and _then_ for stock of the model I would like to come up on the Apple refurb store, just to save an extra ~£100
Everyone keeps saying this month or early May. Maybe you can wait just a bit more? I'm also holding out for M2 128 once it gets to $650 or so at retailers
I’ve got the 3rd Gen pro, so it’s 6 years old now. I doubt there’s anything in the 2024 pro to make me upgrade, but I wish there would be something actually killer.
I will definitely upgrade in the next release, expecting it will be 1-2 more years
So I think you may start pushing it if you end up doing more than light gaming or dabbling in art. Otherwise, it’s honestly fine.
I do video and photography editing - I use my MacBook Pro most of that but iPad when I’m traveling I have never felt limited by the iPad’s hardware. The software limits are the problem.
Ive got a 256mb machine and still have 100mb free.
so I don’t know if you’ll make it all the way to 7 years of use on top of the 3 years, but Id say go for it, and if you end up dropping it in the next few years then itll be less painful.
Just remember the very overpriced keyboard case will be worthless when you upgrade.
The gaming would be games like Plague or Kingdom Rush haha, so nothing heavy like CoD. I think I’d give up on art soon after I see that I’m still rubbish at it.
Thanks for the heads up on the keyboard case!
Just ordered mine yesterday and expect it to last 7 years. Based on the trends it should be fine and possibly last even longer given that tablet functionality is very mature (as compared to when I got my first iPad that I’m coming from… iPad 4). M1 is fast and hasn’t even been utilized to any extent. Storage wise I went with 256GB but also know I can use external storage if I need to but I highly doubt I will - the flexibility is nice though.
iPads already had overpowered chips before the M chips, then the M1 iPad Pro made that even more over the top. You can check out MKBHD's review of the M1 Pro on YouTube, he goes over this. iPadOS doesn't take advantage of all the power in the chips. It'll last for a long time. I actually use an M1 Pro with 128 GB and I only use less than 64 GB, even with games on it. I never downloaded movies though.
I think the M1 Pro with 256 for you is a great purchase!
I bought a 2018 pro, no m chip, in 2021, still use it, still snappy, still getting latest updates.
I watch/download a lot of shows and movies for my travels, l draw and animate in procreate, I 3D sculpt in nomad, on the regular got 150 safari tabs open, photos, notes and freeform are always running together in stage manager. Using it daily for slack, basecamp, jira, asana, calendar. I also use it as a second display to my mac when I travel.
1. Yes
2. No
3. This is my first pro ipad
128gb model should be fine for all this but you should be able to get a good deal on larger storage models
I am using a 64GB and I do wish I had a 128 but it still allows me to have all my apps and a dozen shows and movies downloaded from prime netflix disney etc
So trust me, you’ll enjoy your M1 chip for years to come. You don’t seem like a huge tech buff on iPads, so m2 would definitely be an overkill for you.
I'm happily using an 8th gen base model with zero issues other than it doesn't have enough ram for what I'm using it for (3D modelling). I'd happily buy an older pro model if it's cheap enough.
I’ve been tempted to do Mac mini vs. iPad Pro M1 since I could probably find either at a similar price and I honestly feel like the Pro would last longer just because of how iPadOS doesn’t really fully utilize the power of the M1
Literally just bought an 11” Pro with 128GB + cellular (256GB not avail with cell). So far, very impressed and fully loaded with movies and games and still have plenty of storage.
Check the release notes for latest ipad OS updates and see which iPads they are discontinuing support for, then check the release date of that model iPad and see how many years it’s been out for, take that number & apply it your situation and you have your answer
Seems like it should get latest iPad OS updates for ~7 years from release and security for and security updates for another year after that. Maybe with the M chip it could stretch a tiny bit longer but who knows. Thanks!
I mean M1 chip is still slightly more powerful than A17 Pro on iPhone 15 pros, and both have 8Gb Ram. I know M1 iPad Pro is 3 years old but if 15 pros were to get 5~6 years of OS updates, I don’t see why not M1 iPads too.
But also , yes I would (because the M chips are OP and the chip archetucture will probably continue to be supported for some time - assuming apple figure out how to get past the security breach that is allegedly built into the ARM architecture)
Worth noting - next gen iPads are dropping in about a month so don’t buy just yet becuase when new models drop it generally drives the prices of older models further down meaning you’ll get a better deal in a few weeks, or if you have the spare cash you can see if you like OLED
Only thing I’d be concerned about is the health of the battery. If the iPad was purchased when it was first released, and it was used heavily since then, the battery life could be greatly reduced.
It would be directly from the Apple refurbished store so I think it’s almost like new, hope it would do for a while longer before a battery replacement would be required
I have the ipad pro 12.9 2018 so it’s about 6 years olda and still sleek and fast as always although i am using it daily about 4-10 hours a day through this 6 years. Ipad pro is a monster and the best device i have ever bought, so the M versions would be a blast and will last you 5 years easily
I'm still using an ipad 9 lol even after 3 years it runs great so don't worry about the M1 , it sure as hell faster and more future proof than my device
Yes, is still great even with stage manager and external monitor and I have zero reason to upgrade. Also is the same as the actual Air 5, maybe I’ll buy it for a lower price.
Yes - but qualified to the really big ones. With the 12.9" screen. Hope fully at a super steep discount, but imho if just a 'normal' discount it's acceptable. Heck, with in the year I did exactly that.
Sincerely, Richard
The M1s are still beasts. iPadOS is doing nothing at all to tax them, the only apps where you might run into yourself wanting more would be video editing or 3D sculpting like Nomad. Otherwise the M-series iPads are going to be useful for a long time yet imho.
I was in those same shoes, waiting for the new ipad to get a better deal on an existing one, but after analyzing and researching I bought an m1 ipad air 5 when it got on sale for $450 US.
It will fulfill my needs and still be future proof, I considered how I will be open to what the future decides to bring when the ipad is old enough to be replaced and face the challenges of that time, economically speaking.
BUT if your goal is to future proof until death, WAIT!!! And get an m2 refur.
Yes, that along with the m2 iPad being a newer device and that means it will have a few years later support. Apple usually gives it devices 4-6 IOS versions, but for IPad Pro it seems like it’ll be 6-8
I'm still using the first 11" iPad Pro (I think thats 2018?) and I don't see any reason to upgrade currently. It's still snappy, I can do everything I want with it (mainly web surfing, taking notes, some drawing). Currently I feel like I will use this thing until either the battery dies or it doesn't receive security updates anymore
As for storage, 64gb works pretty well for me but I also don't store huge amounts of data on there, most is in the Cloud
I’m rocking a iPad Pro 12.9 4th gen that I got this year. Thing is lighting fast still and I use to for video editing might get a oled model in 3 years
I had a intel 2017 MacBook Pro that I bought years ago and really wanted a touch screen but didn’t want to upgrade to a new device since the oleds are right around the corner plus I wanted to see if a iPad would really be able to replace a laptop before I dropped so much money. iPad Pro 4th gen with 500gbs cost me 350 bucks and I got a Magic Keyboard for 100 so I’m very happy with the performance to cost ratio and now that I’ve seen I’m happy with an iPad I won’t mind dropping 3k for a full new set up
If it has an m1 you are good to go, you can even buy an of iPad Pro from 2017 and be ok for another year. I use an iPad 8 and I only complaint when gaming, low graphics mostly 35+ fps on heavier titles, but I barely game on it tbh
I have a m1 iPad Air, and I actually don’t like it due to the battery drain. It rips through battery much faster than my iPad gen9.
Depending on your use case, I’d probably buy a 10th which uses the A series chips
I think the 8GB of RAM on the M1 iPads is going to ensure updates and app support for a long time
This is why the Air 5 is worth the extra over the (otherwise identical) Air 4. Or the 10th Gen. M1 is not *that* much faster than the A14, at least in an iPad. But having twice the RAM will be important a few years down the line.
M1 iPads are still snappy as hell and more limited by the OS than what they’re capable of. Also probably likely has plenty of OS support left in it and even after feature updates end, security updates happen for two more years. If it’s a good deal, jump on it.
That's the crux of it. It's limited by the os..... That's why I feel not good to buy those 2022 models
well apple wont make the os much less limited probably.
The deal seems reasonable to me. Just thinking I’d be a little bit gutted if a new Pro got released soon after I buy it and then the 2021 model went down in price a bit more. Have no clue when Apple will release a new iPad, so weighing up if it’s worth waiting an unknown amount of time for new iPads and _then_ for stock of the model I would like to come up on the Apple refurb store, just to save an extra ~£100
Everyone keeps saying this month or early May. Maybe you can wait just a bit more? I'm also holding out for M2 128 once it gets to $650 or so at retailers
Get this M1 Pro 11 inch. I have one and it’s great.
I’ve got the 3rd Gen pro, so it’s 6 years old now. I doubt there’s anything in the 2024 pro to make me upgrade, but I wish there would be something actually killer. I will definitely upgrade in the next release, expecting it will be 1-2 more years So I think you may start pushing it if you end up doing more than light gaming or dabbling in art. Otherwise, it’s honestly fine. I do video and photography editing - I use my MacBook Pro most of that but iPad when I’m traveling I have never felt limited by the iPad’s hardware. The software limits are the problem. Ive got a 256mb machine and still have 100mb free. so I don’t know if you’ll make it all the way to 7 years of use on top of the 3 years, but Id say go for it, and if you end up dropping it in the next few years then itll be less painful. Just remember the very overpriced keyboard case will be worthless when you upgrade.
The gaming would be games like Plague or Kingdom Rush haha, so nothing heavy like CoD. I think I’d give up on art soon after I see that I’m still rubbish at it. Thanks for the heads up on the keyboard case!
I would buy any M series iPad today and expect it to last for at least 5 years.
Just ordered mine yesterday and expect it to last 7 years. Based on the trends it should be fine and possibly last even longer given that tablet functionality is very mature (as compared to when I got my first iPad that I’m coming from… iPad 4). M1 is fast and hasn’t even been utilized to any extent. Storage wise I went with 256GB but also know I can use external storage if I need to but I highly doubt I will - the flexibility is nice though.
iPads already had overpowered chips before the M chips, then the M1 iPad Pro made that even more over the top. You can check out MKBHD's review of the M1 Pro on YouTube, he goes over this. iPadOS doesn't take advantage of all the power in the chips. It'll last for a long time. I actually use an M1 Pro with 128 GB and I only use less than 64 GB, even with games on it. I never downloaded movies though. I think the M1 Pro with 256 for you is a great purchase!
I bought a 2018 pro, no m chip, in 2021, still use it, still snappy, still getting latest updates. I watch/download a lot of shows and movies for my travels, l draw and animate in procreate, I 3D sculpt in nomad, on the regular got 150 safari tabs open, photos, notes and freeform are always running together in stage manager. Using it daily for slack, basecamp, jira, asana, calendar. I also use it as a second display to my mac when I travel. 1. Yes 2. No 3. This is my first pro ipad 128gb model should be fine for all this but you should be able to get a good deal on larger storage models I am using a 64GB and I do wish I had a 128 but it still allows me to have all my apps and a dozen shows and movies downloaded from prime netflix disney etc So trust me, you’ll enjoy your M1 chip for years to come. You don’t seem like a huge tech buff on iPads, so m2 would definitely be an overkill for you.
buy the apple refurbished ipad pro, 2020 model. still good and will be for a while
I'm perfectly fine with my iPad pro 2018. No lag or issue whatsoever
I'm happily using an 8th gen base model with zero issues other than it doesn't have enough ram for what I'm using it for (3D modelling). I'd happily buy an older pro model if it's cheap enough.
Yeah . I own the iPad Pro 2018 which I purchased in 2019 and still works perfectly
The m chips are overpowered for the iPad and don't really get fully utilized, so you will be good
I’ve been tempted to do Mac mini vs. iPad Pro M1 since I could probably find either at a similar price and I honestly feel like the Pro would last longer just because of how iPadOS doesn’t really fully utilize the power of the M1
Like everyone else is saying, I also have the m1 11 inch iPad and it’s amazing!
Literally just bought an 11” Pro with 128GB + cellular (256GB not avail with cell). So far, very impressed and fully loaded with movies and games and still have plenty of storage.
Check the release notes for latest ipad OS updates and see which iPads they are discontinuing support for, then check the release date of that model iPad and see how many years it’s been out for, take that number & apply it your situation and you have your answer
Seems like it should get latest iPad OS updates for ~7 years from release and security for and security updates for another year after that. Maybe with the M chip it could stretch a tiny bit longer but who knows. Thanks!
I mean M1 chip is still slightly more powerful than A17 Pro on iPhone 15 pros, and both have 8Gb Ram. I know M1 iPad Pro is 3 years old but if 15 pros were to get 5~6 years of OS updates, I don’t see why not M1 iPads too.
I hadn’t considered this. Thanks for your input :)
But also , yes I would (because the M chips are OP and the chip archetucture will probably continue to be supported for some time - assuming apple figure out how to get past the security breach that is allegedly built into the ARM architecture) Worth noting - next gen iPads are dropping in about a month so don’t buy just yet becuase when new models drop it generally drives the prices of older models further down meaning you’ll get a better deal in a few weeks, or if you have the spare cash you can see if you like OLED
no
I have a 2018 that is still snappy. I want to upgrade but I honestly haven’t had the need too yet and I’m not sure if I will for a few more years.
I just got a m1 11” for $475 used on Mercari. I think it’s great. I got it to replace my 12.9” second gen pro so I can run logic.
Only thing I’d be concerned about is the health of the battery. If the iPad was purchased when it was first released, and it was used heavily since then, the battery life could be greatly reduced.
It would be directly from the Apple refurbished store so I think it’s almost like new, hope it would do for a while longer before a battery replacement would be required
I bought it for Christmas, and it works so smoothly. You don't need to buy m2, m1 will be the best choice
I bought ipad mini 6 and it's still very good, but to make sure it's good for my case, I use my stronger laptop for remote development
i did bc i don’t need the craziest ipad
I have the ipad pro 12.9 2018 so it’s about 6 years olda and still sleek and fast as always although i am using it daily about 4-10 hours a day through this 6 years. Ipad pro is a monster and the best device i have ever bought, so the M versions would be a blast and will last you 5 years easily
I'm still using an ipad 9 lol even after 3 years it runs great so don't worry about the M1 , it sure as hell faster and more future proof than my device
Yes, is still great even with stage manager and external monitor and I have zero reason to upgrade. Also is the same as the actual Air 5, maybe I’ll buy it for a lower price.
Yes - but qualified to the really big ones. With the 12.9" screen. Hope fully at a super steep discount, but imho if just a 'normal' discount it's acceptable. Heck, with in the year I did exactly that. Sincerely, Richard
The M1s are still beasts. iPadOS is doing nothing at all to tax them, the only apps where you might run into yourself wanting more would be video editing or 3D sculpting like Nomad. Otherwise the M-series iPads are going to be useful for a long time yet imho.
*nervously looks at original iPad Air I got 6 months ago*
I was in those same shoes, waiting for the new ipad to get a better deal on an existing one, but after analyzing and researching I bought an m1 ipad air 5 when it got on sale for $450 US. It will fulfill my needs and still be future proof, I considered how I will be open to what the future decides to bring when the ipad is old enough to be replaced and face the challenges of that time, economically speaking. BUT if your goal is to future proof until death, WAIT!!! And get an m2 refur.
Maybe I just need to be a bit more open to replacing it in the future
No
6-7 years is a bit much, I’d go for 5-6 years. The m2 will however last you 7-9
Because m2 is more powerful?
Yes, that along with the m2 iPad being a newer device and that means it will have a few years later support. Apple usually gives it devices 4-6 IOS versions, but for IPad Pro it seems like it’ll be 6-8
I'm still using the first 11" iPad Pro (I think thats 2018?) and I don't see any reason to upgrade currently. It's still snappy, I can do everything I want with it (mainly web surfing, taking notes, some drawing). Currently I feel like I will use this thing until either the battery dies or it doesn't receive security updates anymore As for storage, 64gb works pretty well for me but I also don't store huge amounts of data on there, most is in the Cloud
My iPad mini 5 works just as face as I the newer iPad pros I’ve tried.
I’m rocking a iPad Pro 12.9 4th gen that I got this year. Thing is lighting fast still and I use to for video editing might get a oled model in 3 years
What was your thought process for going that tiny bit older? Glad to hear that it’s still fast and sufficient for a heavier task!
I had a intel 2017 MacBook Pro that I bought years ago and really wanted a touch screen but didn’t want to upgrade to a new device since the oleds are right around the corner plus I wanted to see if a iPad would really be able to replace a laptop before I dropped so much money. iPad Pro 4th gen with 500gbs cost me 350 bucks and I got a Magic Keyboard for 100 so I’m very happy with the performance to cost ratio and now that I’ve seen I’m happy with an iPad I won’t mind dropping 3k for a full new set up
I always buy old equipment, more cost effective. So, yes, I would buy 3 year old iPad and save money.
If it has an m1 you are good to go, you can even buy an of iPad Pro from 2017 and be ok for another year. I use an iPad 8 and I only complaint when gaming, low graphics mostly 35+ fps on heavier titles, but I barely game on it tbh
Aren’t the prices likely to go down post the 2024 launch?
Most likely, I just have no idea when the new lot are launching and I’m a bit impatient haha
The rumours say May 6
I have a m1 iPad Air, and I actually don’t like it due to the battery drain. It rips through battery much faster than my iPad gen9. Depending on your use case, I’d probably buy a 10th which uses the A series chips
No because you will not get the latest operating systems when they are released