My overall thoughts on my iPad Air 2 after a year owning it

[TechnologyTwitt]

I too have had my Air 2 for a year. I love it! I got the 128 one and have no reason to replace it. Not even for the Pro.

I upgraded to the Air 2(16 Gb LTE) in February and use it throughout my work day, maybe 35-45%. Scanning paper to PDF, email, ToDoist, Evernote and some browser apps. At the time I felt pretty content with what I had.

Now, just 9 months later I upgraded to the Pro (128 Gb LTE) and can't even fathom going back to the Air 2. Primarily because the screen is too small and it's now suddenly, too slow.

 

[Closingracer]

I too have had my Air 2 for a year. I love it! I got the 128 one and have no reason to replace it. Not even for the Pro.

Yeah....the iPad Pro is to big for my taste.

 

[muchospanish]

Too big for me, too. Too big for the type of work I do, moving around a lot. The huge screen was nice, thigh.

 

[chosenone NYC]

Wow..After seeing this I now know that 16GB will be suffice for me. I would never have that much video or pics. Mostly surfing, Documents signed. I hoard a lot of PDF files for no apparent reason. Just a habit. I can use dropbox. Not sure why so many people complain about the file system. How many times do we transfer files directly from our pc. If you are on your pc. load it to google docs, dropbox. Box.com etc. you can even e-mail the file to yourself and download it or view it. The only grip that i have is that when you are sharing/sending a file or pic you don't get all the options like Android. I would to have a an Android product with the built and stability as an Ipad. It will never happen. Samsung is as good as it gets and i returned one of their tablets.

 

[SquireSCA]

I drag and drop all the time, and uploading to a cloud service to then download it back takes time and bandwidth... Easier to plug it in and just drag and drop whatever you need in seconds...

 

[Channan]

Physically, they look the same. The internal specs might be slightly different, but in the end the result is that other than doing it on a bigger screen, the iPad is really just a large iPhone that doesn't make calls.

You can make calls with it, though. Not traditional calls - you have to use an app and the calls are made through data - but what's the difference. I use Hangouts for calls and texts on my iPad all the time, and the people I talk to have no idea. I can receive pics and videos (just can't send videos) and participate in group chats now.

Both use your data, but texts use almost no data, and I worked it out a while back and it was something like 1,500 minutes per GB of data with Hangouts, which is a whole lot cheaper than paying separately for minutes.

 

[Closingracer]

You can make calls with it, though. Not traditional calls - you have to use an app and the calls are made through data - but what's the difference. I use Hangouts for calls and texts on my iPad all the time, and the people I talk to have no idea. I can receive pics and videos (just can't send videos) and participate in group chats now.

Both use your data, but texts use almost no data, and I worked it out a while back and it was something like 1,500 minutes per GB of data with Hangouts, which is a whole lot cheaper than paying separately for minutes.

You can also make calls on it like you normally would on an iPhone except that you don't have a dedicated phone app. Just go to contacts and you can anybody on your contact list even if they don't have an iPhone. You can accept any calls though. This requires you to turn on a few things in settings and requires you to be on WiFi and also own a iPhone as well.

 

[Channan]

Yeah but as a standalone device, you can also do it through data.

 

[SquireSCA]

You can also make calls on it like you normally would on an iPhone except that you don't have a dedicated phone app. Just go to contacts and you can anybody on your contact list even if they don't have an iPhone. You can accept any calls though. This requires you to turn on a few things in settings and requires you to be on WiFi and also own a iPhone as well.

So then you have to lug two devices around to make a phone call... LOL

 

[Closingracer]

So then you have to lug two devices around to make a phone call... LOL

Lug two devices? Dude you already have your phone in your pocket genius unless you only bring a tablet or a phone with you? Please we already know you're an Android fanboy who thinks an iPad is just a larger iPhone. Guess what buddy Android tablets are the same thing....if not worse. Used them and sold them because they suck.

 

[SquireSCA]

Lug two devices? Dude you already have your phone in your pocket genius unless you only bring a tablet or a phone with you? Please we already know you're an Android fanboy who thinks an iPad is just a larger iPhone. Guess what buddy Android tablets are the same thing....if not worse. Used them and sold them because they suck.

Yes, I must be the fanboy, as evidenced by your clearly objective and unbiased post. LOL

If I already have my phone in my pocket, I am gonna use my phone to make a call, not stand there talking to my tablet...

You kids....

 

[Closingracer]

Yes, I must be the fanboy, as evidenced by your clearly objective and unbiased post. LOL

If I already have my phone in my pocket, I am gonna use my phone to make a call, not stand there talking to my tablet...

You kids....

Kids? Lol.... It's called convenience buddy. You're the fanboy calling an iPad a bigger iPod touch /iPhone where clearly your wrong because it isn't. And if it is then Android tablet are bigger versions of Android phones so you have no point either way. I mostly take calls on my iPad at home when my phone is nowhere near me and I have my iPad closer..... You need to have both devices on WiFi for this to even matter so your not going to be using your iPad as a phone on the train or etc unless your using WiFi on both

 

[SquireSCA]

Kids? Lol.... It's called convenience buddy. You're the fanboy calling an iPad a bigger iPod touch /iPhone where clearly your wrong because it isn't. And if it is then Android tablet are bigger versions of Android phones so you have no point either way. I mostly take calls on my iPad at home when my phone is nowhere near me and I have my iPad closer..... You need to have both devices on WiFi for this to even matter so your not going to be using your iPad as a phone on the train or etc unless your using WiFi on both

Which is it? I said that the iPad is just a giant iPhone without the phone part... But so long as you also have an iPhone and are on Wifi, then what you are saying is that the iPad is just a giant iPhone?

Which was sorta my original point. The way it is today, the iPad doesn't do anything that your iPhone doesn't do. It's just a giant iPhone that under the right circumstances, can make calls.

I don't care what Android does, that isn't the topic. In the end, neither iOS or Android are anything more than glorified phone OS's, with all the same shortcomings and limitations of each platform, but on a larger screen.

Which is why a Windows tablet is a much more useful tablet for many people. If you just want a giant 10" phone, get an iPad or Android tablet...

And yes, kids. When you lash out emotionally over a computer product, that's how one would and should characterize such behavior. It's immature.

Carry on...

 

[Closingracer]

Which is it? I said that the iPad is just a giant iPhone without the phone part... But so long as you also have an iPhone and are on Wifi, then what you are saying is that the iPad is just a giant iPhone?

Which was sorta my original point. The way it is today, the iPad doesn't do anything that your iPhone doesn't do. It's just a giant iPhone that under the right circumstances, can make calls.

I don't care what Android does, that isn't the topic. In the end, neither iOS or Android are anything more than glorified phone OS's, with all the same shortcomings and limitations of each platform, but on a larger screen.

Which is why a Windows tablet is a much more useful tablet for many people. If you just want a giant 10" phone, get an iPad or Android tablet...

And yes, kids. When you lash out emotionally over a computer product, that's how one would and should characterize such behavior. It's immature.

Carry on...

IPad's and Android tablets aren't 10 inch phones...... To call them that are once again lies. And as far as Windows tablets goes they suck. No desire to spend $500 for a Windows experience and a crappy one at it on a platform that as much as it wants to try on a tablet. The windows surface pro 4 is a decent option but not at $900 since the cheapest option is a total waste even more so then the 16gb iPad's and etc. Windows takes a huge chunk of space.



Emotional? Who's getting emotional? I'm calling what you are which is fanboy who obviously Hates apple products and calling an iPad a bigger iPhone which it isn't....

 

[SquireSCA]

IPad's and Android tablets aren't 10 inch phones...... To call them that are once again lies. And as far as Windows tablets goes they suck. No desire to spend $500 for a Windows experience and a crappy one at it on a platform that as much as it wants to try on a tablet. The windows surface pro 4 is a decent option but not at $900 since the cheapest option is a total waste even more so then the 16gb iPad's and etc. Windows takes a huge chunk of space.



Emotional? Who's getting emotional? I'm calling what you are which is fanboy who obviously Hates apple products and calling an iPad a bigger iPhone which it isn't....

When you just call names and say this sucks, etc... It's the argument that a child would make. Obviously, Apple is "your team" in the same way that many people create emotional attachments to a sports team. When the team wins, they "win"... if you point out the flaw in the team, it's seen as a personal attack against them by proxy.

There are lots of psychiatric studies on this, go read some of them, they are both entertaining and enlightening.

Back to the topic... I think that the tablets served a good purpose when they first came out, because at that time, phones were so small. It wasn't practical to read or play games or edit a spreadsheet on a 3.5" phone screen...

So the tablets have a single, but significant benefit. Screen real estate. Tasks that were hard to do on the phone, were easier on the larger screen. But they were not PC's(either a Mac or Windows) platform, so they didn't really do anything DIFFERENT. Meaning, there are no extra capabilities in the tablets, that were not already on the phones. Again, only difference is screen size.

Enter Windows tablets, and now you have all the portability and convenience of the tablet, but the power and flexibility of the laptop...

The Apple and Android tablets, don't offer that. They are in essence, just large phones, with or without the ability to make calls.

It's not a lie because you don't like it or understand it. It is what it is.

I for one was hoping that the iPad Pro was going to have a version of Mac OS on it. Just making it a little faster and adding a larger screen, but still being not much more than a larger version of a giant version of the iPhone... Just doesn't impress me. It's still running watered down mobile apps, the UI looks horrible on a screen that large because it still uses the same layout and grid structure as the iPhone 4... Now you just get icons the size of a ritz cracker... LOL

Anyway, relax, no need to get all worked up and fiesty over it...

I still have my iPad... I thought it made sense at the time, but if I could do it over again I wouldn't get one. I wouldn't get an Android tablet either. I would get a Surface type tablet... even if they cost a couple bucks more, you are getting an actual computer, in a tablet form factor... Best of all worlds...

 

[Closingracer]

When you just call names and say this sucks, etc... It's the argument that a child would make. Obviously, Apple is "your team" in the same way that many people create emotional attachments to a sports team. When the team wins, they "win"... if you point out the flaw in the team, it's seen as a personal attack against them by proxy.

There are lots of psychiatric studies on this, go read some of them, they are both entertaining and enlightening.

Back to the topic... I think that the tablets served a good purpose when they first came out, because at that time, phones were so small. It wasn't practical to read or play games or edit a spreadsheet on a 3.5" phone screen...

So the tablets have a single, but significant benefit. Screen real estate. Tasks that were hard to do on the phone, were easier on the larger screen. But they were not PC's(either a Mac or Windows) platform, so they didn't really do anything DIFFERENT. Meaning, there are no extra capabilities in the tablets, that were not already on the phones. Again, only difference is screen size.

Enter Windows tablets, and now you have all the portability and convenience of the tablet, but the power and flexibility of the laptop...

The Apple and Android tablets, don't offer that. They are in essence, just large phones, with or without the ability to make calls.

It's not a lie because you don't like it or understand it. It is what it is.

I for one was hoping that the iPad Pro was going to have a version of Mac OS on it. Just making it a little faster and adding a larger screen, but still being not much more than a larger version of a giant version of the iPhone... Just doesn't impress me. It's still running watered down mobile apps, the UI looks horrible on a screen that large because it still uses the same layout and grid structure as the iPhone 4... Now you just get icons the size of a ritz cracker... LOL

Anyway, relax, no need to get all worked up and fiesty over it...

I still have my iPad... I thought it made sense at the time, but if I could do it over again I wouldn't get one. I wouldn't get an Android tablet either. I would get a Surface type tablet... even if they cost a couple bucks more, you are getting an actual computer, in a tablet form factor... Best of all worlds...

Best of what world's? Windows is terrible on anything not called a surface in the tablet world and $1,000 for a serviceable one? Meh I can practically do the same things on my $830 iPad air and I have LTE on it as well. Windows takes at least 35gb of space or close to it so the base model is pretty much useless. You can do word documents and everything else on an iPad that you can do on a laptop if your looking for a tablet for basic productivity like word, Excel and etc

 

[SquireSCA]

Best of what world's? Windows is terrible on anything not called a surface in the tablet world and $1,000 for a serviceable one? Meh I can practically do the same things on my $830 iPad air and I have LTE on it as well. Windows takes at least 35gb of space or close to it so the base model is pretty much useless. You can do word documents and everything else on an iPad that you can do on a laptop if your looking for a tablet for basic productivity like word, Excel and etc

1) You are complaining about cost with an $830 iPad? The cost different at that point, is negligible.

2) The advantage of the Surface is that you can run REAL productivity apps, not mobile versions... You can run true Photoshop and Illustrator... You can add storage and not have to worry about having Wifi or a data plan to access files. Much easier to jump onto a network that has shared drives and drag and drop files and not have to rely on iTunes or 3rd party apps to move files around. You can set all your app preferences...

The list goes on.

If we are talking about a $500 iPad versus a $1000 Surface, sure, make some concessions and save some money... But if you can afford an $830 iPad, you can afford a $900 surface...

The two items are in different leagues. One is a true computer, the other is a giant mobile device...

 

[Closingracer]

1) You are complaining about cost with an $830 iPad? The cost different at that point, is negligible.

2) The advantage of the Surface is that you can run REAL productivity apps, not mobile versions... You can run true Photoshop and Illustrator... You can add storage and not have to worry about having Wifi or a data plan to access files. Much easier to jump onto a network that has shared drives and drag and drop files and not have to rely on iTunes or 3rd party apps to move files around. You can set all your app preferences...

The list goes on.

If we are talking about a $500 iPad versus a $1000 Surface, sure, make some concessions and save some money... But if you can afford an $830 iPad, you can afford a $900 surface...

The two items are in different leagues. One is a true computer, the other is a giant mobile device...

Actually the version that's most reasonable is the $999 one since the $899 surface 4 has an Intel M3 cpu in it.

And as I stated no LTE. You wanna leave LTE out then fine but $699 is still cheaper then $999


Also who uses iTunes? I haven't even plugged my iPhone or iPad into my laptop at all.



Oh and guess what you can easily use a laptop if you want to use Windows..... Portable enough and I rather have a conventional laptop over touchscreens with Windows any day of the week.


BTW I have no issue spending $1,000 since the laptop I bought is $1,500 at the time and has an Intel i7 and a nvidia 970m inside....

 

[Just_Me_D]

Are we done yet? You've both given your thoughts regarding the thread topic so let's move on. Thanks.

 

[GGIBS]

I just bought one in November 128 GB for $125 off BB Black Friday special. It is really fantastic. I find the Pro just a bit large for me and not worth the extra $400. But that is just my opinion.