Should I convert from an iPad2 to iPad Pro and why?
- Thread starter Mary Ludy
- Start date
iPad Pro 9.7 is much faster than the archaic iPad 2, better in every way from that generation iPad. Anyone with an iPad Air or older device should seriously consider the iPad Pro 9.7 upgrade. That said, individual use cases are important. It was a great upgrade for me, YMMV.
OZsMac
Well-known member
iPad 2 was great back in the day, however for starters it doesn't have the retina display, has slower WIFI/LTE, won't run many of the newer applications, the hardware is now likely towards the end of it's useful service life (especially the battery), doesn't have a true tone display (great for night time reading/use)....I could go on.
I have an iPad 3 that I still use from time to time, and to be honest it is noticeably slower in every way, so much so that I can't really use it for extended periods of time.
The iPad 2 will also get iOS 10, but I would suspect this will be the last major iOS version this hardware will see.
But if you are happy with your iPad 2, keep using it until you aren't happy.
I have an iPad 3 that I still use from time to time, and to be honest it is noticeably slower in every way, so much so that I can't really use it for extended periods of time.
The iPad 2 will also get iOS 10, but I would suspect this will be the last major iOS version this hardware will see.
But if you are happy with your iPad 2, keep using it until you aren't happy.
TechFirth
New member
Hi Mary
I asked myself the same question. I bought the original iPad years ago and didn't really get along with it, so sold it. I next bought the iPad 3 (the first one with a retina display) and much preferred it as the ecosystem had evolved to have more useful apps and more iPad specific uses. I then sold that to go travelling and purchased an iPad Mini 2 which I sold earlier this year to buy an iPad Pro 9.7".
So, that humongous bit of background out of the way, what will you really notice, going from an iPad 2 > iPad Pro?
- Speed
You will see a MASSIVE increase in performance. Unless you're running a very old version of iOS, your iPad 2 is probably slowing significantly. Obviously that can be subjective if you've no basis for comparison, but iPad Pro will likely perform most of your day to day tasks no less than 6-10 times quicker.
- Multitasking
iPad Pro has multitasking built-in. It's much more impressive as a demo rather than an explanation, but this effectively means that you can be writing an email on one half of the screen whilst reading the information you need for that email from a website or document on the other half of the screen. In addition to those two applications, you can also be playing music or even watching video, as the iPad Pro includes picture-in-picture video, meaning the video 'floats' on top of your other applications, so you can keep an eye on the news or watch a film or something whilst you work.
- Screen
iPad Pro (and previous versions before it) all have retina display built-in as standard. Again this can be subjective without basis for comparison, but the screen on an iPad Pro is incomparable to an iPad 2. Everything will be crisper, clearer and easier to look at for long periods.
In addition to the clearer screen you also have an adaptive colour palette on the iPad Pro, so that if you're in a dark room lit say, by dim lamp light, you iPad screen automatically adjusts to a darker but warmer colour profile, meaning that you're not looking at an icy bright screen in a darkened room. It's much easier on the eye.
- Storage
Depending how you use your iPad and which size you have, this is a biggie; the iPad Pro comes in two sizes - 32GB or 128GB - if you go for the larger variant, that's a much bigger storage size than even the maximum available on the iPad 2, meaning you're in the realm of being able to store most, if not all, of your family photos, emails, videos, movies and still have space to boot.
- Keyboard / Pencil
Depending how you use your iPad, this could be the killer feature. It was for me. Using the smart connector on the side of the iPad Pro, you can now have a full QWERTY keyboard case cover attached. It doesn't require batteries or charging, it doesn't connect via Bluetooth, and it also forms a perfectly protective cover for the front of the iPad. With the keyboard attached, you're effectively turning your tablet into a fully-fledged computer that is comfortable to type on. I use mine all the time. Additionally, if you have a need for drawing or complex photo editing, iPad Pro supports Apple Pencil, effectively this gives you a stylus and so much more if you do graphics work.
- Form Factor
You'll find the iPad Pro thinner and lighter, so if you regularly carry it for remote working/entertainment, you'll also be lightening your load compared to the iPad 2.
- Longevity
Your iPad 2 has lasted you a long time (assuming you didn't buy it this year!) but it's almost at the age where Apple will stop supporting it with many of the must-have features coming up in future iOS versions (iOS 10 will be released this week). If you go for the iPad Pro, you can be sure that your device supports all of the latest features for generations of iOS to come. I would expect the iPad Pro to last at least as long as your iPad 2 has, but it will probably last even longer because specifications on iPad have moved on so significantly, the hardware is powerful enough to cope with more future developments in iOS.
- Money Back
Your iPad 2 is still worth some money, you can trade it in lots of other providers. It won't offset the entire price of your new iPad of course, but every little helps, and you're helping the environment at the same time.
Hope this helps, but any questions please fee free to let me know!
I asked myself the same question. I bought the original iPad years ago and didn't really get along with it, so sold it. I next bought the iPad 3 (the first one with a retina display) and much preferred it as the ecosystem had evolved to have more useful apps and more iPad specific uses. I then sold that to go travelling and purchased an iPad Mini 2 which I sold earlier this year to buy an iPad Pro 9.7".
So, that humongous bit of background out of the way, what will you really notice, going from an iPad 2 > iPad Pro?
- Speed
You will see a MASSIVE increase in performance. Unless you're running a very old version of iOS, your iPad 2 is probably slowing significantly. Obviously that can be subjective if you've no basis for comparison, but iPad Pro will likely perform most of your day to day tasks no less than 6-10 times quicker.
- Multitasking
iPad Pro has multitasking built-in. It's much more impressive as a demo rather than an explanation, but this effectively means that you can be writing an email on one half of the screen whilst reading the information you need for that email from a website or document on the other half of the screen. In addition to those two applications, you can also be playing music or even watching video, as the iPad Pro includes picture-in-picture video, meaning the video 'floats' on top of your other applications, so you can keep an eye on the news or watch a film or something whilst you work.
- Screen
iPad Pro (and previous versions before it) all have retina display built-in as standard. Again this can be subjective without basis for comparison, but the screen on an iPad Pro is incomparable to an iPad 2. Everything will be crisper, clearer and easier to look at for long periods.
In addition to the clearer screen you also have an adaptive colour palette on the iPad Pro, so that if you're in a dark room lit say, by dim lamp light, you iPad screen automatically adjusts to a darker but warmer colour profile, meaning that you're not looking at an icy bright screen in a darkened room. It's much easier on the eye.
- Storage
Depending how you use your iPad and which size you have, this is a biggie; the iPad Pro comes in two sizes - 32GB or 128GB - if you go for the larger variant, that's a much bigger storage size than even the maximum available on the iPad 2, meaning you're in the realm of being able to store most, if not all, of your family photos, emails, videos, movies and still have space to boot.
- Keyboard / Pencil
Depending how you use your iPad, this could be the killer feature. It was for me. Using the smart connector on the side of the iPad Pro, you can now have a full QWERTY keyboard case cover attached. It doesn't require batteries or charging, it doesn't connect via Bluetooth, and it also forms a perfectly protective cover for the front of the iPad. With the keyboard attached, you're effectively turning your tablet into a fully-fledged computer that is comfortable to type on. I use mine all the time. Additionally, if you have a need for drawing or complex photo editing, iPad Pro supports Apple Pencil, effectively this gives you a stylus and so much more if you do graphics work.
- Form Factor
You'll find the iPad Pro thinner and lighter, so if you regularly carry it for remote working/entertainment, you'll also be lightening your load compared to the iPad 2.
- Longevity
Your iPad 2 has lasted you a long time (assuming you didn't buy it this year!) but it's almost at the age where Apple will stop supporting it with many of the must-have features coming up in future iOS versions (iOS 10 will be released this week). If you go for the iPad Pro, you can be sure that your device supports all of the latest features for generations of iOS to come. I would expect the iPad Pro to last at least as long as your iPad 2 has, but it will probably last even longer because specifications on iPad have moved on so significantly, the hardware is powerful enough to cope with more future developments in iOS.
- Money Back
Your iPad 2 is still worth some money, you can trade it in lots of other providers. It won't offset the entire price of your new iPad of course, but every little helps, and you're helping the environment at the same time.
Hope this helps, but any questions please fee free to let me know!
Annie_M
Moderator
I'm having to make this decision as well... makes me sad, but it is what it is, and my iPad 2 is slowing down considerably.
Evilguppy
Well-known member
I had an Air 2 which I loved. In fact it's still so good my man promptly grabbed it for himself, he's very happy with it.
But then there's the Pro 9.7... Oooooooh baby, this is the closest to tech porn I've seen in a long time.
256 GB.
Enough speed and power to make you feel like you're in hyperdrive.
THE MIGHTY PENCIL!!!!!
So yes, the Air 2 is a wonderful tablet.
But the Pro is wonderfuller. Hehe.
But then there's the Pro 9.7... Oooooooh baby, this is the closest to tech porn I've seen in a long time.
256 GB.
Enough speed and power to make you feel like you're in hyperdrive.
THE MIGHTY PENCIL!!!!!
So yes, the Air 2 is a wonderful tablet.
But the Pro is wonderfuller. Hehe.
evangel77
Member
Lots of good responses here. The bottom line is that anything is going to be an upgrade from you at this point. The iPad 2 is losing support beginning with iOS 10 as well. Time for an upgrade!
Alanhd
Member
I'm in the situation I've been forced to upgrade as my iPad air was stolen, its been agony not having it. has anyone got any pointers to tips and tricks to get the most out of the IPad pro 9.7.
Evilguppy
Well-known member
There's really not much to it: it's the Air with everything better faster smoother sleeker, imo the iPad Pro is pure unadulterated tech porn.
The split screen function is somethings I use every single day: I can do a search and write an email, put the results of my search in my email, edit, doodle, you name it.
The Apple Pencil: I'm an avid hiker/backpacker and a volunteer for California State Parks, I use the pencil to plan hikes by drawing itineraries on maps, I take photos of the backcountry, draw on the photos to point out specific things and mail to interested parties, I take notes by hand, edit documents, transfer pics, the list is endless.
The Pro is faster and in my case at least, the battery life is much improved which is definitely a plus in the backcountry.
The sound is much improved over the Air and Air 2 and the display is just beautiful when I watch videos.
Did I need to upgrade from the Air 2? No. But man am I glad I did!
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