Another iPad, but which one?

Flashy

Distinguished Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2006
Messages
4,453
Reaction score
2,463
Points
1,225
After getting a small bonus at work for working on a couple of extra projects, I've had a bit of luck with some World Cup bets coming in. My reward will be another iPad, as the iPad 2 is getting a bit long in the tooth and 16GB just isn't enough for me now. We're not talking enough money to go wild, so I've got three options for a 32GB wifi model...

• Refurb iPad 4th gen: £349
• Refurb iPad Air: £409
• Wait and see what November brings: £479 (based on current gen pricing)

Now, I've no issue with not having the latest and greatest, so think I favour the 4th gen, pretty much on price alone. But it's not been in the refurb store for some time, and is it too old, now, really? The Air is probably the sensible option, as it doesn't mean waiting until November and it's at least £70 cheaper, as an educated guess. What will a new one offer? Touch ID and improved camera? Touch ID isn't a deal-breaker (well, at the moment), and I won't be using the iPad for taking pictures.

Interested to hear what people think. All things considered, I think the 4th gen is most attractive (assuming it reappears in the store), but I'm happy to be told otherwise.
 
If you arent bothered about going for the latest one then i think i'd be going for the Air personally. New, lighter design and just that bit newer with better internals giving you better longevity including iOS upgrades for a while to come.

That said i'm a believer in always getting the latest and best you can afford just as i think you will get more out of it.
 
The thing is, I could afford a 128GB Air, but there is absolutely no way I'm paying £600+ for something that is purely a luxury item. I just can't justify it when there are bills to pay, etc.

But I am wondering if 32GB will be enough. When I got the 16GB iPad 2 I told myself I'd be happy to manage the apps on it if I ran out of space, but as apps have got bigger over the years. Again, though, I think the price/conscience will limit me to 32GB. But then I also need a new laptop... :)

I think you're right about the Air – it's probably the happy medium between me not wanting to spend too much and not being miserly and buying a two-and-a-half-year-old device.
 
My iPad is 32Gb and i manage fine...in fact aside from when i stuff it with video for holidays its generally about 10gb free.
 
i have a 16Gb Air and have a few movies and a few episodes of TV shows and the space fills up fast. I thought I could live with 16Gb, but my next purchase will definitely be a 32Gb iPad.
 
I have a 16gb iPhone which i comfortably use with normally around 1Gb free but this is partly down to the fact i opted for a 32Gb iPad to stick my videos on.
 
I'm absolutely fine with my 16GB iPhone, despite having loads of pictures and a few videos on there, but the iPad's a different story.

Can only be because I have a few apps and some games on the iPad that take up quite a bit of space – GarageBand is pushing 2GB, FIFA is 1.7GB, Football Manager about the same, and even smaller apps at 200MB or thereabouts soon add up when you've got a few of them.
 
Dont know if your willing to use ebay? but there is bargains to be had there, I just picked up a brand new 16gb Air with Cellullar for £290 and £6 postage! seen a few wifi models go for £275 as well.
 
I'd say get an air. It's worth it just for future proofing alone. As for 32GB I'd imagine that's fine. I've currently got a 16GB air and while manageable I wish I'd gone with 32 just for ease.
 
Dont know if your willing to use ebay? but there is bargains to be had there, I just picked up a brand new 16gb Air with Cellullar for £290 and £6 postage! seen a few wifi models go for £275 as well.
Thanks, but I'd be happier buying direct from Apple – the extra is worth it for peace of mind, for me.

I'd say get an air. It's worth it just for future proofing alone. As for 32GB I'd imagine that's fine. I've currently got a 16GB air and while manageable I wish I'd gone with 32 just for ease.
I think the Air's the way to go. And pretty sure 32GB will be enough. And if I get it and find it's just not, I can always return it and then get the 64GB model. But sure 32GB will be fine, based on my usage.
 
64 Gig Air Wi-Fi here - great, thoroughly recommended!
 
Personally I'd go for a refurbed 64gb ipad air which is currently £479. You get the benefit of mobile data If you need it together with a GPS chip too. The air really is much nicer to handle than the ipad 4 as well.
I've currently got a 32gb ipad mini retina which I take with me everywhere & put films, tv shows, music & books on it & could really do with 64gb.
 
Vote either wait or get an Air now because the weight saving is noticeable. Whilst the Air's better A7 will not make a tangible difference for YouTube and email, it is still more future-proof than 4th-gen.
 
Personally I'd go for a refurbed 64gb ipad air which is currently £479. You get the benefit of mobile data If you need it together with a GPS chip too. The air really is much nicer to handle than the ipad 4 as well.
I've currently got a 32gb ipad mini retina which I take with me everywhere & put films, tv shows, music & books on it & could really do with 64gb.
It won't be leaving the house, so data/GPS would be an unwelcome expense. I could fill 64GB easily, but I don't think I'm enough in need of that much space to warrant an extra £70.

Vote either wait or get an Air now because the weight saving is noticeable. Whilst the Air's better A7 will not make a tangible difference for YouTube and email, it is still more future-proof than 4th-gen.
It's an Air, of that I'm sure. Still weighing up 32GB vs 64GB, but I think 32GB should be plenty. Will stop dallying when the Apple TV reappears in the refurb store and will decide there and then.

By which time, it'll probably be November and a new one will be out...

EDIT: ATV back in the refurb store, so if I stay true to my word, it's decision time. Is there any way of working out how close to 32GB I'll be, just with apps? Presumably, if I look in the iTunes folder on my PC, I can see how much space they take up there. But that won't account for apps' actual usage. FIFA, for example, actually seems to use a good 500MB more than the size of the app.
 
Last edited:

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom