IPad Pro vs IPad 2 Air

[HawgWild]

Apple's just announced a smaller version of the IPad Pro with a 9.7" screen, the same as the IPad Air. My wife's IPad2 will be 5 years old in June and I was thinking of replacing it. Nothing's wrong but I figured it might be a good time because the new ones are that much faster. She's not a power user - Facebook, Ancestry.com, e-mail, stuff like this. Should I go ahead and opt for the Pro since the price difference looks to only be about $100 between the 2 models?

TIA

[HawgWild]

It seems to be working OK but sometimes a little slow. I'd read where IPads begin having battery problems around this age. I'm not one that has to has to have the newest, fastest. It just seemed like it might be a good time to trade up.

[Doug]

I still have my ORIGINAL iPad. I bought my wife the iPad Air for her birthday last year, and I got her old iPad 2. All three are still working great, though I'm limited as to what I can do with the original iPad.

If your wife is happy with what she's got, and it works well, don't waste your money yet. Wait until next year's releases (September/October).

[GolfNut57]

I have been kicking around the idea of getting an IPad or Tablet to replace my laptop for taking on trips to keep up with baseball on MLB.com this summer. Never had either so unsure of which is the best or if they are both equal to the task. About the only uses I plan to get out of it is watching live baseball games while at work or using it to play games such as Chess or Solitaire to help pass the time on those long 12 hour shifts. I also might use it for checking/sending email or scoping out Ebay or Facebook occasionally.

So which one is the better option? Do both devices stream video such as baseball without the constant stuttering and buffering? And what are the brands I should stay away from?

[Pulled(PP)pork]

GolfNut57,

I really can't help you much here because you've asked a lot of questions on technology items that I just don't have experience with but I will offer this thought.  I've had pretty good luck with my initial device purchases with respect to new technology items in reading reviews on CNet.com's reviews (click here) and Consumer Reports.  For Consumer Reports, I'll drop by the local library and do a bit of reading. 

If you are going to watch live broadcasts, how do you plan to connect to the internet?  Your data connection speed / plan cost will be a very important consideration here.  Streaming can consume bandwidth in a hurry and the days of using open WiFi sources for things like this are fading into the sunset.  Will your employer allow you to connect a personal device to their WiFi? 

Best of luck with this.

I thought open wifi was getting better, hell, even some wal mart's are adding it


PP

[Pulled(PP)pork]

More establishments do seem to be adding open WiFi but the problem is as more people use it, open WiFi becomes nearly useless to use for much more than checking email. 

To be fair though, when establishments started making open WiFi available, it was not intended for people to steam video.  Check your email, check a driving route, etc.  That sort of use.

yeah, that I can see.  my hospital (workplace) offers it for everyone, not bad download speeds.  I use my ipad air 2 to watch hog games when I'm not off.


PP

[HawgWild]

FWIW, I just saw the pricing for the new IPad Pro. $599 for the 32G Wi-Fi only version. The IPad Air is $399 for 16G Wi-Fi only, which more than meets my wife's needs. I'll go for the latter if I end up buying one.

[Pulled(PP)pork]

I couldnt imagine using a 9.7" screen though.....fat fingers


PP

[GolfNut57]

More establishments do seem to be adding open WiFi but the problem is as more people use it, open WiFi becomes nearly useless to use for much more than checking email. 

To be fair though, when establishments started making open WiFi available, it was not intended for people to steam video.  Check your email, check a driving route, etc.  That sort of use.

Well I work at the Clinton National Airport where one of their proudest claims is they have the fastest free Wifi of any airport in the nation. Not sure that is saying much though. lol. But I have used my android phone to watch games there while at work (without it chewing into my data plan) and am desiring a bigger screen to watch on.

[HawgWild]

I couldnt imagine using a 9.7" screen though.....fat fingers

PP

I definitely prefer a desk top. I can't see doing all that stuff on a 3.5" smartphone. I've got the LG2 5.5" and that's still difficult for me.

[Pulled(PP)pork]

I definitely prefer a desk top. I can't see doing all that stuff on a 3.5" smartphone. I've got the LG2 5.5" and that's still difficult for me.

I like my air 2, it's about the right size.....the touch screen keyboard is a tad tedious


PP

[Doug]

How did I miss this?  Doug gets hand me downs .... from his wife?

Only on the iPads. Believe it or not, I don't use my iPad for anything but watching movies or testing website dev stuff, or tweeting. And usually only when I travel and I can't bust out the laptop.

Heck, the only thing I use my iPhone for is calls, texting, tweeting and live photos at sporting events. That's it.

[GolfNut57]

Well I went to Best Buy today to do some research that would be more in-depth about which way to go in regards to IPad vs Tablet because I knew they would have people there that could answer any questions I had left on the matter beyond what I have learned here. Of course I also wanted to scope out their prices and then go to the closest Walmart to see what they had brand and price wise.

As it turns out the salesman I spoke to told me either device would be fine for my needs. He recommended that I go with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 (Wifi only and supposedly one of their newest models) and did some demo of the device for me. That little toy was selling for $149.99 plus tax but they just happened to have one in stock that was discounted down to $85.99 because the box it was in had been previously opened. No accessories were missing and the device was undamaged. It still has all the standard warranties that come with it and I was told I have the usual 15 day return policy in effect for it.

What the heck.......I wasn't intending to buy anything today but felt like I couldn't pass up that price. So was the Galaxy Tab 4 worth it or should I have gone a different route?

[Pulled(PP)pork]

Well I went to Best Buy today to do some research that would be more in-depth about which way to go in regards to IPad vs Tablet because I knew they would have people there that could answer any questions I had left on the matter beyond what I have learned here. Of course I also wanted to scope out their prices and then go to the closest Walmart to see what they had brand and price wise.

As it turns out the salesman I spoke to told me either device would be fine for my needs. He recommended that I go with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 (Wifi only and supposedly one of their newest models) and did some demo of the device for me. That little toy was selling for $149.99 plus tax but they just happened to have one in stock that was discounted down to $85.99 because the box it was in had been previously opened. No accessories were missing and the device was undamaged. It still has all the standard warranties that come with it and I was told I have the usual 15 day return policy in effect for it.

What the heck.......I wasn't intending to buy anything today but felt like I couldn't pass up that price. So was the Galaxy Tab 4 worth it or should I have gone a different route?

i personally hate anything Windows, can tolerate android, but would prefer Apple. jmo


PP

[GolfNut57]

I was going to try to hold off on buying until this coming Saturday because I wasn't sure which one I would go with but as I said earlier...at that price I figured I couldn't lose. I have been playing with it tonight and already have the particular game apps I wanted along with the mlb.com, facebook and a couple others loaded onto it with plenty of the 8 gigs memory to spare. I have also tried it out by watching baseball games on it and the picture resolution is just fine.

Who knows? Down the road I may want something bigger and better but at $85 this should do me for starters.

[Pulled(PP)pork]

I was going to try to hold off on buying until this coming Saturday because I wasn't sure which one I would go with but as I said earlier...at that price I figured I couldn't lose. I have been playing with it tonight and already have the particular game apps I wanted along with the mlb.com, facebook and a couple others loaded onto it with plenty of the 8 gigs memory to spare. I have also tried it out by watching baseball games on it and the picture resolution is just fine.

Who knows? Down the road I may want something bigger and better but at $85 this should do me for starters.

it sounded like a good deal


PP