The New iPads are Here: Why I’m Not Upgrading Yet
It’s Apple event day and this time Apple has us excited with the Let Loose Event where they release new iPads, a new Apple Pencil and more.
With that in mind, I’m not expecting any miracles, but I am hoping to see something cool. I don’t know what it is about these events, but they always excite me, even if it’s just the small things.
Apple certainly knows how to keep its audiences excited, I’ll give them that!
With that, all in mind, I have made the decision not to upgrade my iPad this time around and in this article, I’ll discuss why.
Older models are still good!
I know that many will disagree with me on this, but the older models are still perfectly capable devices, and I’m saying that based on my experience with using older models.
My current iPad is the 11-inch iPad Pro from 2020 which doesn’t even have an M1 chip. But I’m fine with that, as it exceeds my expectations by a long way.
I primarily use my iPad as a note-taking device, as a computer I take with me when I travel, for writing blog articles and even some video editing.
I never had any issues with using my iPad in this way, even though it’s a much older model. In fact, after editing videos using this iPad, I’m always amazed at what I can do on an iPad.
The truth of the matter is that for the majority of people, these older models are more than enough for their needs. Just because a new iPad is released, doesn’t necessarily mean that your iPad will lose the features it already has. But it might mean that you won’t have access to some of the new features that are only available on the new model. As with many older devices, it may also mean that your older model will lose support faster compared to the latest model, which is always worth bearing in mind.
Some people seem to fear that with Apple releasing newer models, their devices will stop working. As someone who used to work at a tech store, I had this question asked a lot.
Obviously, it depends on how old your device is, as Apple will eventually end support for the device if it gets too old, that is why I am primarily talking about devices that have been released in the past 5 years.
But, I still consider my ageing iPad Pro to be my primary device as it just functions so incredibly well.
I don’t see the need to upgrade yet
I use my iPad a lot, and it still functions perfectly well, the battery still holds a decent charge, and I am able to use it for the things I want to use it for.
And, that’s what’s important!
If the battery was seriously starting to show its age or the device was starting to slow down significantly, I would look at upgrading. But the truth of the matter is that Apple knows how to make a good product.
Whether I still think the same later this year or even next year, that’s another question, and we’ll see how it goes.
But for now, I am perfectly happy with what I have.
What about the new features?
There is a major disadvantage of not upgrading, and that’s the fact that you miss out on some of the latest features and hardware.
To some that may be totally fine, but to others, that may ruin their experience, especially if you would find some new features useful in your everyday life.
But then you got to think to yourself whether that feature would really make a difference for you.
I know someone who thought the Dynamic Island was a game changer and when he upgraded from an iPhone 12 to an iPhone 14 Pro Max, he actually found it extremely annoying. But when he had the iPhone 12, he found not having it annoying.
It just goes to show that sometimes the new features that all manufacturers release with their models aren’t as useful as they first seem.
But let’s talk about some of the new things…
To begin with, Apple released a new iPad Air which comes in two sizes the 11″ and the 13″ which is nice to see, especially for those who use it for multitasking. I like the fact that it comes with the M2 chip which will give it a slight performance boost, which will future-proof you once you decide to buy the device. But it doesn’t want to make me replace my iPad Pro with the iPad Air, these are just necessary improvements in my view.
The new iPad Pro also comes in either an 11″ model or a 13″ model, but what makes it different from other iPads is that it’s the thinnest iPad in existence and it comes with an OLED screen, which Apple call Tandem OLED. I think that this is a great upgrade for the iPad and I bet that when I see it with my own eyes, I would love the screen. But it’s not something I need with what I use my iPad for, but it would be nice to have.
I think that the screen would be great for watching movies, but I can’t remember the last time I used my iPad to watch a movie, as I tend to primarily watch them on my TV.
When it comes to these thin devices, you do tend to wonder if they will bend in the same way as the iPhone 6 did, personally, I hope not, but we’ll have to wait and see.
The new iPad Pro comes with the Apple M4 chip, which is surprising!
It’s nice to see the front-facing camera being brought to landscape mode, one of my biggest annoyances with my current iPad is that the camera is in portrait mode which makes me look strange on video calls.
Apple also introduced the Apple Pencil Pro, which was a device I was very sceptical about, but I see where they went with it. As someone who always forgets his Apple Pencil, having it work with Find My is a game changer. I also like the idea of the squeeze, but it’s not something that would make me want to buy it. But I must admit, the Find My feature does make me want to buy it.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, the choice of whether you upgrade is yours. Personally, I don’t see the need for upgrading yet, but I’m definitely contemplating upgrading next year.
With that in mind and the fact that this year’s iPad Pro has some incredible upgrades to the screen and hardware, I still can’t justify upgrading my iPad to the latest models.
The main reason for my decision is that my current iPad Pro still does what I require it to do and on top of that, it still is very capable as a device, it might even stay the same next year!
But if you have a much older model or are moving from an Android tablet to an iPad, it’s worth getting the latest model, or at least a newer model.
What are your thoughts, are you upgrading this year? Let us know in the comments!