I'm currently using an ancient iPad 3 and it's pretty clunky now and newer apps aren't compatible with the ancient Apple O.S. I'm thinking the latest basic 64GB Gen 9 iPad at £329 brand new looks a decent deal when I consider that I paid £180 at CEX for my current 32GB iPad 3 about 4.5 years back. What are your thoughts Apple people?
ps. Is anyone using iPad Gen 9 to make YouTube quality talking-head style videos?
Edited by Timmee
Top tip from someone who didn't do this: Think through in detail what you want to use it for, and make sure you get enough storage. As you probably know, it can't be upgraded, and it's a pain to realise the day after the purchase that actually the one with a bit more storage would have been perfect for offloading images while on holiday (I did that... and it bugs me to no end!)
It's quite a bit more but I love my iPad mini. Go for one with the USB C connector- it makes a big difference.
Huw said
Timmee said
What will the USC C do that the lightning connector won't?
Edited by Timmee
Way faster if you use an external SSD or card reader.I'm using mine for Lightroom, Photoshop, Rush (video).
I'm also using it for work, so I'm not really typical.
Even more importantly this is £15 whereas this is £30 and the former plugs into an iPad, a MacBook Pro, Android phones...
The USB-C one is ridiculously fast with the right cards - the cards are very much the bottleneck with it.
I have the iPad mini 5 (lightning) and 6 (USB C).
The 6 will do most things a laptop can.
Will have a think, but right now it's not clear what fast devices I'll need to connect to an iPad as I don't have the latest cameras with high end fast cards & I do my photo editing on a Windows laptop and only use the iPad for surfing. I had a look on the U.K. Apple outlet earlier and you can get a Gen 7 iPad for £209, but the latest Gen 9 seems like a very substantial upgrade over that for an additional £120.
Edited by Timmee
I have a 12.9in iPad Pro. This has a USB C connection and I also have the Apple Pencil 2nd Generation and noise cancelling AirPod Pro Bluetooth earphones. The Pro has 2 cameras and LiDAR, which is handy for augmented reality apps. I previously has a 11in iPad Pro with the 1st gen Apple Pencil. The Pro uses Face Recognition rather than a finger print scanner.
If you want to edit photos on an iPad then get one which is compatible with the Pencil 2 as this is easier to charge as it clips on magnetically to the iPad and charges wirelessly as opposed to the Pencil 1 which uses a lightning connector to charge.
If you want to use an iPad for videos, then consider the image quality of the front and rear cameras.
Timmee said
Will have a think, but right now it's not clear what fast devices I'll need to connect to an iPad as I don't have the latest cameras with high end fast cards & I do my photo editing on a Windows laptop and only use the iPad for surfing. I had a look on the U.K. Apple outlet earlier and you can get a Gen 7 iPad for £209, but the latest Gen 9 seems like a very substantial upgrade over that for an additional £120.
Edited by Timmee
If you are only using it for web use, then there’s no point paying too much for the latest and greatest,
I’m enjoying not having to take a work laptop every time I go away for a weekend. That’s worth the extra cost for me, but I’m not typical. Plus I can get my company to pay for it.
I’d probably walk into my nearest branch of CEX and buy something used that looked nice. Most iPad users keep them in a protective case so they are immaculate.
I like the mini because it fits a coat pocket.
From scrolling their site, CEX appear to be charging £30 more than Apple outlet (£240 vs £209) for used Gen 7 32GB iPads. I still reckon the new Gen 9 64GB looks a good deal in comparison.
Edited by Timmee
I brought an Ipad Mini 5 to use with one of my drones.
I got it from Amazon Renewed and its in as near to new condition as you can get.
You might find something there to suit.
Oh, I paid less than any of the used ones on ebay were going for.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Certified-Refurbished-on-Amazon/b?ie=UTF8&node=8362590031
Cheers PaulSH I've just had a browse but didn't spot anything that stood out for me in the first few pages.
T
I would say *definitely* get a USB-C iPad (Mini/Air/Pro) -- as Huw points out, they can drive SSDs and card readers, but USB-C also means the iPad can in many cases tether a camera properly with a wired tether. Have a look at Cascable:
https://cascable.se/ios/features/
which can do a load of useful photography things.
Also if you have an inkling (pun not intended) that you want to use the pen, get one that supports the second edition pen. The first edition pen is not great. (If you do end up with an iPad that supports the first edition pen, don't buy the pen before you've dropped me a line -- I ended up with spares and I will send you one)
The new Mini is really nice. I'd get that if I was budget-constrained, and I'd avoid the entry-level iPad if I could (for above reasons).