Hey guys, I'm looking to get my first iPad here soon. I don't have the money to spend on an air right now, so I'm looking into the 4th gen. My question is, will it last? I know the 2 is kinda running ios 8, but I don't see it getting support in ios 9. Is the 4th gen having any issues currently? And is it expected to be supported for several more years?
I have an iPad 4 running the latest iOS 8, and it works completely fine. I have yet to find any games which don't work well on it. However it has an A6X CPU, which means it doesn't support Metal, which requires an A7. As more games come out with Metal support, you'll be missing out on benefitting from that. I don't know how many more iOS version will work on it, but based on my experience with previous iOS hardware and software I'd guess it may not work well with iOS 9 or iOS 10. So I'd say don't get an iPad 4 unless you're getting a pretty good deal on it. P.S. just be clear, no games have come out which require Metal to run, they just don't use Metal if you don't have an A7 CPU, so they don't look as nice on A6 devices.
But the Air 16 GB if you're strapped for cash. If money is no issue then hold out for the Air 3 this November
Thanks guys! Went with the Air, looking forward to it I'm not buying from Apple, it's a refurbished one (much less expensive.) I don't need a laptop right now, just got a new one several months ago, and I prefer windows anyway.
Heh-heh! I have a 4th gen. 128GB device currently running 8.3 and still dig it! No problems yet with something not being able to run on it. Will keep it for some time I think!
