The last time I bought an iPad was 2012. It was a good iPad. But increasingly — especially when the iPhone 6 came out with a bigger screen — I found that my iPad started gathering dust.
The bigger iPhone could do all the same things as my iPad, and as my iPad's hardware got older — it still used Apple's old-style charger — I stopped using it.
But Apple's newest iPad reminded me that for iPhone users, a big tablet that does the same things can be a huge luxury. Browsing the web, playing games, and checking social media is all more pleasant with a bigger screen.
So a few weeks ago, I bought Apple's newest iPad. Apple just calls it iPad, but you might have better luck Googling "2017 iPad" or "iPad fifth generation."
Ultimately, it's not that much different than the other iPads sold over the past two years, except for one thing: It's cheap, or at least less expensive than what previous iPads cost. I paid $329 for mine.
But I couldn't be happier with my purchase. It can't do anything new compared with other iPads, but it's a great value, and it's clear Apple has refined the iPad over the past seven years to be a great tablet for most people.
I don't use my new iPad for anything productive. I mostly use it for content consumption, and it almost never leaves my house. And after using it for the past six weeks, I'm confident it's the best couch computer ever.
Here's what I do on my iPad
("Crashlands," the iPad game I've been playing recently.Crashlands)
- I surf the web. Mobile Safari, the iPad's built-in browser, is awesome, stable, and fast, and there aren't many websites the iPad can't handle.
- I play games. I've been exploring a large number of games available on Apple's App Store, and there is a surprising amount of deep games you could pour 20 or more hours into. I've been playing "Crashlands" lately.
- I watch videos. I've been using my iPad to keep up with Nationals games on MLB At Bat while my roommates watch what they want on TV. I've also watched HBO, Netflix, and other streaming services on the iPad's sharp 9.7-inch screen. It's pretty engrossing, especially with headphones.
- I check social media. If there's one issue I have with Apple's iPad in general, it's that there isn't Instagram or Snapchat for iPad. That said, it's a perfect device to catch up with most of my social feeds, including Facebook and Twitter.
- I iMessage my friends. Texting from an iPad is difficult, but if your contacts use iMessage, it's easy to send them notes and stuff from the iPad.
Here's what I don't do on my iPad: anything resembling productivity. I set up my various email accounts on the device, but I turned notifications off, and I don't really check or send emails on the iPad. I can handle quick notes from my iPhone, and if I need to do any word processing or work, I'll boot up my Mac.
Design
(Hollis Johnson)
This iPad's design is not going to surprise you. It's a rectangle, centered on a beautiful, dense, high-pixel screen.
I hadn't used a 9.7-inch iPad on a regular basis since 2012, and I immediately noticed two things about this new iPad. First, it's light enough to use for long stretches of time — something I didn't find with my older, heavier iPad.
Second, there's no physical mute switch. You'll have to turn the sound off on the touchscreen or hold the "volume down" rocker until it goes silent.
Finally, all of Apple's new iPads, including the 2017 model, come with a fingerprint sensor. While the sensor is less useful on the iPad than on the iPhone, it can still be handy, especially if you plan to share your tablet with your family — just give everyone a fingerprint password.
Battery life
Apple says this iPad can manage 10 hours of battery life, and I believe it. I haven't timed how long it takes this iPad to run out of battery, but it doesn't seem to lose charge from day to day when I'm not using it, and it can last an entire afternoon gaming. I haven't ever had an issue where the iPad ran out of battery and I needed to charge it.
For my use, the battery life is just good enough — it's unclear whether an improvement would make the iPad significantly better.
Which iPad should I get?
(Apple/BI)
I got the $329 model of the new iPad in space gray because I prefer the black border around the tablet's screen. It comes in gold and silver as well, but those come with a white bezel on the front.
Source : This article was published in Business Insider By Kif Leswing