With the new release of the iPad 5, a lot of people are wondering if they should get the iPad Air or an older geneartion iPad. The only iPad available for sale, other than the iPad Air, is the iPad 2. So let’s see which one is more worth it after all.
Quick Note
What’s really weird about iPads is that the iPad 2, released in March 2011, is still selling for $399. The iPad 3, released on March 2012, and the iPad 4, released on November 2012, are not available for purchase anymore.
Since the iPad 5 (iPad Air) starts at $499, I’m a bit confused as to why the 2-year old iPad 2 still costs $399. Shouldn’t it be selling for $300-350 instead?
Size, Color and Weight
The iPad Air has a size of 9.4 x 6.6 x .29 inches and weighs 1 pound (469 g), while the iPad 2 has a size of 9.50 x 7.31 x .34 inches and weighs 1.33 pounds (613 g).
The iPad 2 comes in black and white, whereas the iPad Air comes in silver and space gray.
Display
The iPad 2 does not feature a Retina display. Instead, it has a resolution of 1024 x 768 at 132 pixels per inch. The iPad Air on the other hand, has a resolution of 2048 x 1536 at 264 pixels per inch.
Processors and RAM
The iPad 2 runs on a dual-core A5 32-bit chip, while the iPad Air runs on a dual-core A7 64-bit processor. Let’s put it this way: the iPad 3 is twice as fast as the iPad 2, the iPad 4 is twice as fast as the iPad 3 and the iPad 5 is twice as fast as the iPad 4.
The iPad 2 is so outdated that is doesn’t even run Siri. Mind you, it runs iOS 7, but doesn’t have camera filters, square photos and videos or Siri. If you got onto the app market on an iPad 2 you’d be surprised to find that a lot of apps won’t even run on an iPad 2. It’s just an outdated piece of junk. If its price were $300, it would be more realistic, but at $400, the iPad 2 is useless.
M7 Coprocessor
The iPad Air also has a motion coprocessor which takes work off of the gyroscope, accelerometer and compass, making the device overall more efficient. If you use fitness apps and sleep pattern tracking apps on your iPad, you’re going to notice a huge battery saving with the iPad Air.
Battery
Both of these iPads get up to 10 hours of web surfing, watching video or listening t music.
Cameras
The iPad 5 has a 5MP rear camera and a 1.2MP front camera, while the iPad 2 has a rear camera with a resolution of .92MP and front camera resolution of .69MP.
That’s right. You read that correctly. The front camera of the iPad 5 is 25% better than the rear camera of the iPad 2.
Price
The iPad Air 16GB model costs $499, the 32GB model costs $599, the 64GB model costs $699 and the 128GB model costs $799. On the other hand, the iPad 2 only comes in 16GB and costs $399.
Conclusion
Stay away from the iPad 2. It is trash in comparison to the iPad 5. For $400, the iPad 2 is a complete rip-off. $250-300 would be a more sensible price for the iPad 2.
The only reason Apple keeps around iPads two generations old is to contrast the new iPads against the old ones. They compare the iPad 5 to the iPad 2 on their site and stop selling the iPad 3/4. This is all done intentionally to make you get the iPad 5. It’s a terrible scheme but it works.
Photos from Apple.
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