I can always count on getting good advice from the forum so here is a general question about iPads.
I am planning on replacing my 3rd generation iPad with either an 10th gen iPad or the latest iPad Air. Which ever one I get it will have 256G of storage.
I write programs strictly as a hobby and not as an Apple developer. I do not run a lot of apps at the same time but I do want the horse power in case I do.
I believe the Air is about two years newer so it may be supported further into the future than the 10th gen iPad.
Given my budget of $800 max which iPad would be the better choice?
Also, I don’t usually get service contracts with the products I buy but I’m wondering if Apple Care is worth getting.
@Scotty - sorry about the slow reply but not sure what to suggest. I have owned four iPads the first a first gen I part exed for a 3rd gen pro. Bought an air for the kids and recently bought a recent gen iPad Pro with bigger screen. The latter is magic, I wanted to have at least two screen sizes so that I could check my projects run OK on different resolutions. The extra screen acreage is great.
If you program a lot and include a lot of graphics I would go for the biggest screen size and the biggest memory you can afford.
Hope that helps.
Oh and - welcome back, probably a lot of change since you posted last
@Bri_G , thanks for your reply. I am limiting my choice between the iPad 10 or the iPad Air (I believe the latest version is the 6th gen); 256G; 11 inch screen due to my budget.
As an average programmer I believe either one will be a giant leap in performance from my 3rd gen. I just want to avoid spending a couple hundred bucks more for the Air and not seeing a huge difference over the 10th gen.
It’s hard to compare given the way Apple lists the device features: A14 Bionic Chip versus the M2 Chip as an example.
The latest iPad Air 6th gen is newer than the iPad 10th gen so it may be supported longer.
These are the things I’m weighing in making my decision.
I owned the 3rd gen (clunky) and the 9th and 10th iPad. If mostly what you’re going to do with it is use Codea, than the 10 would be fine. If you’re going to use it as a main device, the Air is going to be far better for far longer. Better screen (the 10 isn’t laminated—especially unresponsive with the pencil), better speakers, and far more RAM (necessary, if you ever want to try Apple Intelligence).
Apple Care Plus? Get a good case. If you keep it on your desk, not much can happen. If I did travel with it a lot, I’d get the cheaper iPad 10 and forego Apple Care Plus.