I have been considering replacing my 2018 iPad Pro for a few weeks now. It is the 11" model with 256gb of storage. Currently showing 18gb of free space. Battery passed testing with 88% capacity but only 3-4 hours of actual usage daily.
The plan WAS to purchase a refurbished 11" iPad Air with 512 gb of storage. It seems that Apple raised prices slightly in the refurb store. Amazon is selling an M2 iPad Air wifi model with 1tb of storage for $699US during Prime Days sale. Apple has the same model for $929US.
I was thinking the wifi+cellular model upgrade might be smart since we are traveling more. Amazon is at $729US vs Apple $1,049US.
The M2 iPad Air should be a performance boost over my 2018 iPad Pro and I can still use my Magic Keyboard case still. Trade-in at Apple shows $170 right now.
“Macworld explains that iPads typically receive major iPadOS updates for 6-8 years, with security updates continuing even longer afterward. “. So it might be time to start thinking about retiring a 2018 model device .
I am willing to splurge $30 to gain GPS and the ability to use an eSim while traveling outside the US. My carrier does give me hot spot support but it was rather pricey on our last trip.
Verizon charges me $17/month for service on a cellular-enabled iPad. So I’m paying $204/year for the service that I use for about a month, maybe two, when I’m overseas AND not in a location that has WiFi service. Big mistake.