I have been on iOS 8.3 for the last month waiting for reviews to decide whether to upgrade to iOS 9.0. Not a lot out there. There are a couple Russian(?) Youtube reviews but i could not understand them. There are a few reviews for ipad 2, results were mixed. I received the iOS 9.1 download on the weekend and decided to bite the bullet and update. So far, I am happy. The update took about 25 minutes. I did not activate icloud or any of the other online backup features (I generally do not like to keep personal info in the cloud, but I do use dropbox for working with others). I am always concerned about battery drain after an update. I am happy to report that after 11 hours of standby over night, the battery usage was 0% change. During usage, the battery usage appears to be normal, so far. But on my particular iPad 3 and setup, i never had any battery prblems with iOS 7 or 8. The UI does seem to be alot smoother with less stuttering compared to iOS 8. Apps may load slightly slower than before, but this is just a subjective observation. No crashes or lockups yet. I do not have a lot of apps (16 GB version). Dropbox, Netflix, Yahoo Mail, tripadvisor, WPS, google maps. Google translate. No problems. In fact, fitness app which downloads heart monitor and workout info from my Mio fuse wristband works better than uder 8.3. Safari seems to load pages a bit quicker than in iOS 8 and a less glitchier. Pinch zooming and scrolling seems definitely smoother and faster than before. Also purely subjective. No issues with wifi or bluetooth connections. I will report any noticable changes or issues. I would like to hear from other iPad 3 owners. Anyways, I would recommend the 9.1 update. YMMV.
Welcome to iPad Forums, funpig! Thanks for a very informative post. I also have an iPad 3 on iOS 9.0.2 and haven't noticed any problems either. In regards to iCloud, if you ever want to use Find my iPad to track or erase your iPad if it's ever lost or stolen, you'll have to set up an iCloud account on your iPad. The choice is entirely yours, though.
Thanks, sc57. This iPad has been strictly stay at home device. If I decide to take it on a trip, I will probably do as you suggested.
I guess there are not too many iPad 3 owners out there anymore... So far so good. No change to my original review above. 9.1 is noticeably better than 8.3.1. Current battery status: 2%, after 12 hrs 20 minutes of usage and 70 hours of standby. The ipad 3 may be older and heavier, but it has a big ass battery.
Last iPad 3 owner on Earth reporting... Just updated to iOS 9.2.1. No issues. It way even be slightly faster loading than before.
Lol You're not the only iPad 3 owner. My son has one of them too, and it's working good, with 9.2.1 installed.
Hi Funpig - if your first response above is meant to imply that you're the last iPad 3 owner on the planet, then I have to LOL, too! Very few members seem to reply to these polls that are posted here - don't believe that I ever have (and a member since 2011). BUT w/ a little googling, I found the survey below and seems that as of late 2015, the iPad 2 is the most popular model being used @ that time (I dumped mine a year before that survey date and switched to the iPad Air 2) - your model trumps mine by a percentage point - SO, no you are not the last person on earth to be using the third generation iPad - Dave .
Actually, when I found that round pie chart (I guess - must be a different name for that percentage circle?) - I was somewhat amazed that the iPad 2 + the iPad Mini added up to 38% - boy, those are old machines - I suspect toward the end of 2016, that circle will look quite different, i.e. the iPad Mini 4 (which my wife is now using), the iPad Air 3 (maybe this spring), and the iPad Pro will likely change those figures as the two current 'old' contenders fade away. Dave
