Can't decide what to do iPad Air 32GB or iPad Air 2 16GB

[Radeon]

Hello guys, pretty new here and I have a dilema which I'm sure some of you know.
I've decided I'm going to buy an iPad and I can't decide which one to get.
I will say that I come from a nexus 7 2013, I've decided I want a full size tablet (I have some history with iOS and I personally think that the iPad is really the best full size tablet for my needs and demands).
I'm mostly a casual user, I would browse the web, use youtube, play some heavy games on it (such as asphalt 8, GT racing, fifa 15 perhaps).
The only problem I have is deciding between the two listed in the title and here's why:
-They both cost exactly the same in my country brand new.
-On the one hand, the Air 2 is more "future proof" with it's 2GB of RAM and A8X chip and I will play some heavy games on the tablet like i've mentioned. But if I'm not wrong, the original Air currently handles every game out there with ease so the performance gain with the Air 2 won't be noticeable (at the moment at least) right?
-On the other hand, I won't store my music and shows/movies on the device, perhaps a movie or two if I'm away for several days or for a long drive/flight (I will delete them once I'm done) plus I can use iCloud to store music/videos (the question is: can I play movies/music directly from iCloud without the need to download them directly into the ipad's internal storage?).
But also more heavy games are being released with time and they might take up a lot of space.

The reason I won't go with a 64GB iPad Air 2 is because the difference between the 16GB and 64GB here is about 150$, plus I would never ever take advantage of even half of that capacity.
From my point of view, what would you do? I lean more towards the newer Air 2 16GB but I've read so many reviews telling people to avoid the 16GB model if they can but that means I'll have to settle for the original Air (not that I'm saying it's bad in any way)

 

[twerppoet]

Do not get the 16 GB model. Period. If you decide on an iPad Air 2 get the next model up.

No one who's thinking that their tablet should last a more than a year, and be able to do half the things it's capable of should be considering 16 GB model of any new device; Android, Apple, or Windows.

If the choice really is limited to the two options, you'll be a bit better off with the larger iPad Air. But if you can squeeze out that extra $100, then the 64 GB iPad Air 2 will be a big improvement, and you'll probably get at least one more year of usable life out of it. A significant saving over the long term, if you end up keeping the device for that long. Failing that, the resell value will be higher, easily that same $100 higher, if you decide to trade up later.

 

[giradman]

Well, first welcome to the forum! I believe we have already gone through this 'dilemma' before -

I strongly agree w/ TP, i.e. you will be making a mistake if your buy any 16 GB iPad - the iOS/native apps already take up about 5 GB, plus to upgrade iOS OTA (Over the Air) requires an additional 5-6 GB of free storage, so you can appreciate the issues - just little room for apps & their data, plus your AV needs - and what you feel are your needs now, will likely change in a year or two.

I just replaced my nearly 4-year old iPad 2 w/ a 64 GB iPad Air 2 - I already have half my storage used, mainly because I put on over 100+ hrs of MP3 music (a job that an aging iPod was doing but now just need to bring the iPad) - either save up for the 64 GB Air 2 or buy the other one. Dave

P.S. put your location in your signature (at least your country) - helps others to respond better.

 

[Novakingwai]

I also agree. Had a 16 GB iPad Air one, thought it would be enough since I use my Note 3 phone on the go and only planned on using the iPad around the house. FIgured since I had good internet at home, it would be a snap to redownload whatever apps I needed to free up space. Wrong. Your iPad will fill up fast, trust me. Finally Apple has gotten their heads out their butts and at least offered a 64GB upgrade of $100 over the base 16 price. ($100 for 32GB instead was a hard bullet to bite). I say get an Air 2 64 GB.

 

[Radeon]

Thanks for the replys guys.
I would like to know though if the air 2 64gb is worth spending on another 150$ compared to the air 32gb. Aside from the obviously larger storage, is the performance difference even noticeable right now? Cause the a7 is for sure not a weak chip by any means. (Aside from the better specs i dont favor the air 2 over the original)

 

[scifan57]

The iPad Air 2 is currently the fastest tablet on the market, with a faster, tweaked, 3 core version of the A8 processor in the iPhone 6 and 6 plus, called the A8X processor. I think the difference would be quite noticable if you were using it for activities that push the processor to its limits.

 

[Radeon]

The iPad Air 2 is currently the fastest tablet on the market, with a faster, tweaked, 3 core version of the A8 processor in the iPhone 6 and 6 plus, called the A8X processor. I think the difference would be quite noticable if you were using it for activities that push the processor to its limits.

The thing is, i dont that i will be able to take advantage of it's power. I will play some heavy games but even the heaviest games available for ios today run smooth on the original air from what i saw.
I can buy the air 32gb brand new in the box sealed from a private person, for 475$ while the cheapest 64gb air 2 would be 730$ so the price difference is really big, over 250$.
I actually think the air 32gb is the better option while i can get it for that much.

 

[s2mikey]

The thing is, i dont that i will be able to take advantage of it's power. I will play some heavy games but even the heaviest games available for ios today run smooth on the original air from what i saw.
I can buy the air 32gb brand new in the box sealed from a private person, for 475$ while the cheapest 64gb air 2 would be 730$ so the price difference is really big, over 250$.
I actually think the air 32gb is the better option while i can get it for that much.

The Air is a fine tablet and still has lots to offer. The hardware is still pretty beefy and even though the Air 2 has upgraded hardware in most use cases you'd be hard pressed to notice much difference. As time goes on then yes, more apps will take advantage of the stronger hardware. But, you'd have to actually use those apps to see it.

Overall, it seems to me that the Air would work fine for you. Therefore, go that route. Just my opinion.

 

[Novakingwai]

I can buy the air 32gb brand new in the box sealed from a private person, for 475$ while the cheapest 64gb air 2 would be 730$ so the price difference is really big, over 250$.

Where do you live that it costs that much? Here in the US a 32 Air 1 is $439 new and a 64 Air 2 is $589 new, only $150 difference.

 

[Radeon]

Where do you live that it costs that much? Here in the US a 32 Air 1 is $439 new and a 64 Air 2 is $589 new, only $150 difference.

Israel, they rip us off here for every new tech that comes out.

 

[Radeon]

Guys can anyone tell me if assuming i have icloud on the ipad and i have stored a movie or a song in the cloud, is it possible to play it directly from icloud? or do i have to download it from icloud to the ipad's internal storage in order to play it?

Also, is it possible to store complete apps in icloud? (I read that it isn't and that you can only store app data but also read that it changed since ios8)

 

[J. A.]

Guys can anyone tell me if assuming i have icloud on the ipad and i have stored a movie or a song in the cloud, is it possible to play it directly from icloud? or do i have to download it from icloud to the ipad's internal storage in order to play it?

Also, is it possible to store complete apps in icloud? (I read that it isn't and that you can only store app data but also read that it changed since ios8)

The information about iCloud storing complete apps is wrong. You'll see what iCloud stores and backs up here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH12519?viewlocale=en_US
It didn't change with iOS 8, this is the latest information.

The movies and songs you purchased are not stored in iCloud, they are connected to the Apple ID which was used to buy them. You can use iTunes Match to play music, even if it's not saved to your device.

 

[scifan57]

If you're on WiFi and go to Settings>iTunes & App Store>Show All>Videos and slide the switch to on, then go to the videos app, you can select and play any of your purchased, but not downloaded, movies and TV shows from the cloud. This also works with your music. You do, however, need a very fast internet connection or the programs will keep freezing.

 

[giradman]

As already stated above, purchased movies can be 'streamed', however, if you first like to rent movies from iTunes before deciding to buy, then the film has to be downloaded to your device (a number of options exist for viewing the rental) - in the USA, you have 30 days to start the film and 24 hrs to finish watching it (then the rental is deleted) (Source).

Also, for those contemplating buying a 16 GB iPad, nearly 5 GB or so will be used up by the iOS and native apps + 5 GB (at least for 8.x) is needed to upgrade the iOS OTA (about 2 GB if cabled to iTunes) - that leaves precious little space for other uses, especially movies - quoted below from HERE, 2 GB is pretty much the lower end of storage usage for a SD film and twice that amount for one in HD - SO, for those w/ a 'minimum capacity' iDevice, buy or rent only SD films and keep few if any on the machine. Dave

In the iTunes Store, movies conveniently list the file size for the selected format. A couple of examples: Hugo is 1.74GB in SD, 3.99GB in 720p, and 4.84GB in 1080p. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is 1.00, 2.91, and 3.65 gigabytes, respectively.

 

[alicepattinson]

Hello guys, pretty new here and I have a dilema which I'm sure some of you know.
I've decided I'm going to buy an iPad and I can't decide which one to get.
I will say that I come from a nexus 7 2013, I've decided I want a full size tablet (I have some history with iOS and I personally think that the iPad is really the best full size tablet for my needs and demands).
I'm mostly a casual user, I would browse the web, use youtube, play some heavy games on it (such as asphalt 8, GT racing, fifa 15 perhaps).
The only problem I have is deciding between the two listed in the title and here's why:
-They both cost exactly the same in my country brand new.
-On the one hand, the Air 2 is more "future proof" with it's 2GB of RAM and A8X chip and I will play some heavy games on the tablet like i've mentioned. But if I'm not wrong, the original Air currently handles every game out there with ease so the performance gain with the Air 2 won't be noticeable (at the moment at least) right?
-On the other hand, I won't store my music and shows/movies on the device, perhaps a movie or two if I'm away for several days or for a long drive/flight (I will delete them once I'm done) plus I can use iCloud to store music/videos (the question is: can I play movies/music directly from iCloud without the need to download them directly into the ipad's internal storage?).
But also more heavy games are being released with time and they might take up a lot of space.

The reason I won't go with a 64GB iPad Air 2 is because the difference between the 16GB and 64GB here is about 150$, plus I would never ever take advantage of even half of that capacity.
From my point of view, what would you do? I lean more towards the newer Air 2 16GB but I've read so many reviews telling people to avoid the 16GB model if they can but that means I'll have to settle for the original Air (not that I'm saying it's bad in any way)

iPad Air 32GB