# Is the iPad 1 still usable?



## novavon (Jul 14, 2010)

Hey guys, I've been looking at an iPad for a while and for general use - web, videos, occasional app usage, etc. Is the first iPad still worth it? I've seen them go for about $200 on kijiji or so compared to $519 for the third gen. Is the third gen worth the extra $300+? or will the first gen iPad still be good? I've owned the first gen and the second gen iPad before and I remember there being a big performance difference between the first and second gen. That's about it. Any iPad 1 owners care to refresh my memory?


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## Joker Eh (Jan 22, 2008)

You would still be happy with the iPad 2. But the 3rd gen is worth it. Great battery and screen. Forget the 1st gen iPad.


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## (( p g )) (Aug 17, 2002)

At this point, the thing you need to be most concerned about with a first-gen iPad is battery life. How many charge cycles has it done since it was new? If it is nearing the end of its life cycle (and it may well...but can't say this for certain), then you will have to factor-in the cost of a new battery and installation. With that, suddenly the deal isn't such as great one anymore.


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## Atroz (Aug 7, 2005)

I got top end model on the release morning and I still use it today. I'm heavily invested in this one (with taxes it was about $1K) and can't find enough reason to ditch it for a newer one. So yes, the iPad 1 is still quite usable.


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## viffer (Aug 29, 2007)

my wife is using an iPad 1 and loves it


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

Still using two iPad 1's. Upgraded my wife to iPad 2 for the cameras. Might upgrade to new iPad after I see what's going on in the next iOS.


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## kelman (Sep 25, 2010)

My wife, my daughter and I use our iPad 1's daily and have not found a reason to upgrade yet, nor have any plans too at this point.


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## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

Both my daughters use their iPad 1's all the time. No camera, but they transfer pics from their other camera or their iPods. Still very useable.


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## NFtoBC (Jun 24, 2011)

viffer said:


> my wife is using an iPad 1 and loves it


Ditto! 
More than meets her needs, though FaceTime would be nice for a few instances.


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## novavon (Jul 14, 2010)

Alright! sounds good. I guess i'll go with the iPad 1. I mean, you can't really go wrong for $200-$250 and worst case scenario, I can always sell it. Does anyone know if the Wifi version had the GPS module built in? I want to mount it to my car and use it as a 10" TomTom


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## garf1108 (May 30, 2006)

Still have the 1st iPad and happy with it. No reason to upgrade as yet.


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## Theseus (Jun 6, 2006)

novavon said:


> Does anyone know if the Wifi version had the GPS module built in?


Only the 3G models contain the GPS chip, verified on all 3 generations of iPad.


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## Paddy (Jul 13, 2004)

novavon said:


> Alright! sounds good. I guess i'll go with the iPad 1. I mean, you can't really go wrong for $200-$250 and worst case scenario, I can always sell it. Does anyone know if the Wifi version had the GPS module built in? I want to mount it to my car and use it as a 10" TomTom


According to this it does. iPad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

However, how would you use it when you're driving around if you don't have 3G? 

My husband and I recently bought a new iPad for a dear friend who is currently almost totally paralyzed (we hope she'll recover - she's got CIDP that is behaving uncharacteristically - this is her 4th bout of paralysis in 25 years) and I'm blown away by the gorgeous screen. I've had custody of it while I get it set up for her - loading up her music, some apps, her Kobo books etc. and I'm wishing I had one too! However, what I really need is a new MBP, so I will wait until at least next week and hope that the gorgeous Retina display shows up on the rumoured new machines. However, if I was going to buy an iPad for myself, I'd definitely spring for a new one.


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## Izzy (Apr 14, 2008)

I ordered my iPad right after the keynote and I've been using it heavily ever since. The battery is holding up well. I am starting to notice that it is slower than it used to be. At times I have to wait a few seconds before I can type in a field in some apps. 

I think the big risk with buying the first generation iPad is that the next version of iOS may not support it. There are a few apps that won't run on it now because they require an iPad2 or better. When iOS abandons support, the minimum requirements on a number of apps will increase as well. 

I'd wait until after the WWDC keynote next week to see what is in store for the next version of iOS.


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## CanadaRAM (Jul 24, 2005)

Whenever I get my new iPad, I have plans for the 1st generation one: Portable touchscreen recording studio, here we come


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## phuviano (Sep 14, 2005)

I own the ipad1, while i find its fine for most applications. It does tend to lag at times. I believe its due to the ram. I have friends who own the ipad 2.



novavon said:


> Alright! sounds good. I guess i'll go with the iPad 1. I mean, you can't really go wrong for $200-$250 and worst case scenario, I can always sell it. Does anyone know if the Wifi version had the GPS module built in? I want to mount it to my car and use it as a 10" TomTom


No, only the 3G model has the gps. I actually chose the 3g model over the wifi for this reason. Gps works quite well with the navigon app.


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## wonderings (Jun 10, 2003)

The iPad 2.3 is smoother faster and thinner, but the iPad 1 is far from unusable in my opinion. My dad uses an iPad 1, no issues with skype, email, web, or music (thats all he uses it for). If you got into heavier useage you would notice a slow down, Pages and Keynote noticeably slower and laggy, but everything else I listed works perfectly still.


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## NFtoBC (Jun 24, 2011)

Paddy said:


> According to this it does.
> 
> However, how would you use it when you're driving around if you don't have 3G?


There are apps which host the maps on the device, so you don't need 3G connections to use the product. Saves a lot of $$$ when travelling internationally.


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## kelman (Sep 25, 2010)

CanadaRAM said:


> Whenever I get my new iPad, I have plans for the 1st generation one: Portable touchscreen recording studio, here we come


Just got home with the IO Dock, same but different, will let you know how it goes.

iO Dock Pro Audio Dock For iPad & iPad 2


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## John Griffin (Jan 4, 2002)

The party may be over soon. MacWorld just announced the immanent release of iOS6 which will NOT run on the iPad 1. Nor will it run on the iPod Touch 3. All apps that will be released for iOS6 therefore will not run on the iPad 1.

The thing that gets me is that Apple has not announced an iPad 3. They did release the iPad 2.5 recently, but it is nowhere near up to being called a version 3, or anywhere near what we expected to take the place of the iPad 2. So I am at a loss to understand what Apple is up to right now...


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## Paul82 (Sep 19, 2007)

While I agree it is somewhat disappointing that the ipad 1 is no longer supported in iOS 6 it isn't all that much of a surprise as by the time iOS 6 is released to the public this fall, the ipad 1 will be 2.5 years old...

Also I'd like to point out the "New iPad" IS the iPad 3 as it is a major hardware revision. The term "New iPad" is just marketing fluff... it is referenced as the iPad 3,x depending on the model number...


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

Paul82 said:


> While I agree it is somewhat disappointing that the ipad 1 is no longer supported in iOS 6 it isn't all that much of a surprise as by the time iOS 6 is released to the public this fall, the ipad 1 will be 2.5 years old...
> 
> Also I'd like to point out the "New iPad" IS the iPad 3 as it is a major hardware revision. The term "New iPad" is just marketing fluff... it is referenced as the iPad 3,x depending on the model number...


Age is irrelevant. I would like to know if there is any actual functional reason iOS6 won't run on an original iPad. Sadly it does not surprise me that Apple is dicating that it's time for original owners to pony up for a new device. Seems to be the SOP at Infinite Loop.


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## Paul82 (Sep 19, 2007)

I'm not saying I agree, just that I'm not surprised... What I was much more surprised by is that the 3GS IS supported... Though really when you consider that they are still selling it and have positioned it as their "low" cost option I guess it makes more sense... But that also means from a technical standpoint there is NO reason not to support the iPad 1, as even if there were some features that might not be possible from a technical standpoint you can always not support them on that device, as I'm sure will be the case with some stuff on the 3GS.


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## ahMEmon (Sep 27, 2005)

Doesn't the iPad1 have almost the same specs as the iPhone 4?


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

The original iPad is still a capable machine that can run almost anything iOS 5 can throw at it, and thus it is likely to be well-supported app wise for quite some time to come. I still get updates on my original iPhone (that's almost exactly five years old) and all the apps I've put on it still run just fine. I am careful not to update an app on my old iPhone that can't run and of course I have an iPhone 4 now but I'm always surprised how many apps (even new ones) can run on the original iPhone. I'm obviously not going to be playing Infinity Blade on it anytime soon, but it all still works for me.


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## Bowserm (Jan 11, 2012)

I have 5.1.1 on my first gen iPad. Yes it is a bit slow, but it still works great. My whole family uses it everyday (including small 2 children)

I am glad that iOS 6 isn't supported on it due to its 256MB of total memory. I think it would kill the performance on it even more.

If you can get a first gen iPad for cheap, its worth it I think


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

My only fear with the iPad 1 is that moving forward, apps will require iOS 6 which won't run on this iPad. Keynote, Pages, Numbers already require iOS 5. Given the nature of the app store, you can't select a version to run on earlier OS's and running "update all" won't work if there are apps that require a newer OS than you can run.

From a usage perspective, I still enjoy using my original and use it heavily on a daily basis.


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## Funk (Aug 4, 2010)

For the most part isn't it mostly apple apps that require you to have the latest iOS for the Latest version of th app? Older versions of the apps will still work. I think contentment is great! If my 2006 white MacBook is still going strong I think the original iPad would too.


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## raju201 (Apr 13, 2012)

Obeviously if you want better performance, speed, Retina display then you should buy iPad 3. It worth extra money $300, its a latest device.


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