iPad mini 3 retina 32gb so I guess late 2013 early 2014, still works fine but there’s practically no apps on it and I only really use it for web browsing, no need to change it which is just as well as there’s **** all £ to do so, same as my iPhone 5s 64gb which I bought when it came out, no apps apart from viewranger/navigon and soundcloud mostly used as a phone and podcast/music player

Old HP touchpad, 6 years old I think, battery swelled up, pretty much dead, can’t be bothered to change the battery.

iPad 3, around 5 years old, works great even if it doesn’t run the latest iOs, still works well for youtube, hearthstone, etc.

I do have cheap android tablet from 2015, but the screen is pretty terrible so I don’t really use it unless the battery on the iPad is flat.

iPad 3 (the first Retina one) so about 5 years old.
On latest iOS – still works fine.

Same experience here. Mine is still bombproof.

We also have an iPad1 though, and that’s useless for web browsing when it comes to super heavy (badly made) sites, and none of the latest apps run on it. Still, how old is that?

Google says 7 years… so, great build quality, but left behind. Shame. Still, how many other tablets from 2010 are still going?

How do you know when to stop updating?

When you purchase the apple device 🙂

I’m on an iPad 2 which is about 5 years old. Most apps still work it has iOS 6 or 7 but I remember the 7 update wiped everything and apple had to fix it so I decided to never update again.

As long as I don’t update the old apps or want new ones it is fine for me. Does web stuff and videos

iPad 2 here, bought just before 2012 Olympics.

Killed after update about 9 months ago. Not falling for that trick again so bought a cheap (read disposable) Kindle Fire for £40.

iPad 2, running the latest software. It struggles a little at times but we mostly just use the browser.

Not sure what we’ll replace it with when the time comes?

Apple generally stop providing updates for old devices at the point where they think performance is compromised too badly.

Do all the usual stuff: backup+factory reset. Make sure you have at least 1GB free space, turn off motion, reduce visual effects, make sure you only allow essential apps to run in the background, turn off all notifications you don’t care about.

When people say back up and restore, I’ve just done that and it installed the latest update.
Is it possible to back up and restore without update?
I always click restore as my iPad. Should I? Surely it puts everything back as it was or does some sort of magic take place?
My memory is not even half full so do I need to go on an app cull or not?
Having said all that it doesn’t seem so bad today. When I type a word all the letters come up immediately without any lag.
I have a galaxy s4 phone which just works. It’s years old an apart from moving stuff to the sd card requires no looking after at all.
Would a Samsung tablet be as reliable?

My iPad 2 owned since release still works for internet without issue

Most modern apps won’t run on it . Can’t do internet banking on it via app…

So i just do it on their websites….

Its a 64gb so I’ll probably turn it into a media player for the garage eventually and so long as it still works on the internet it’ll be good for checking technical issues on the hoof as it’s nearly useless for what i wanted it for – using while traveling and at work (with a VPN which this can no longer run)

iPad 2 about 6 years old which the lad uses for watching those gaming you tube vids. Runs better than my 2 year old galaxy and the battery still lasts about 5 or more hours.

iPad 1 now purely used as a reader for digital singletrack and other mags via goodreader

iPad 4 now over 4yrs old running 10.3.1 no problems.

The simple fact is that over time operating systems and applications undergo development, have new features/functions added, which inevitably require more memory and processing power in order to actually work, but the device is fixed in time – it only has so much RAM available and the processor can only run so fast, so anyone who expects a five yo machine to run like new after five years worth of OS and app development is deluding themselves!
I have personally seen skip-loads of PC’s thrown out after only two or three years use, I’ve thrown out a five year old monitor that cost £2500 because the manufacturer no longer kept spares!
An average Android device is obsolete after only a year, because the manufacturer can’t be arsed to send out OS updates, Apple are almost unique in updating OS as long as they do, but it has to be recognised that technology marches on, and there is always a limit beyond which updates are going to work; you just cannot expect an OS designed to work with 2-4Gb of RAM to function on a device with 512Mb – 1Gb!
I’m amazed my now exactly five year old iPad 3 still works, it’s got loads of apps on, no music though, loads of ebooks, and it will suddenly freeze up.
I could back it up and reset to factory, but I’m expecting to upgrade it some time soon, I want one I can use the Pencil on for sketching and note-taking.
It’ll then get reset, a few apps reinstalled, like Viewranger, and used mostly for browsing.

There again I’m glad that somethings can’t be updated. We use an iphone 4 as an ipod in the shop. It us so easy to use.
The 4s we have is more interested in us telling people what we are listening to rather than us being able to shuffle a play list.

My iPad1 I stopped using after 4 years, still works. My iPad Air 2 is 2.5 years old now I think, still going strong.

iPad 1 now purely used as a reader for digital singletrack and other mags via goodreader

Very interesting, thanks !

OP it’s almost certainly ads that are making yours unusable, there are free solutions worth a try 😉 PM me if you wish

My aspire notebook is the same age as my iPad 2 and it’s performance is infinitely better.

My kid still uses my 2012 Nexus, which became unusable with its final updates to android 5.xsomething but rolled it back to 4.x and it was back to its old self and been like that for six months

Nexus 7 (2012) tablet here, has lived in a drawer for over a year now as it’s so slow to do anything. Haven’t got around to seeing if there’s a reliable fix or whether it’s not worth bothering with.

2013 Nexus 10.
Still in use for web browsing and iplayer.

Blackberry Playbook. It works fine thanks. No OS10 updates, of course.

I also have an iPad Mini 4 for bike duties

First gen iPad Air (bought soon after release so a bit over 3 years old). Still fine for everything I do (web, email, Twitch and games mostly). Can’t say I’ve noticed it slowing down with iOS updates either (left it running the latest update this morning so fingers-crossed I haven’t jinxed it).
My parents have an iPad 2 (must be at least 5 years old) and that’s noticeably more sluggish than mine but still usable.

CountZero – Member
An average Android device is obsolete after only a year, because the manufacturer can’t be arsed to send out OS updates

Rubbish.

My first ‘smart phone’ an HTC Desire was 4 years old when I swapped it to a new Xperia T. That’s now over 4 years old and when I bought it, it had already been out for about 12 months old. I might replace it this year as it is admittedly starting to get a bit clunky.

As I mentioned above somewhere; we’ve got 2 Android tablets that work fine and are 3 years old.

My Wife is only on her second Android phone in about 6 or 7 years and the current one (Galaxy S4 Mini) works very well.

iPad 2 which is about five or six years old. Still works fine though I’m avoiding installing the latest version (or several) of iOS as apparently it makes it run like a dog.

Main problem is I can’t find a smart cover to fit and mine’s on it’s last legs – my fault for using it as a handle in portrait mode.

4th generation iPad, which is still OK at 4 1/2 years old. Still runs the latest iOS10 OK although I’m guessing may not get the next one. It did get a bit slow last year, did a full factory reset and just reloaded the apps that get used – decent improvement but can still feel a bit sluggish at times, and it doesn’t support the new things like split-screen.

Apple are probably the best of the bunch as far as support via software updates go. If I’d bought a Nexus 10 at the time (late 2012) that would be stuck on Android 5.1.

I am eyeing a new iPad, but mainly so the old one can be locked down for toddler use so I don’t need to keep putting it in guided access every time.

When they deploy a new OS version to older hardware, they are basically giving you a “demo” of a new tablet / phone.

You like all the shiny new features, but its a bit slow, so you toddle off and buy a new one.

Best to avoid the major version OS update and it will likely run and run. Unless you get some malware…

I am eyeing a new iPad, but mainly so the old one can be locked down for toddler use

Get a hudl 2 (+a bumper case). My two have happily left the iPad alone after we gave them hudls at Xmas.

When they deploy a new OS version to older hardware, they are basically giving you a “demo” of a new tablet / phone.

Not really true on Apple at least, because the biggest features of the new OS will usually be disabled on the oldest hardware for “performance reasons”.

Unless you get some malware…

Again not really a problem on Apple.

I was thinking Apple when I wrote that.

I had Iphone 2G, Iphone 3G Iphone 4 and and Ipad2, and all became unusable shortly after a new generation device came on sale and the new OS was updated on my device,

I’m still using an iPhone 4S as my daily phone on the latest iOS available to it (9.3.5) and the settings tweaked down.

It’s not blisteringly fast granted, but pretty usable.

Apple (and others) get slated either way. Don’t think your latest software will run well on an old device? It’s been abandoned! They’re making me buy a new device! Allow it to be installed with all the whizzy new features that run well on current hardware? Nasty Apple, they’re making my device unusable!

You either need to never update (like the goodbad old days before anything could be) so that it’s always the same, or accept that running current software means buying new hardware once in a while.

GrahamS – Member 
Not really true on Apple at least, because the biggest features of the new OS will usually be disabled on the oldest hardware for “performance reasons”.

True, but it’s then an incentive to buy the latest hardware by disabling new features or even existing features.

Again not really a problem on Apple.

http://fortune.com/2017/04/08/apple-malware-adware-mcafee/
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/think-apple-computers-are-still-malware-immune-this-new-attack-proves-otherwise/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-34338362

Amongst many others on this subject.

Small scale compared to Android, but it’s not “not really a problem”.

Just to be clear, talking malware here, not viruses, but viruses are a bit dead now as malware is easier to produce and exploit people.

Small scale compared to Android, but it’s not “not really a problem”.

Okay – “incredibly rare” then.
(Note the first two stories relate to macOS not iOS)